Cowboys in the West

Cowboys had a very different place in society contrary to popular belief. In reality, cowboys were low paid, cattle herders, that usually roamed the west in search of work. While the popular belief is that cowboys were ruggedly heroic individuals that fought Indians and hung out in saloons. Cowboys were romanticized long after the West was colonized. It began in the 1900s with movies and skits as a form of entertainment for people that did not know any better. When in reality, cowboys rarely came in contact with Indians and never purposely put up a fight.

The idealization of cowboys also affected other aspects of western life. One thing that was impacted was the opinion of Indians. Cowboys set them out to be savages hungry for war, when many tribes were hoping to not cause any trouble. Although some tribes were violent and did attack settlers, there were still a fair enough that wanted to continue with their daily life and work without being interrupted. Another major aspect affected was the idea of settlers being able to live on their own without the help of any outside source. Cowboys were put out to be individualists that needed help from no one and could survive on their own, while historically the government played a major part in the colonization of the West. They offered land grants, loans, and even food at times. These are just a few things that were affected by the idealization of cowboys.

There are many reasons the American cowboy became idealized. Many people set up the West to be a wild and open frontier, when in reality it was full of people and cultures. This was not always a good selling point to get people to migrate west, so to romanticize the cowboy seemed like an excellent idea. It got people interested and created a great storyline for later movies. Instead of explaining how long and tedious it was for people to settle out west, "cowboys" were invented to spice things up and make them much more interesting.

Chapter 15 Reflection

Before studying this unit, I already knew about the long term affects of segregation in the South and the      harsh ways in which the government acted against the South. I knew that even though slavery had ended with the 13th Amendment, blacks were still treated with disrespect and given a lower status. I also knew that after Lincoln was assassinated the government took a different approach in punishing the South by enforcing new laws and implementing troops throughout the southern states. Something I learned that really stood out to me was the Freedman's bureau. I had never heard of this program before, and thought it was amazing that the government had set up such a helpful organization. It helped former slaves obtain land, jobs, and anything else essential to them. This really stood out to me because I never had thought that such an organization existed. And the fact that it proved blacks with such things surprised me in many ways.

One thing I knew before but understand better now, was the segregation imposed by the government. Before learning about this, I did not know it had started so early, or that it became a federal law. Segregation started in the late 1800s, while i had thought it did not beginning until the early 1900s. And it continued for close to 100 years in the United States. Also, I had always believed they were just choses made by southerners, and not that the federal government actually enforced these laws. It is important for people to know the history of where they live because it gives them a better understanding of the town and why it is the way it is. If there are certain statues or customs of a certain place, learning the history lets them know how these came to be and why they are associated with their town.