Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: Native Americans and the Forced Removal
President Andrew Jackson wants the tribes to move west beyond the Mississippi, out of the way of expanding white settlements. In 1830 Congress passes a Removal Act which appropriates money to finance federal negotiations..
Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: New Political Alignments in the 1840s
Harrison wins the presidency by a comfortable margin but does not live long enough to leave a lasting impression. When he dies of pneumonia only a month after taking office Vice President John Tyler of Virginia is elevat..
Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler: Whigs Successful Election Challenge
The remarkable thing about the election of 1840 is that it shows that the Whigs have learned to use the weapons of their enemies, moving from a party of elites to one with mass popular appeal The Whigs hold a convention ..
Legendary Frontier, The: Changing Western Economy, The
The events that transforms the far West and its economy begin in the mid 19th century with the discovery of gold in California. A second major economic surge occurs with the emergence of the cattle industry, but like the..
Legendary Frontier, The: Decline of the Western Farmer
Worldwide overproduction leads to a drop in prices for most agricultural products in the late 1880s. Farm families are painfully aware that something is wrong, but instead of blaming the glut of products on the market th..
Legendary Frontier, The: Dispersal of the Tribes, The
The United States recognizes Indian peoples as semi-sovereign nations that have basic rights and own the land they have ceded to the United States, but these legal protections are subverted by the government when it gets..
Legendary Frontier, The: Government Policies Undermine Indian Way of Life
The United States Indian policy is never genocidal; in fact government officials want them to survive but on their terms, abandoning tribal identify and assimilating. As the Western territory becomes more populated there..
Legendary Frontier, The: Myth of the Cowboy and a Culture of Violence
The life of the cowboy is part of the legend of the West. Although not all of it is quite as it is portrayed, elements of the cowboy myth are based on reality. It is a difficult, monotonous, and poorly-paid life. When co..
Legendary Frontier, The: Myths and Myth Makers
By the end of the Civil War, the West is already legendary. It is looked upon as a "frontier" rather than the great American desert, an empty land awaiting settlement and civilization, a place for fresh beginnings and bo..
Legendary Frontier, The: Rapid Agricultural Growth in the Plains Region
The arrival of the miners, the empire building of the cattle ranchers, the dispersal of the Indian tribes--all serve as a prelude to a massive movement of farmers into the plains region. There is rapid agricultural growt..