Transcript The American West

The American West on film
Dances With Wolves
Tombstone
Key Tensions
Native
Americans
Cattlemen
Ranchers
Buffalo Hunters
Railroads
U. S. Government
Sheep Herders
Farmers
Key Tensions
Ethnic
Minorities
Environmentalists
Lawlessness of
the Frontier
Nativists
Big Business Interests
[mining, timber]
Local Govt. Officials
Farmers
Buffalo Hunters
“Civilizing” Forces
Railroad Construction
Causes of the Indian Wars
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Clash of world views
Corrupt Indian bureau
Cattle take over the land
Scandals/ bribes
Massacres… Sand Creek / Wounded Knee
Discovery of gold
Land taken by miners, farmers, railroads
Broken promises/treaties promises of resources
Killing buffalo … Indians food source
Reservation system a failure
Plains Indians
• Nomadic…Tribes followed the
seasonal grazing and migration
of bison
– were the chief source for items
which Plains Indians made from
their flesh, hide and bones, such
as food, cups, decorations,
crafting tools, knives, and clothing
• Lived in tipis because they were
easily assembled and allowed
the nomadic life
Plains Indians: Edward Curtis Photos
Plains Indians: Edward Curtis Photos
Plains Indians: Edward Curtis Photos
Bison Skulls mid-1870s
Original range
Range as of 1870
Range as of 1889 – dark numbers indicate number of
bison as of January 1st 1889 in remaining areas.
Why exterminate the bison?
• The main reason they were hunted was for their skins, with the
rest of the animal left behind to decay on the ground…Bones
were collected and shipped east (fertilizer)
• Government promoted bison hunting for various reasons:
– to allow ranchers to range their cattle w/o competition
– weaken the Indian population and pressure them to remain on
reservations
– W/o bison, the Indians would be forced to leave or starve
• The railroad industry also wanted bison herds eliminated
– Bison on tracks could damage locomotives when the trains failed to stop
– Herds took shelter in the artificial cuts formed by the grade of the track
winding though mountains in winter…thus delays
Indian Reservations Today
Crazy Horse Monument: Black Hills, SD
Lakota Chief
Mt. Rushmore: Black Hills, SD
Bury my heart at wounded
knee (hbo)
• December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation in Soth Dakota at least 150 men, women and children
of the Lakota Sioux were killed and 51 wounded. Some estimates placed
the number of dead at 300. 25 US troopers also died and 39 wounded. It's
believed that many of these were the victims of friendly fire, as the
shooting took place at close range in chaotic conditions.
• On that December morning the troops went into the camp to disarm the
Lakota. One version of events claims a deaf tribesman named Black
Coyote was reluctant to give up his rifle, claiming he paid a lot for it. A
scuffle over Black Coyote's rifle escalated and a shot was fired which
resulted in the 7th Cavalry's opening fire from all sides. Most of the men
had already surrendered their weapons. The few warriors who still had
weapons began shooting back, but were quickly suppressed. The surviving
Lakota fled, but U.S. cavalrymen pursued and killed many...most were
unarmed.
Bury my heart at wounded
knee (hbo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIqxBajeHeM
Dances with
wolves (1990)
• Directed by and starring Kevin
Costner
• Film adaptation of the 1988 book of
the same name by Michael Blake
and tells the story of a Union Army
lieutenant who travels to the
American frontier to find a military
post, and his dealings with a group
of Lakota Indians
• Won 7 Academy Awards including
Best Picture.
• Much of the dialogue is spoken in
Lakota with English subtitles. It was
shot in South Dakota and Wyoming
Dances with wolves
Historical Background
• The film is set against the backdrop of the post-Civil War frontier,
construction of the transcontinental railroad, and westward expansion
• Lakota Sioux--Indigenous people of the Great Plains.
• Occupied lands in both North and South Dakota
• At war with US gov’t for much of the mid-1800s
• Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868—no mining or white settlement in Black Hills
– 4 years later gold discovered…then what?
• Battle of the Little Bighorn-1876 (Custer, etc.)
• Great Sioux War 1877--Lakota were confined to reservations, prevented
from hunting buffalo and forced to accept government food distribution.
• ***There was a real John Dunbar who worked as a missionary for the
Pawnee in the 1830s–40s, and sided with the Indians in a dispute with
government farmers and a local Indian agent. It is unclear if the name
"John Dunbar" was chosen as a corollary to the real historical figure.
The American
West: PaRT II
Wild West: Lawmen
and Outlaws
Wild West
• Second half of the 19th century
• Pioneers pushed their way westward in search of land, better lives, gold
and silver, and to escape the law
• The Turner Thesis (1893):
– the origin of the distinctive egalitarian, democratic, aggressive, and innovative
features of the American character has been the American frontier experience
• Mining towns, railroad towns, cow towns and farming towns were the
primary settlements
• Alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and a general lawlessness were central to
life in these western towns
Outlaws and
Lawmen
• After the Civil War, many of the men who had become accustomed to
violence, and often having lost their lands or fortunes, turned quickly to
the other side of the law
• Westward expansion proceeded well ahead of official peace officers and
regular courts of law
• In the early days of the mining and cattle boom towns, there were no
prisons in which to lock up outlaws
– Little option but to chain their captives to trees or wagons.
• These factors encouraged vigilantes to form illegal posses to hunt down
outlaws
• Later, sheriffs and peace officers formed legal posses by calling together a
group of men to assist them.
• ***Doc Holladay, Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy “The Kid”, etc.
Characteristics of the
“Western”
• Western films often depict conflicts with Native Americans
– Early films portray the "Injuns" as dishonorable villains
– Later films gave Native Americans a more sympathetic treatment
• Characters:
– The rugged cowboy/sheriff with a strong sense of justice
– The reformed outlaw
– The main antagonist (hero often meets his “double” that he must kill)
• Setting:
– Rugged mountains or gently sweeping landscapes, mostly - of course - far
away from civilization.
– Saloons, jails, and main streets in small frontier towns
• Conflicts:
– good vs. bad, new arrivals vs. Indians, virtue vs. evil, human vs. nature
Tombstone (1993)
• The film is based on events
relating to the Gunfight at the
O.K. Corral, along with the
Earp Vendetta which followed
it soon after in Tombstone,
Arizona during the 1880s.
• Depicts a number of western
outlaws and lawmen, such as
Wyatt Earp, William Brocius,
Johnny Ringo, and Doc
Holliday as it explores crime,
political corruption and law
enforcement in the old
American West.
tombstone
Historical
Background
• Tombstone, Arizona was a notoriously
violent mining town
• Silver was discovered in 1877, and by
1881 the town had a population of over
10,000
• The Cowboys were a band of friends and
who teamed up for crimes
• The Earp brothers assumed roles as
lawmen which led to conflicts with the
Cowboys
• The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral…most
famous gunfight in the history of the
American Old West