examine this painting. what ideas does it convey about “the west”?

Examine this painting. What ideas does it convey about “the West”?

Ideas of the West

Myths and Realities of the “Last Frontier”

Western Societies

• What happened to Hispanic landowners in the West after the Mexican-American War?

– Pushed out of positions of power

– Fall to bottom of economic ladder

Western Societies

• What roles did the Chinese play in the settlement of the West?– Prospecting, before prohibited by law– Service industries• Women and prostitution

– Railroads– 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act• Bans immigration• Prevents naturalization

Western Societies

• What drove white Easterners to settle the West?– Ore deposits: “get rich quick”• California; Colorado• Comstock Lode, Nevada 1858

– Homestead Act of 1862• “Free” land if occupied and farmed• Often poor land not suited for Eastern style farming

Western Economy

• What were the most important industries in the West?– Mining

– Ranching• “Cattle Kingdom”• Range Wars – competition for land use v. farmers• Cattle drives replaced by railroads by 1890s

What does this paintingconvey about “the West”?

The Idea of the West

• Why was the West Idealized? How was the reality different from the fantasy?– Western Novels• The Virginian (1902) by Owen Wister

– “Rocky Mountain School” – landscape painters• Albert Bierstadt• Thomas Moran

The Idea of the West

• Why was the West Idealized? How was the reality different from the fantasy?– “Wild West” Shows• Buffalo Bill

– The Frontier• Mark Twain• Frederick Remington• Frederick Jackson Turner – Frontier Thesis