Daniel R. Faust - The Real Story Behind the Wild West

Published in 2020 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2020 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

First Edition

Editor: Jill Keppeler

Book Design: Reann Nye

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Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Faust, Daniel R.

Title: The real story behind the Wild West / Daniel R. Faust.

Description: New York : PowerKids Press, 2020. | Series: The real story: debunking history | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781538344682 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538343463 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538344699 (6 pack)

Subjects: LCSH: West (U.S.)--History--Juvenile literature. | Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.)--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC F591.F38 2020 | DDC 978--dc23

Manufactured in the United States of America

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #CSPK19. For Further Information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932

GO WEST!

Almost as soon as the United States was founded, people wanted to move west and settle the frontier. In 1803, the United States, under President Thomas Jefferson, bought the Louisiana Territory from France. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, and Americans were eager to explore and settle this new land.

People had many reasons to move west. Some were fleeing crowded cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Others saw the frontier as a way to reinvent themselves or become rich. Some people thought expanding west was the nations destiny. People today still love stories of the so-called Wild West, with its cowboys and outlaws and brave settlers. But how many of those stories are trueor only partly true?

FACT FINDER

The words manifest destiny came to mean the belief that it was the American peoples duty to settle across North America, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.

The land the United States gained in the Louisiana Purchase eventually became part of 15 states, including Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN WEST

The American West is an important part of American history. Over the years, it also became an important part of the American identity. To many people, westward expansion reflects several key qualities that people want to associate with the American spirit, including strength, courage, and individualism. The image of the rugged American taming the Wild West has appeared countless times in books, movies, and advertisements.

Many history books tell us stories about explorers, such as Daniel Boone and David Davy Crockett, or tales about the pioneers who left everything they knew behind and traveled into unknown and dangerous territory to settle the American frontier. But these figures are only part of the story. What people think of the Old West is as much myth as reality.

KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER

People picture Davy Crockett as a soldier and outdoorsmanbut this wild and free figure was also a politician! Crockett was born in 1786 in Tennessee. He was a scout during the War of 1812 and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1821 to 1823. Starting in 1827, Crockett served three terms in Congress. The many stories about him made him a folk hero during his life, but later plays, books, TV shows, and movies made him into a legend.

DAVY CROCKETT

DANIEL BOONE

Davy Crockett died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. More than 100 years later, in 1954, the Disney company started making TV shows and movies about his legend, making him a popular figure again.

One problem with the myth of the American West is that, like a lot of history, it often only includes one point of view. While both Boone and Crockett made contributions to American history, they both were white men, and much of the history we learn is told from the perspective of white men.

Like Boone and Crockett, James Beckwourth was an American outdoorsman. Beckwourth, however, was born into slavery in Virginia. African Americans, including many freed and runaway slaves, played a large role in settling the West. The Native American perspective has also been ignored by many history books. The idea that white settlers had to come to the West and tame the land ignores the fact that countless native tribes lived on that land for thousands of years.

WOMEN OF THE WEST

Men werent the only ones making a name for themselves in the American Westbut like the men, the stories of the women of the Old West often became more famous than the reality. Calamity Jane was a well-known hunter and scout, while Annie Oakley became famous for her sharpshooting skills. Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up on the American frontier and wrote many famous childrens books, including Little House on the Prairie.

James Beckwourth was born in about 1800. He worked closely with the Crow people of Wyoming and lived with them for a time.