Review : New Western History

Over the past few weeks of class, we have covered the first five chapters of our textbook, written by George Brown Tindell and David Emory Shi called, “America, A Narrative History.” Each chapter told the reader a narration of the history of America, as opposed to an expository version of America’s history. Each chapter had its own main idea over a portion of history, along with many details that cover the importance of the main idea. As a reader, one may obtain a deeper appreciation for the country 's history, prior to entering the class on the first day. The most important aspect of history, besides the battles that are fought, is the different cultures that make up today’s modern America.

There are many ways in which we can view the history of the American West. One view is the popular story of Cowboys and Indians. It is a grand story filled with adventure, excitement and gold. Another perspective is one of the Native Plains Indians and the rich histories that spanned thousands of years before white discovery and settlement. Elliot West’s book, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, offers a view into both of these worlds. West shows how the histories of both nations intertwine, relate and clash all while dealing with complex geological and environmental challenges. West argues that an understanding of the settling of the Great Plains must come from a deeper understanding, a more thorough

There are many factors that made the West, from government, politics, wars, climate and geography. So why are all these factors matter, because when the people wanted to expand their settlements they have to deal with the consequences that they have to risk. Each part of this paper will give you history of each individual era from the expansion of the West, Civil War and the reconstruction of the nation, Home on the Ranch, and rise of the industrial America

In 1893, at the 400th anniversary of the appearance of Columbus in the Americas celebrated in Chicago , Frederick Jackson Turner presented an academic paper entitled, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” In this essay, Turner proposes that, “The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development.” The group dynamic that Turner champions is the farmer. More directly it is white, male farmers. While the expansion of the west by white male farmers was a factor in the development of America, it is not the only explanation for this progression. Turner fails to incorporate all of the demographics present during this expansion which were essential to the evolution of America.

The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history, down to the end of the19th century and as the main factor in the shaping of American history. As Frederick Jackson Turner says, the greatest force or influence in shaping American democracy and society had been that there was so much free land in America and this profoundly affected American society. Motives After the revolution, the winning of independence opened up the Western country and was hence followed by a steady flow of settlers to the Mississippi valley. By 1840, 10 new western states had been added to the Federal union. The frontier line ran through Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas on the western side

        6.  What was “Project Wagonwheel”?  Who were the major participants in the controversy? What sides of the issue did each represent?  What was the final result?

Brian Levack, Edward Muir, Micheal Maas, Meredith Veldman. The West: Encounters and Transformations, Consise Edition. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, 2009. Print

Until the 1860s the land between the Missouri river and the Rocky mountains was largely uninhabited desert land that we now consider the old west. Though many passed through in search of greater fortune and religious freedom it was only home to few native american groups and fur trappers. Following the Civil War and in conjunction with the California Gold Rush and the expansion of railroads the old west saw in influx of people moving from the eastern states and making home in this barren land, though not without risk. As is often depicted in old movies and books, violence and crime were rampant in the young male dominated towns of the old west. Even though there is exaggeration in media there is no doubt that the Old West was a violent and

Tindall, George Brown, David E. Shi, and Charles W. Eagles. America a Narrative History. 10th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004.

Western, a genre of short stories that are set in the American west, primarily in the late of the 19th century (“Western” 598), and still being told until today by films, televisions, radio, and other art works. The major of moving to the west was because of the Homestead Act, 1862 (“U.S. Statues at Large” 392) which would give lands to people who stayed there for five years. This lead to a huge wave of immigrants moved to the West, and they had to face to many hardships and conflicts such as Indian attacks, tornadoes, blizzards, and illnesses.

Over the years, the idea of the western frontier of American history has been unjustly and falsely romanticized by the movie, novel, and television industries. People now believe the west to have been populated by gun-slinging cowboys wearing ten gallon hats who rode off on capricious, idealistic adventures. Not only is this perception of the west far from the truth, but no mention of the atrocities of Indian massacre, avarice, and ill-advised, often deceptive, government programs is even present in the average citizen’s understanding of the frontier. This misunderstanding of the west is epitomized by the statement, “Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis was as real as the myth of the west. The development of the west was, in

The emergence of western history as an important field of scholarship started with Frederick Jackson Turner’s (1861-1932) famous essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American history.”[1] This thesis shaped both popular and scholarly views of the West for the next two generations. In his thesis, Turner argued that the West had to be taken seriously. He felt that up to his time there had not been enough research of what he in his essay call “the fundamental, dominating fact in the U.S. history”: the territorial expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. The frontier past was, according to Turner, the best way to describe the distinctive American history and character.

We cannot be too sure of what accurately caused the rise of the west, but we could as well be close enough. The problem about history is that stories will evolve after time passes. Debates between Historians and other will sometimes change ideas. Authors of some best selling books leave out some key details that could be needed later on. We have also been false on a certain number of subjects like how Columbus was the first to discover America when truth was he wasn't. There is a lot of evidence pointing towards that the West actually did rise, but there are still problems from our fellow Historians this current day.

Throughout premodern history, the West held relatively idle next to their Asian and Middle Eastern counterparts. However by the middle of the nineteenth century, the West emerged as a global powerhouse. The West stood apart from their counterparts as the world’s dominant economic, military, and geopolitical powers. Their transformation didn’t happen overnight, a chronological evaluation of premodern events supported their emergence. From their plaques in late 14th century to their dominance in by the 19th century, this chronological approach tracked the economic, military and geopolitical changes of the West compared to their Asian counterparts. The chronological approach included the Renaissance, the West’s integration of gunpowder and print products, investments in the British and Dutch East India companies, and their exploration for new land.

The Western History and Genealogy Department at the Denver Public Library provides researchers a great resource. It is the central repository for Denver. The Western History and Genealogy department is a special collection archive, meaning researchers cannot check out any materials or documents held within the archive. This archive houses over 500 boxes of documents, which is over 500 linear feet of information. In addition, the archive collects maps, photographs, books, wire tapes, record reels, VHS, Betamax, and various artifacts from tiaras to illuminated pages from various bibles. Some of the collections available for research include: the Tenth Mountain Division Collection, Conservation History, The Rocky Mountain News, People and Pioneers