Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show image. Strategies include: Shout It Out, Primary Source Analysis, Bingo, or Quick-write.
In which John Green teaches you about the Wild, Wild, West, which as it turns out, wasn't as wild as it seemed in the movies. When we think of the western expansion of the United States in the 19th century, we're conditioned to imagine the loner. The self-reliant, unattached cowpoke roaming the prairie in search of wandering calves, or the half-addled prospector who has broken from reality thanks to the solitude of his single-minded quest for gold dust. While there may be a grain of truth to these classic Hollywood stereotypes, it isn't a very big grain of truth. Many of the pioneers who settled the west were family groups. Many were immigrants. Many were major corporations. The big losers in the westward migration were Native Americans, who were killed or moved onto reservations. Not cool, American pioneers.
Chapters:
Introduction: The Wild, Wild West
The Western Frontier
Who Settled in the West?
Railroads Facilitated Westward Expansion
Forced Removal of Native Americans
Indigenous Resistance & The Ghost Dance Movement
The Dawes Act
Mystery Document
American Indian Boarding Schools
Cowboys
Ranches Became Family-Run Farms
Irrigation Projects in the Great Plains
The Legacy of the Westward Expansion Era
Credits