An Interactive Game of Chosen Reality
Welcome! This website contains two distinctly different experiences. Your experience is dependent upon your chosen path of navigation. To launch the experience that’s right for you, simply click on either the blue or red page below. Before proceeding, please take a moment to read the overview for each navigational direction.
Blue Page
Howdy Partners!
Long ago, the American pioneer, with the spirit of wild stallions, broke free of European influence and conquered a vast land. From sea to shining sea, guided by the hand of God, we hacked out an existence from wilderness and savagery. From the womb of these heroic labors, we bore civilization. Out of this, our great conquest, we formed more than the land that represents the United States. We also gave birth to the great, American spirit. Our work was completed when we reached the Pacific, marking the end of the American Frontier. Along this path, we evolved into rugged, independent-minded, freedom-loving people. We claimed the land and its riches. The laws that we formed, and the characteristics that became uniquely American, undoubtedly formed the powerful skeletal framework of our nation. Sure, we probably could have treated the Indians a little better, but when threatened, protected our women and children at all costs. And, yes, plenty of Hispanics occupied land that we eventually claimed as ours – creating geographical & cultural barriers between families- but we gave them a darn good reason to learn the English language.
That was a long time ago. We need to draw a line in the sand between past and present; one that stretches even farther than the border protecting the southwestern corner of our country. Today, and each day hereafter, the most important thing we can do is remember our proud past, and celebrate the rugged pioneer and the little Cowboy or Cowgirl in all of us. Join us as we salute Buffalo Bill, one of the great heroes of the American Frontier. CLICK HERE
Red Page
Long ago, we broke free of European govern and cultural influence. As we consumed vast portions of the North American Continent, the American legacy was built. The land that we settled, and the laws that we wrote, still stand as the skeletal framework of our nation. While consuming vast expanses of land, we also consumed media fed images glamorizing our conquest of earth, beast, and all non-Anglos. In that process, significant events evaporated from our historical recount, and thus, the myth of the American Frontier was born. We have chosen to use the myth to cover a still open wound on the American soul. Missing from popular history is the destruction of both indigenous life and culture that long predated the Anglo American invasion. Over time, the myth of the American Frontier intertwined with both body and soul, providing us with a simulated reality of our nation’s westward expansion, forming The Matrix.
The intent of the Red Page section of our website is to remove the deceptive comfort of our simulated reality. By studying and owning all of our actions, past and present, along the many frontiers that served as battle lines while the United States was formed, we can deconstruct the matrix, allowing for the continued healing of our nation’s soul. What we constructed during westward expansion is strong but not without fault lines. It’s beautiful, but not without flaws.
Feeling a little uncomfortable? Here’s the good news: The frontier is never really complete. The American character continues to grow. But to reach full maturity, which may be our true Manifest Destiny, we must first deconstruct the Matrix. To continue traveling down the red path, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
WOULD THE REAL WILLIAM CODY PLEASE STAND UP?
Bram Stoker's Dracula (as played by Gary Oldman)
Bill Cody
My blog entry title is in reference to a televised game show that was on when I was young. In the show, three people all claimed to be a person responsible for some type of special achievement. One was really that person, and the other two would pretend to be. A panel of celebrities (B & C list as I recall) would get to ask a series of questions from each of the three contestants before guessing which one was the real McCoy. After making their choices, the host would ask the real person to please stand up and reveal themselves.
In Memory & Myth at the Buffalo Bill Museum, authors Dickinson, Ott, & Aoki examine the museum, located in Cody, Wyoming, as a reflection and perpetuation of the myth of the American Frontier. They suggest that by omitting so much of the real American Frontier story from the museum, the real William Cody does not stand up. While accepting the Buffalo Bill version of Western Expansion, we as a nation fail to stand up. In sensationalizing select events from our push westward, featuring William Cody aka Buffalo Bill as the leading man, meaningful facts evaporates from our historical recount. Sadly, we were more than happy to substitute myth or partial truths over whole truths. –And why not? The Buffalo Bill version is fun. It’s certainly easier to digest. It allows us to feel good about ourselves as we relate with the admirable characteristics like ruggedness, determination, and self-sufficiency. Once we add the characteristics like “land thieves”, or “Indian & buffalo slaughterers”, it’s a little more palatable to claim self defense and go back to focusing on the good stuff. To me, the most distasteful part of it all: We justified our actions through Manifest Destiny, and portrayed ourselves as victims at the hands of savages, fighting to do God’s will.
It’s really not hard to figure out why we choose to accept the myth of the American Frontier, but how did a few historical events evolve into Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, playing to cheering crowds home & abroad? Secondly, how has the myth been perpetuated so long? Hell, most of us admire Indians now, and wish to feel a spiritual connection to the earth we inhabit.
We’ll start with how the myth was built. William Cody “had the goods” on which to build a legend. He was on the front line of western expansion. He left home in 1857 at age 11 and herded cattle in Kansas. My 12 year old son can’t even keep his room clean. Later, he was a driver on wagon trains and crossed the Great Plains several times. He became Cody The scout, Cody The Hunter (earning his name Buffalo Bill), Cody The Hunting Guide, Cody The Pony Express Rider, even Cody The Avenger (remember the drawing of Cody triumphantly holding the scalp of Yellow Hand?). Today, platinum record selling pop starts who can’t sing well, write well, or play an instrument are created through a stream of presented images. Cody, thru the help of dime store novelist Ned Buntling, and thru his own self promotion, was a star ready to rise. Through Buntling’s effort’s and Cody’s eager willingness, “more dime store novels were written about Buffalo Bill than any other western character”. Evidently, Buntling was so enthralled with Buffalo Bill that he helped create and perform in Buffalo Bill’s first theatrical show – before Buffalo Bill’s Wild West was launched. Maybe Buntling had a little “man crush” going on.
In addition to the many men Cody was throughout his life, how about this one: Cody the Vampire? I came across an interesting article titled “Did Buffalo Bill inspire Dracula” that appears in the Casper Star-Tribune online out of Casper Wyoming. www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/07/13/news/wyoming/7613bdfc83189dd4cb15d85ba1f0a2ff.txt
The article suggests that Bram Stoker was not as enthralled with Cody as was his English countrymen. To Stoker, “Cody…symbolized the transformative power of the frontier, the way that going west and conquering could make Americans something more free and powerful. According to Louis Warren, a professor at the University of California, “The vampire was Bram Stoker’s dark vision of the same frontier transformation, the shifting of self into other, the loss of will and restraint before a new self that was soulless, consuming, irresistible….The ghost of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West haunts this greatest work of vampire fiction.”
In 1883, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West was launched. Of great importance in the paper by Dickinson et al., “Cody never referred to his Wild West as a show”. Cody looked the part, played the part, & was a superb storyteller….A true ringmaster, much like P.T. Barnum. He had the characters and props to entertain all. Hey ladies, tired of being portrayed as a helpless victim? I give you Annie Oakley. Oakley before joining Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1885, the same year as Sitting Bull, travelled with the circus and teamed with fellow sharp shooter named Baughman as the “Champion rifle dead-shots of the world.
BBWW became so popular in America; the performers packed up and played in front of huge British crowds. According to the BB Museum & Grave web site, this tour was credited for improving British & American relations. Cody, now known by all as Buffalo Bill, continued capitalized on his growing fame, and a legend was born.
Cody the man, who indeed lived much of the rugged life portrayed at the museum & in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, probably would have been remembered regionally for a few generations. Buffalo Bill, the legend lives on even today, and with it, the myth of the American Frontier. The dime store novels have long since faded. It’s been a century since the last Wild West show. So how, exactly, is the myth so strongly perpetuated? According to the Dickinson et al. paper, we need to look no farther than the Buffalo Bill Museum. Are you ready for the first piece of irony? The museum was funded in part by William Robertson Coe, an Englishman. This guy really liked playing Cowboys & Indians! Dickinson et al. write “…Coe believed that Americans took their traditions for granted…He saw the Buffalo Bill Museum as a powerful site for this pedagogy (legitimate education).” The authors of the paper use the term pedagogy several times and take great pains to warn us that the Buffalo Bill Museum should not be viewed as a Mecca for those seeking an education on the American Frontier.
In closing, William Cody was many things. Was he a hero or a villain? The complicated answer to this seemingly easy question, is yes.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
American Patriot....Anzaldua?
Before analyzing the week 2 reading, Borderlands/ La Frontera, I needed to organize by mind a little by getting some background information. While researching Texans of Hispanic descent (Tejanos), I found that 1820 Texas was primarily populated by Tejanos. But in the decade that followed, American settlers moved steadily into Texas, and soon outnumbered the Tejanos 6 to 1. Both groups rebelled against the authority of Mexico City. This led to the Texas War of Independence in 1835 and 1836. After the Texian (this looks like a typo but that's what they were called) army, led by General Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army, the Republic of Texas was formed. American settlers and Tejanos now had a pretty large chunk of land to enjoy freely… for a few years anyway.
As our class learned that first Sunday over coffee and doughnuts, John O’Sullivan coined the phrase, “Manifest Destiny” 9 years after an Independent Texas was formed. O’Sullivan used the phrase as he strongly approved the recent addition of Texas into the United States. He, along with others, including newly elected President James Polk, believed our expansion should continue west, and into what was then part of Mexico. This obviously led to conflict with Mexico, and eventually, war. From the spoils of our war with Mexico, we gained significant lands on the west coast, and in the process, created new borders. These new borders not only separated countries, but in many cases, families and cultures that found themselves on separate sides of the fence.
To better understand Anzaldua’s paper (which in my estimation was fairly heady), I found and read an article written by Antonia l. Castaneda, St. Mary’s University. The full article can be accessed thru the following link: http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/violence.html
If you’re short on time (who isn’t) there are a few specific lines I found to be educational. “….the war was about territory…access to the ports of the Pacific & ownership of all the wonderful minerals & riches that were in the soil.” But in Castaneda’s view, “it was also about profit for some. We have to understand that the war between the United States and Mexico was about violence, racism…. The war was about labor, acquiring or making wealth, about capitalist development and what that means. The war was about profit for some groups and in that process then there were people who were violated. The violence was not just military, but it was a violence of the soul — a violence of the spirit by those who committed that violence as well as by those who were on the receiving end. We live with the consequences of that conquest. We all live with the impact and the effects of the acquisition of that land, the displacement of the people on it, the appropriation of their labor at less than livable wages. In fact, in a sense, we continue to fight the war over and over and over. “
In the future, I’ll try not to include so many quoted lines in my paper, but I think it’s a very descriptive and easily understood narrative into the mindset of Hispanics that were called different things (from Mexican to Tejano to Mexican American, or just American) as we pushed the American border further west. This undoubtedly all plays an important role in forming the very complex psyche of Chicano poet Gloria Anzaldua. After my first read thru the article, I thought about the fact that it’s still a struggle for all the different ethnicities and cultures to coexist in our country. We undoubtedly grow more tolerant, even appreciative of our diversity. But at the end of the day, many of us enjoy the comfort of returning to our White,Black, Asian etc. neighborhood.
As a class, we’re studying the concepts of borders as they relate to western expansion and the formation of today’s America. Anzaldua writes of her struggles with “psychological borders”. She speaks of the difficulties facing La mestiza including undergoing “a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war.” But the real message to me is strong, heroic even. She believes her role, “the work of mestiza consciousness” is not to choose sides of the border, physically, culturally, or even frame of mind. Instead, she states that the work of the mestiza is to transcend these inward borders and struggles and through this process, become the newly evolved American that serves as the seed to end racial and gender strife. Going back to the article by Castaneda, the US Mexican war was not just physically violent, but as importantly, spiritually violent. Anzaldua concludes that the mestiza, while reconciling her own past, will form a new strong spirit that will not only serve to be self healing, it may be uniquely capable of healing our nation.
While Anzaldua wrote of psychological borders, our other week 2 reading, Magical Urbanism, Latinos Reinvent the US City by Mike Davis, primarily focuses on the physical transformation of America’s largest cities and counties as Latinos continue to populate them in great numbers. The photo used on the first page of the article was quite the eye catcher. At first glance, I realized that the woman of Hispanic descent represented by the huge, completely nude structure was obviously not Brazilian…but I digress.
Even though the Davis article is now several years old, admittedly, I had no idea that the population growth of Hispanic/Latino Americans had been so substantial. The one statistic in the article that was stunning: US Latinos will account for the third largest Latino population in the world, behind only Brazil and Mexico. Based on the continued movement of new Latinos migrating to the U.S., paired with the statistic mentioned by Davis regarding Mexican women’s greater fertility rate, it’s very possible that U.S. Latinos will surpass Mexico by 2050 or shortly thereafter. As Whites have in many cities around the country, moved to the suburbs, Latinos are populating the same major cities. As the dominant portion of populous cities, Latinos will have the opportunity to steer social, cultural, and economic influence. Has America become the new Latino frontier? A strong tie-in with some of the points made by our other article written by Anzaldua, was Turner’s inclusion of a quote from Brazilian futurist Alfredo Valladao. He “sees the new Spanish-language ‘beechheads” in US Cities as research laboratories for the cross-fertilization of North & South American cultures”….resulting in “a Pan’American twenty-first century.”
While many Mexican Americans – some recently, some for generations, enjoy their relationship with today’s American, the Mexico they left behind has not benefited from the same relationship. As Turner points out “Mexico adds 1 million more new workers each year than it can actually employ in its formal economy.” The jobs made available by U.S. companies (maquiladora) operating low wage factories on the Mexican side, has certainly inflated profits for those companies, but has done very little to provide incentive to keep the Mexican worker from seeking better opportunity on the north side of the border. Which brings us to the most important point made by Davis: We need Mexican labor in the U.S., and U.S. companies want access to the work force residing in Mexico. Do we really need armed guards at this intersection of supply and demand? During our period of western expansion, we formed laws, and developed culture to benefit the Anglo American. As Mexicans and others of Hispanic decent continue to position themselves to shape future policy, my guess is that the U.S./Mexican border will one day go the way of the Berlin wall.
As our class learned that first Sunday over coffee and doughnuts, John O’Sullivan coined the phrase, “Manifest Destiny” 9 years after an Independent Texas was formed. O’Sullivan used the phrase as he strongly approved the recent addition of Texas into the United States. He, along with others, including newly elected President James Polk, believed our expansion should continue west, and into what was then part of Mexico. This obviously led to conflict with Mexico, and eventually, war. From the spoils of our war with Mexico, we gained significant lands on the west coast, and in the process, created new borders. These new borders not only separated countries, but in many cases, families and cultures that found themselves on separate sides of the fence.
To better understand Anzaldua’s paper (which in my estimation was fairly heady), I found and read an article written by Antonia l. Castaneda, St. Mary’s University. The full article can be accessed thru the following link: http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/violence.html
If you’re short on time (who isn’t) there are a few specific lines I found to be educational. “….the war was about territory…access to the ports of the Pacific & ownership of all the wonderful minerals & riches that were in the soil.” But in Castaneda’s view, “it was also about profit for some. We have to understand that the war between the United States and Mexico was about violence, racism…. The war was about labor, acquiring or making wealth, about capitalist development and what that means. The war was about profit for some groups and in that process then there were people who were violated. The violence was not just military, but it was a violence of the soul — a violence of the spirit by those who committed that violence as well as by those who were on the receiving end. We live with the consequences of that conquest. We all live with the impact and the effects of the acquisition of that land, the displacement of the people on it, the appropriation of their labor at less than livable wages. In fact, in a sense, we continue to fight the war over and over and over. “
In the future, I’ll try not to include so many quoted lines in my paper, but I think it’s a very descriptive and easily understood narrative into the mindset of Hispanics that were called different things (from Mexican to Tejano to Mexican American, or just American) as we pushed the American border further west. This undoubtedly all plays an important role in forming the very complex psyche of Chicano poet Gloria Anzaldua. After my first read thru the article, I thought about the fact that it’s still a struggle for all the different ethnicities and cultures to coexist in our country. We undoubtedly grow more tolerant, even appreciative of our diversity. But at the end of the day, many of us enjoy the comfort of returning to our White,Black, Asian etc. neighborhood.
As a class, we’re studying the concepts of borders as they relate to western expansion and the formation of today’s America. Anzaldua writes of her struggles with “psychological borders”. She speaks of the difficulties facing La mestiza including undergoing “a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war.” But the real message to me is strong, heroic even. She believes her role, “the work of mestiza consciousness” is not to choose sides of the border, physically, culturally, or even frame of mind. Instead, she states that the work of the mestiza is to transcend these inward borders and struggles and through this process, become the newly evolved American that serves as the seed to end racial and gender strife. Going back to the article by Castaneda, the US Mexican war was not just physically violent, but as importantly, spiritually violent. Anzaldua concludes that the mestiza, while reconciling her own past, will form a new strong spirit that will not only serve to be self healing, it may be uniquely capable of healing our nation.
While Anzaldua wrote of psychological borders, our other week 2 reading, Magical Urbanism, Latinos Reinvent the US City by Mike Davis, primarily focuses on the physical transformation of America’s largest cities and counties as Latinos continue to populate them in great numbers. The photo used on the first page of the article was quite the eye catcher. At first glance, I realized that the woman of Hispanic descent represented by the huge, completely nude structure was obviously not Brazilian…but I digress.
Even though the Davis article is now several years old, admittedly, I had no idea that the population growth of Hispanic/Latino Americans had been so substantial. The one statistic in the article that was stunning: US Latinos will account for the third largest Latino population in the world, behind only Brazil and Mexico. Based on the continued movement of new Latinos migrating to the U.S., paired with the statistic mentioned by Davis regarding Mexican women’s greater fertility rate, it’s very possible that U.S. Latinos will surpass Mexico by 2050 or shortly thereafter. As Whites have in many cities around the country, moved to the suburbs, Latinos are populating the same major cities. As the dominant portion of populous cities, Latinos will have the opportunity to steer social, cultural, and economic influence. Has America become the new Latino frontier? A strong tie-in with some of the points made by our other article written by Anzaldua, was Turner’s inclusion of a quote from Brazilian futurist Alfredo Valladao. He “sees the new Spanish-language ‘beechheads” in US Cities as research laboratories for the cross-fertilization of North & South American cultures”….resulting in “a Pan’American twenty-first century.”
While many Mexican Americans – some recently, some for generations, enjoy their relationship with today’s American, the Mexico they left behind has not benefited from the same relationship. As Turner points out “Mexico adds 1 million more new workers each year than it can actually employ in its formal economy.” The jobs made available by U.S. companies (maquiladora) operating low wage factories on the Mexican side, has certainly inflated profits for those companies, but has done very little to provide incentive to keep the Mexican worker from seeking better opportunity on the north side of the border. Which brings us to the most important point made by Davis: We need Mexican labor in the U.S., and U.S. companies want access to the work force residing in Mexico. Do we really need armed guards at this intersection of supply and demand? During our period of western expansion, we formed laws, and developed culture to benefit the Anglo American. As Mexicans and others of Hispanic decent continue to position themselves to shape future policy, my guess is that the U.S./Mexican border will one day go the way of the Berlin wall.
Friday, August 28, 2009
THE PICTURE THAT ASKED A THOUSAND QUESTIONS
Picture (Left) : Lakota/Sioux Ghost Dance
While viewing the images from this week’s assignment, I found myself coming back to the picture of Sitting Bull & Buffalo Bill. Everyone knows the story of Sitting Bull’s victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn. My perception of Buffalo Bill was strictly as a showman. After skimming the surface thru Wikipedia, I learned that Buffalo Bill was also an American soldier. So why in the world are these two pictured together deep in peaceful interaction? As it turns out, Sitting Bull fled to Canada after his victory over Custer. He later returned to America and surrendered to American authorities. Then at some point, he joins Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show??!!
I continued skimming on the internet (sorry, Dr. Kulbaga…I intend to do more than Wikipedia searches) and started reading about this peace movement lead by prophet Jack Wilson, formerly known as Wovoka before adopting an American name. There was mention of a ghost dance, which ultimately lead to Sitting Bull’s shooting death at the hands of reservation police.
So basically, I’ve got the battle at Little Big Horn, a prophet, a ghost dance….I’m in! If approved, I would like to turn this into my presentation assignment. At what point in the frontier movement (Turner’s definition) did the battle at Little Big Horn take place? How did his appearances at Buffalo Bill’s shows not start a riot? I assume he was vilified, giving everyone an opportunity to boo and hiss, but I’ll find out. I’m particularly fascinated by Lakota Sioux and their attempt to draw from spiritual intervention and protection from the bullets of the American soldier. Did other tribes take the same approach during our westward expansion? I’m also interested in seeing how the French and Indian war (against England) played into everything, although it might have ended before American westward expansion really got going…. But again, I’ll find out. All I know from the French and Indian war is that my wife and daughter have watched the film, Last of the Mohicans about 20 times.
While reading more about the Ghost Dance I ended up hitting a link to the Wounded Knee Museum. There are some fairly powerful and haunting images there. Take a quick look if you have the time. Here’s the link to the site: http://www.woundedkneemuseum.org/main_menu.html
Sorry for the rambling. Who knew at age 43 I would get excited about this stuff again?
I continued skimming on the internet (sorry, Dr. Kulbaga…I intend to do more than Wikipedia searches) and started reading about this peace movement lead by prophet Jack Wilson, formerly known as Wovoka before adopting an American name. There was mention of a ghost dance, which ultimately lead to Sitting Bull’s shooting death at the hands of reservation police.
So basically, I’ve got the battle at Little Big Horn, a prophet, a ghost dance….I’m in! If approved, I would like to turn this into my presentation assignment. At what point in the frontier movement (Turner’s definition) did the battle at Little Big Horn take place? How did his appearances at Buffalo Bill’s shows not start a riot? I assume he was vilified, giving everyone an opportunity to boo and hiss, but I’ll find out. I’m particularly fascinated by Lakota Sioux and their attempt to draw from spiritual intervention and protection from the bullets of the American soldier. Did other tribes take the same approach during our westward expansion? I’m also interested in seeing how the French and Indian war (against England) played into everything, although it might have ended before American westward expansion really got going…. But again, I’ll find out. All I know from the French and Indian war is that my wife and daughter have watched the film, Last of the Mohicans about 20 times.
While reading more about the Ghost Dance I ended up hitting a link to the Wounded Knee Museum. There are some fairly powerful and haunting images there. Take a quick look if you have the time. Here’s the link to the site: http://www.woundedkneemuseum.org/main_menu.html
Sorry for the rambling. Who knew at age 43 I would get excited about this stuff again?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
My analysis of our week 1 reading assignments:
This week’s reading assignments involve in depth discussions of the American frontier, and the significance of America’s westward expansion in shaping our country. The articles were published by two very different authors from very different eras.
I’ll start with Frederick Turner’s “The Significance of the frontier in American History”. Our class could probably spend all eight Saturdays discussing this one paper. Mr. Turner’s 1893 article initially points out that the most recent census, published in 1890, almost insignificantly mentions that our nation’s clear westward movement had been completed, and that a frontier line no longer existed. Turner obviously felt compelled to shine a bright light on the importance of the vast and westward moving frontier in the formation of our country. He lends an almost sentimental reminiscence of our march west. His words paint a very patriotic picture of how we forged our new, American identity. The pioneers left the Atlantic sea board, and in doing so stripped themselves of any European identity. Initially, they were much like savages, hacking out new settlements out of the wilderness, doing whatever necessary to survive. Eventually, these tough pioneers helped form new laws meant to “meet frontier needs and demands”. In forming laws, settlements, & commerce, the new Americans became truly independent of England. Fueled by the opportunity to build and shape our country, the pioneers of western expansion as Dr. Lyman Beeher noted in 1835 and credited by Turner in his article, moved like “the rushing waters of a flood.”
In the middle of his paper, Turner includes some published words from Alexander Hamilton that were almost chillingly prophetic. Hamilton speaks of the immense opportunity afforded by democracy and liberty, but warns of “...its dangers as well as benefits. Individualism in America has allowed a laxity in regard to governmental affairs which has rendered possible the spoils system……the influence of frontier conditions in permitting lax business honor, inflated paper currency and wild-cat banking.” Free commerce unchecked and lightly regulated mixed with greed, came very close to bringing our country to its knees with the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that has kept our nation in a state of severe recession.
A century after Turner published his article; Patricia Nelson Limerick published “Adventures of the Frontier in the Twentieth Century”. While reading the article description at the top of the page, I was a little confused by the comments “…Limerick explicitly rejects...Turner’s influential thesis…and claim that the frontier essentially closed at the end of the 19th century.” I personally read Turner’s article as an attempt to summarize the significance of our western expansion in forming the America he knew as of 1893. He cites the 1890 census as the source of opinion regarding the end of the frontier.
While reading the first few paragraphs, I was a little uncomfortable with Limerick’s comparison of American knowledge of the frontier to Velcro and Frontierland in California’s Disneyland. Fortunately, I got past my initial “bristling” and accepted some very valid points. The Disneyland comparison really served to note the continually advancing frontier of American sensitivity to racial and cultural intolerance, and ignorance. Limerick points out that one attraction features a log cabin on fire. When the attraction opened, the park guests are told that savage Indians attacked the home. In the years since the attraction opened and Limerick’s paper was published, she notes that the guide manning the attraction suggests that “…the cabin was on fire because the settler had been ecologically and environmentally careless.” Limerick also uses Disney’s Frontierland to note the mixed messages and confusion Americans continue to work through regarding our past actions on the frontier throughout westward expansion. Just as I began to settle into the paper, Limerick again registers on my bristle meter with “…the work of academic historians has had virtually no impact either on Disneyland’s vision of the frontier or on the thinking of Disneyland visitors. That cheerful and complete indifference to the work of frontier historians may in truth be the secret of the place’s success.” I think there are better places to look than amusement parks to gauge our nation’s historical enlightenment. I just returned from Orlando’s Universal Studios with my 12 year old son. His favorite ride was The Mummy – we rode it four times in one day. However, he most certainly doesn’t believe the ride is an accurate depiction of ancient Egypt.
In the end, Limerick is obviously accurate that the average American’s perception of the frontier, and westward expansion, includes visions of the Anglo American pioneer being almost solely responsible for our successful expansion. However, Turner does point out in his paper that the pioneers’ survival was dependant on learning from, and adopting the ways of the Indians. The pioneers also learned from and followed the trails and practices of the French traders. Turner’s paper served to explain how westward expansion shaped our country from government, to free trade, to true independence. Limerick’s paper serves to shed a light on the importance of the many people other than Anglo Americans that helped shape and influence our country’s growth during expansion. How these people were perceived and treated during our westward expansion, particularly Indians cannot be changed. At the least, they can be properly credited for their contributions. I’m afraid I can’t remember and properly quote the author, but remember reading something close to the following several months ago: “Our nation has a huge problem with illegal immigrants. Just ask the native Americans.” I’ve provided a link that does just that. It’s an article written a few years ago on illegal immigration written by a native American.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/3821
Our nation’s frontier of understanding and acceptance continues to move in a positive direction, but certainly has plenty of room for expansion. Today, I find it much more relevant to discuss our last presidential election as a reflection of our growth in comparison to changes to amusement park attractions.
I’ll start with Frederick Turner’s “The Significance of the frontier in American History”. Our class could probably spend all eight Saturdays discussing this one paper. Mr. Turner’s 1893 article initially points out that the most recent census, published in 1890, almost insignificantly mentions that our nation’s clear westward movement had been completed, and that a frontier line no longer existed. Turner obviously felt compelled to shine a bright light on the importance of the vast and westward moving frontier in the formation of our country. He lends an almost sentimental reminiscence of our march west. His words paint a very patriotic picture of how we forged our new, American identity. The pioneers left the Atlantic sea board, and in doing so stripped themselves of any European identity. Initially, they were much like savages, hacking out new settlements out of the wilderness, doing whatever necessary to survive. Eventually, these tough pioneers helped form new laws meant to “meet frontier needs and demands”. In forming laws, settlements, & commerce, the new Americans became truly independent of England. Fueled by the opportunity to build and shape our country, the pioneers of western expansion as Dr. Lyman Beeher noted in 1835 and credited by Turner in his article, moved like “the rushing waters of a flood.”
In the middle of his paper, Turner includes some published words from Alexander Hamilton that were almost chillingly prophetic. Hamilton speaks of the immense opportunity afforded by democracy and liberty, but warns of “...its dangers as well as benefits. Individualism in America has allowed a laxity in regard to governmental affairs which has rendered possible the spoils system……the influence of frontier conditions in permitting lax business honor, inflated paper currency and wild-cat banking.” Free commerce unchecked and lightly regulated mixed with greed, came very close to bringing our country to its knees with the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that has kept our nation in a state of severe recession.
A century after Turner published his article; Patricia Nelson Limerick published “Adventures of the Frontier in the Twentieth Century”. While reading the article description at the top of the page, I was a little confused by the comments “…Limerick explicitly rejects...Turner’s influential thesis…and claim that the frontier essentially closed at the end of the 19th century.” I personally read Turner’s article as an attempt to summarize the significance of our western expansion in forming the America he knew as of 1893. He cites the 1890 census as the source of opinion regarding the end of the frontier.
While reading the first few paragraphs, I was a little uncomfortable with Limerick’s comparison of American knowledge of the frontier to Velcro and Frontierland in California’s Disneyland. Fortunately, I got past my initial “bristling” and accepted some very valid points. The Disneyland comparison really served to note the continually advancing frontier of American sensitivity to racial and cultural intolerance, and ignorance. Limerick points out that one attraction features a log cabin on fire. When the attraction opened, the park guests are told that savage Indians attacked the home. In the years since the attraction opened and Limerick’s paper was published, she notes that the guide manning the attraction suggests that “…the cabin was on fire because the settler had been ecologically and environmentally careless.” Limerick also uses Disney’s Frontierland to note the mixed messages and confusion Americans continue to work through regarding our past actions on the frontier throughout westward expansion. Just as I began to settle into the paper, Limerick again registers on my bristle meter with “…the work of academic historians has had virtually no impact either on Disneyland’s vision of the frontier or on the thinking of Disneyland visitors. That cheerful and complete indifference to the work of frontier historians may in truth be the secret of the place’s success.” I think there are better places to look than amusement parks to gauge our nation’s historical enlightenment. I just returned from Orlando’s Universal Studios with my 12 year old son. His favorite ride was The Mummy – we rode it four times in one day. However, he most certainly doesn’t believe the ride is an accurate depiction of ancient Egypt.
In the end, Limerick is obviously accurate that the average American’s perception of the frontier, and westward expansion, includes visions of the Anglo American pioneer being almost solely responsible for our successful expansion. However, Turner does point out in his paper that the pioneers’ survival was dependant on learning from, and adopting the ways of the Indians. The pioneers also learned from and followed the trails and practices of the French traders. Turner’s paper served to explain how westward expansion shaped our country from government, to free trade, to true independence. Limerick’s paper serves to shed a light on the importance of the many people other than Anglo Americans that helped shape and influence our country’s growth during expansion. How these people were perceived and treated during our westward expansion, particularly Indians cannot be changed. At the least, they can be properly credited for their contributions. I’m afraid I can’t remember and properly quote the author, but remember reading something close to the following several months ago: “Our nation has a huge problem with illegal immigrants. Just ask the native Americans.” I’ve provided a link that does just that. It’s an article written a few years ago on illegal immigration written by a native American.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/3821
Our nation’s frontier of understanding and acceptance continues to move in a positive direction, but certainly has plenty of room for expansion. Today, I find it much more relevant to discuss our last presidential election as a reflection of our growth in comparison to changes to amusement park attractions.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Little About Me
I'm married to the greatest woman on the face of the earth, and have a beautiful 16 year old daughter (who wants to attend Miami in a couple of years), and a fantastic 12 year old son.
I grew up in Wyoming, OH and currently reside in Deerfield Township, just outside of Mason. We built a home in 2006 that could accommodate my aging parents, along with my family of four, our three Briards (French Sheepdogs) and our green cheeked conure (bird).
My son, Andrew, with Nick and Tazi.
I was the world's worst student my first go-around at Miami's Oxford campus. After building a family business over the last 20 years, I recently sold it to one of my principal suppliers. At age 43, I may be one of the oldest students, but am confident I won't be the world's worst this time around.
I grew up swimming for the Cincinnati Marlins, fishing with my grandfather, and traveling to dog shows with my parents. My wife, two kids, and I all earned our black belts after studying for five years with past national TaeKwonDo champion, Master Sun Park.
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