Devin Hall Ms. Westhafer Writing Seminar: Summary 07 February 2013 Summary of “The Myth of Violence in the Old West” In his article‚ “The Myth of Violence in the Old West‚” Roger D. McGrath attempts to rebut the common myth of the old west being plagued by high crime rate. Although McGrath agreed that the old west was violent‚ he maintained how the violence at that time was dissimilar from todays. To help illustrate his point‚ he compared today’s crime rate for burglary‚ robbery‚ and murder
Premium Robbery Theft Crime
In his article "The Myth of Violence in the Old West‚" Roger D. McGrath attempts to refute the myth that the old west was much more crime ridden compared to American cities today. McGrath argues that while the old west was violent‚ the violence that occurred was very different from what goes on today. Two of the most common crimes today‚ robbery and burglary‚ were hardly of any consequence. To prove this point McGrath compares crime rates of major cities today to Bodie‚ one of the most notorious
Free Crime Robbery Crimes
Myth and Reality of the Old West and Frontier "What is a myth and how much realism does it hold?" One might tend to ask. The answer to this query is quite elaborate since myths describe traditional or legendary stories that give a depiction of heroism and in most cases lack a sizeable and determinable basis for explanation or proof (Merriam-Webster‚ 2003). Therefore‚ acting on this realization‚ the reality to myths is hardly explainable since the circumstances surrounding the prevailing situation
Premium Mythology Cowboy Western United States
How Violent was the Old West During the time frame of 1860-1890 there was an area in the West known as the Great Plains. Although‚ before it was designated as the Great Plains it was known as the Great American Desert. The Great Plains was originally home to buffalo and Indians labeled as Plains Indians which can be broken down into several different groups such as‚ the Lakota Indians‚ Pawnee Indians‚ and Cheyenne Indians just to name a few. Soon all that changed when the Idea of money and
Premium Cheyenne Great Plains Native Americans in the United States
America’s Western Frontier The American Old West compromises the history‚ myths‚ legends‚ stories‚ beliefs‚ and cultural meanings that collected around the Western United States in the 1800’s. Most often the term refers to the late 19th century‚ between 1865 to 1900‚ post-Civil war time period. Terms Old West and Wild West relate to life beyond the western frontier. The Wild West appears as a simple romanticized perception of the actual Old West identity‚ which forms numerous characters‚ lifestyles
Premium Native Americans in the United States American Old West United States
head when you hear The Old West‚ however was that actually what happened? The movies portray the west as an action packed‚ good vs evil utopia of sorts. There’s always an antagonist‚ a protagonist‚ some love interest‚ and a gun fight of course. This just leaves me with a few questions: what is a myth and why are they important?‚ how has the old west myth affected our society?‚ and why was the west so popular? First off‚ what is a myth? Webster’s Dictionary defines a myth as: “a story that was told
Premium United States Sociology Government
Outlaws and Violence in the American West Many Americans consider the era of the Old West as one of the most fascinating chapters in our history. It’s an era that is uniquely American‚ and people around the world identify America with the era of the Old West. There is much legend surrounding American History of the Wild West when it comes to American outlaws lawmen and violence. But what is the real history about violence in the west? In this paper I will talk about outlaws and lawmen as
Premium Native Americans in the United States United States American Old West
The American Old West: Myth versus Reality Western‚ a genre of short stories that are set in the American west‚ primarily in the late of the 19th century (“Western” 598)‚ and still being told until today by films‚ televisions‚ radio‚ and other art works. The major of moving to the west was because of the Homestead Act‚ 1862 (“U.S. Statues at Large” 392) which would give lands to people who stayed there for five years. This lead to a huge wave of immigrants moved to the West‚ and they had
Premium American Old West Cowboy Western United States
Between the 1860’s and 1890’s‚ the west of the United States got its name "the Old West" and a reputation of being violent. Now there are many movies‚ books‚ television shows‚ and many other things based on the Old West having: cowboys‚ gunfights‚ rough towns‚ and Indian attacks. Some people may believe that the Old West really was like this‚ but I think the west wasn’t any more violent than other areas of the United States at this time. Less people lived in the west at this time so one murder may be
Premium United States Native Americans in the United States
since 1876 Outlaws of the Old West The wild west was one of America ’s most violent times.The American Wild West is a period of history rife with tales of vicious gunfights and battles between lawmen and outlaws. It is the story of exploration and forging a new way of life. Men‚ women and children left their homes in the East and headed West looking for land and riches. While Hollywood has tended to portray this historical era as one of harshness and violence‚ scholars have suggested recently
Premium American Old West