Monday, February 6, 2012

The Great West and Agricultural Revolution


a) Why has the Plains Indians’ resistance to white encroachment played such a large part in the popular American view of the West?
How is that mythical past related to the Indian’s actual history?

b) What was “romantic” about the final phases of frontier settlement, and what was not?

20 comments:

Leniece Linder said...

A)I feel like part of the American view of the "wild west" comes from the supposed savage nature of the Plains Indians. They lived in the direct path the country was taking in modernization and expansion. They used the resource that was making the most money( buffalo or bison I can't remember which). They were savage and trapped in the past while the rest of the country was rapidly modernizing and they represented another antiquated hurdle to jump

Leniece Linder said...

B) the opprotunities and free land were highly romanticized in the move westward. Opprotunities that would have never existed to many of the South European immigrants existed in the west, and much of the money making resources and the space to plant crops existed in the west. The risk involved with traveling west and settling and living there ended up putting a damper on all that enthusiasm though

Tina Miles said...

A)The Plains' Indians were forced numerous treaties with Washington to put them on reservations. When the white people came on the reservations for gold, the Indians revolted. The Indians killed most of the white people.

Tanisha Webster said...

a) I agree with Leniece because Native Americans were only seen as a problem for the modernizing America. Americans were in search of a new resource to make profit but Native Americans were only searching for ways to survive. Americans did see buffalo as a resource that could be used to make profit, however the Plains Indians saw it as a way of survival. Yes, the Indians were trapped in the past and because of that they were stuck in the path of the rapidly modernizing America.

Naiah Thorne said...

A) I agree with leniece, I also believe that the American view of the "wild west" comes from rhe Plains Indians refusal to white encroachment.The country was trying to clear routes west over the Great Plains for white emigrants and to establish government control over the vast territory. However, as the country was trying to migrate west the plain Indians were in their way. The Plain Indians were using up the whites main money source at that time (the buffalo) and thus had to be removed. The whites saw these indians as savages and animals for having surviving off of natures aspects and they couldnt understand why these indians didnt want to modernize.They were well adapted to the climates and did not want to change their way of life, especially for newcomers. The Plain indians attempt to fight back had failed, however america's view of the west had deepingly changed from a area trying to transform to a "wild" place.

Naiah Thorne said...

The oppertunities and hopes of freedoms were greatly romanticized in the westward movement.Farmers were lured by free homestead, irrigation and railroads. However like all good things, the Great Plains had its flaws and had become less romanticized. Farmers found themselves becoming victims of an "economic revolution in agriculture" and were also becoming "trapped in a premanent debtor dependency".

Brendon Jobs said...

Great conversation so far girls....what do the sources or Bailey say on the topic? What was romantic about the era for new immigrants? Push this conversation deeper. There's more complexity here....

Brendon Jobs said...

Great conversation so far girls....what do the sources or Bailey say on the topic? What was romantic about the era for new immigrants? Push this conversation deeper. There's more complexity here....

Imani Palmer said...

A) Since Whites wanted to change where and how the Indians lived and the Indians wanted to maintain their cultural ways and continue living where they were, the two groups formed tension. Anglos forced the Indians out on the Reservations to keep them away from the rest of the world. Over the years, many Americans began to look at the Native Americans that are still living today as if they are a foreign people when they are right in our backyards. Why is this? I believe this is because the White Americans wanted the rest of the world to forget about them as if they werent important. Like they werent a vital part of American history. Just a thought....

Imani Palmer said...

Also the many treaties that were formed were often not adheared to... Disrepect

Imani Palmer said...

*Whites also tried to keep the Indians quiet by paying them with livestock, food , money and tools to stay on reservations.
*President Jackson believed it was necessary to take the land from the Indians and give it to white settlers who were moving west. Jackson's goals were seen as injustice by Indians.

Morgan McMillian said...

B)I agree with Leniece. After viewing the documentary in class today i feel that all that the westward movement had to offer is what many Americans romantized. Without this movement America wouldn't have inventions such as barb wire, which cut the price of fencing by 70%.The west also produced the Colt 45, the Wheat industry, and mail order catalogs. Trains stations throughout the country (East to West)enabled us to expand into modernized cities. However, despite all of these wonderful advancement citizens sought to travel out west mainly because they felt that moving to a new place gave them a new sense of freedom. They felt like they had control of their own lives and destinies.

Hunter Baylor said...

I agree with Leniece because the whites wanted to expand but couldn't without driving the Indians out their homeland. The whites wanted to take the land because of orofits but the Indians needed it because there was no other place to go and needed it to survive.

Dani Waite said...

In the film that we are currently watching in class, we are realizing the momentum that America has in regards to moving West and modernization. This territorial expansion could be seen as utilizing one’s free will. While the actions of these American’s during Westward expansion seem wrong it is important to remember the motivation which these travelers had. Janett Walls stated, “Everyone wanted to control their own future and their children able to control their destiny.” Thus people (Indians in this case) were standing in the way of their dream. And deeply rooted within in the spirit of American’s is that rebellious nature which motivates the pursuit of one’s dreams.

Khadijah Dixon said...

a) The Plains Indians resistance towards the white settlers prove the popular view of the "wild wild west" by showing restraint. Meaning, according to Bailey the plains indians were one of the few tribes who never gave up. Other tribes created treaties that put them on resvervations. This relates to Americas popular term of the west because the west was known to have many natural materials, that came in "wild amounts". When the plains indians showed restraint, it demosntrated that they could be wild and stand up for what they believed i. even if it ment they ran out of fight left in them, apart of them will always be apart of the land the white people tried to take.
b)When hearing the term romantic, i think about a date occuring between the indians and the white settlers. They attended a reform resturant and the main course was the Dawes Severalty Act. This act caused Inidans to lose land, which for the indians can cause great stress.Right when the bill was coming, the white settlers took over and left the indians alone. So this was the worst date and there was nothing romantic about it.

Brendon Jobs said...

I love this! Hmmm... You guys seem to be touching on the Idea of American Exceptionalsm...is it on purpose?

Nikera said...

The wild wild west as some used to call it was given this name based on the actions of its inhabitants of that time ( plains Indian resistance) to white encroachment. Although they later were kicked to the side by the Dawes act. They and the land they came from did display such an unruly nature Americans weren't used too.
A) The one thing romantic about the final phases of frontier settlement was when the frontiers finally were able to control their own destiny just as they wished to do. As said in the film and also known from history that there were mulitple reasons for expansion but own was basically for self gain. Now what wasnt romantic about the final phases was getting their. Surviving all those "events" such as locust and tornados that must have been horrendous.

Rebecca Guan said...

a)Native Americans resisted Anglo-American possession of their lands and maintained their cultural ways. Native Americans interacted with enslaved Africans and African Americans. Over time all the cultures interracted and learned to live together.
b)The most romantic part was the freedom to do what one wanted
while the most non-romantic part is that the people had to work themselves to death to just survive because it was hard work.

Jade Green said...

The final phases of frontier settlement had many romantic and non romantic factors. What was romantic about the final phases of frontier settlement was the freedom they gained to do what they wanted while the non romantic was that the people had to struggle and work themselves to death just to survive.

Aaliyah Smith-Israel said...

a)I agree with Rebecca because Native Americans did not take to well about Anglo-Americans trying to that way their cultural ways and replace it with their customs.Native Americans fought for their natural born way of living in their territories. Native Americans interacted with enslaved Africans and African Americans. Eventually the cultures were able to mingle and find an understanding among eachother which caused them to live together in unison.
b)The romantic part of this era was the freedom that they gained which enabled them to do what ever pleases them. The non-romantic part of this period of time was that people had to spend their very last breath in order to survive.People practically had to work themselves to death because working was hard task back in that time vs today working hours and regulations to keep the health of people in order.