Crash Course U.S. History: The Wild Wild West

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• Topic: The Wild West and its impact on American history
• Key Focus: Myths vs. reality of the Wild West

Myth of the Frontier

• Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 lecture emphasized:
  • Individualism
  • Political democracy
  • Economic mobility
• Mythical idea of starting over and striking it rich
• Reality:
  • Settlers often moved as families/immigrant groups
  • Land was already inhabited by Native Americans
  • Diverse settlers: Chinese, Mexican migrants, former slaves

Role of the Federal Government

• Homesteading laws
• Clearing out Native Americans
• Sponsoring railroads

Railroads

• Enabled western settlement by:
  • Allowing market access for crops/goods
  • Providing modern goods
• Federal & state financing was crucial
• Economic and racial motivations prompted Indian removal

Conflicts with Native Americans

• Increase in settlers led to conflicts
• Post-Civil War: escalated violence
• General Philip Sheridan's campaigns
• Buffalo extermination: 30 million in 1800 to 25 by 1886
• Ghost Dance movement's attempt to preserve Native culture

Policy Changes and Indian Land

• 1871: End of treaty system
• 1887 Dawes Act:
  • Allotted land to individual Indian families
  • Attempted cultural assimilation
  • Resulted in massive land loss for Indians

Cultural Genocide

• Boarding schools for Indian children
• "Kill the Indian, save the man" mentality
• Comparisons to global practices: Canada, Australia

Cowboys and the Cattle Industry

• Railroads facilitated cattle drives
• Industrial meat processing
• End of open range ranching
• Influence of market on western agriculture

Western Farming

• Family-run farms shifting to large agricultural enterprises
• International competition for crops
• Irrigation heavily relied on the Oglala Aquifer
• Rise of agri-business

Conclusion

• The Wild West as part of industrial capitalism
• Global economic influence
• Contrast with mythologized narratives

Credits

• Host: John Green
• Produced and directed by Stan Muller
• Script by Raoul Meyer, Rosianna Halse Rojas, John Green
• Graphics by Thought Café

• Note: The Wild West, while not as "wild" as myths suggest, played a crucial role in America's economic and cultural development, intertwining with industrial capitalism.