This week we are looking in depth at America's experience as it progressed westward across the nation. There were technological innovations that proved how far we had come (i.e. Transcontinental Railroad) but also many terrible social interactions (natives vs. army).
Take a look at this website this week. Choose any story, beginning with the Pony Express story, and explain in the comment section what it taught you about the "old west".
Make sure your post is at least 200 words and the word count is included.
I chose to read the article the pony express. I learned that the pony express was made as an easy and fast way to get mail delivered across the country. The pony express first started in 1860. The requirements to be able to ride on the pony express were that you had to be no older than 18, you also had to be an expert horse rider and had to be able to risk your life during the traveling. The job had many obstacles along the way. One of the people who rode the pony express was a man named Bill Cody. The pony express came to an end when the telegraph was invented in the year of 1861.This article has taught me that in the old west they used horses to deliver mail instead of mail trucks like we do today. It has also taught me that it took at least a week to get the mail delivered to its correct destination. It has also taught me that in the Old West that people traveled by horses to get where they were going. This has taught me that it is very important to learn about the old west so we will know what people had to do back then and it gives us a better understanding about things today. (221 words)
ReplyDeleteThe article I chose to read and write my blog about for this week is called "Massacre At Wounded Knee, 1890". This article really shows me how some of the things that happened in the "old west" could be quite brutal. The United States troops had no fear of doing anything they wanted to the Indian people. The troops had forced them to relocate to very far places, and if the Indians refused to move, a blood bath would most likely take place. This particular article mentions how the Indians were doing their "Ghost Dance", and how it spread throughout the Sioux villages. It was reported that they were being wild and crazy, that protection was needed, and that the leaders should be arrested and confined until the Indian people calm down. United States troops had then attacked the Sioux camp, and the air had been flooded with clouds of gun smoke. Grapeshot from the troops rained down on the Indian teepees as the Indian people ran for their lives. The troops had killed about 300 Sioux people, including chief Big Foot. This massacre pretty much ended the "Ghost Dancing" as a whole. Overall, the "old west" was a pretty intense place, and in situations like this, it was not often fair.(Word Count: 211) -Eric badger
ReplyDeleteI chose to read the article,” The death of Billy the Kid”. Billy was just a boy who lived in New York with his mother. They moved down to New Mexico after the death of his father. When Billy was about 17 when he got a job as a farmer. He lived in just a little town called Lincoln County but it had so much conflict the whole town was split. His mentor/ boss was John Tunstall but during one of the town conflicts the farmer was shot by the town sheriff and his deputies. Billy was furious and wanted to get revenge. He snuck up behind the sheriff and his deputies and shot em’ dead. Billy stayed on the run for the next 2 years. He was finally caught and was brought back to the little town he ran from. He was found guilty and was givin the death sentence. Back then they just hung them. When the towns sheriff was putting Billy in his cell Billy managed to escape his grasp, grab a gun and shot his guard as well as another deputy who heared the shot. After a few days the Town sheriff heared where Billy was stayin, which was about 140 miles away from little Lincoln. When the deputies showed up they snuck up on Billy in the dark . Billy asked who was there but there was no answer just a gunshot. Billy died right there on July 14th.(208 words)
ReplyDeleteFor this week I did my blog post on the death oh Billy The Kid. Billy The Kid was born in New York City in the slum area in 1859. Shortly after his fathers death him and his mother traveled west and ended up in New Mexico Territory. Billy was triggered by people while in Lincoln City and eventually killed the sheriff and deputy because of his anger towards them. He continued on the run for two years and was never caught. The new sheriff had his sights to capture Bill and that’s what he did on the night July 14 he went to the house billy was at and captured him and killed him. The sheriff carefully snuck into the house to catch him by surprise as he sure did and that night he killed a man that had been on the run for so long and no one could catch it was a very big moment in history. They said it took one shot and he fell hopelessly on the ground taking his final breath and being with all of his many victims. Billy the Kid was hopeless and paid for all those people he killed (200)
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ReplyDeleteI chose to read the article, “Buffalo Hunt”. Before Americans can and took the west there were Indians there. Before Americans moved into the west there were many Buffalo but they were soon killed and taken away. When Americans went to kill Buffalo they road horses and chased them. A good Hunter would be able to kill 6 buffalo in a single chase. As hunters were riding on house they would get close to the Buffalo and pet it then take out there gun and fire. When Indians was to Hunt Buffalo they would have a bow and arrow and shoot from a distance. There were many advantages to using a bow then a gun. When Americans were to go kill Buffalo they would put themselves in danger but also the horse. Buffalo are wired animals people could get close to them and they would never know. As Americans chased groups of Buffalo they should mess up the ground and leave huge holes. Americans at times used arrows because they believed it was better. All hunters had to pack extra equipment because if they were to miss they could try again. Many hunters died from being attacked by Buffalo of they were seriously injured.
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There was 2 methods to hunting buffalo they were called “Running” and “Approaching”. Running happened when you got on a horse and chased the buffalo down on your house and shot them. This method was the more violent one, but yet it was the wildest sport in America. The hunter would dash forward on the horse with reckless abandon, and level his gun to his eye and pull the trigger. A skillful hunter could kill 6 cows from one heard in one go. What some hunters would do is put multiple bullets in the chamber so it was easier to hit the buffalo. The only danger with that is if the gun fails to shoot the bullets then the gun will blow up in the hands of the hunter more than likely killing him. Another danger was when you were chasing the buffalo you would chase them across plains and the plains had burrows from wolves, bagers, and prairie dogs. A horse would step in one of these holes and break its leg thrusting him forward and probably killing the hunter from severe injuries. The other method was “Approaching” the advantages to this compared to “Running” was a horse was never hurt and you never put you life at risk. This way was a lot different from “Running” you have to be calm and watchful. You had to sneak up on the buffalo the good part about this is that the buffalo are so dumb some times you could fire a few rounds before they thought it was necessary to retreat.
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I chose to read the article called “The Hanging of Tom Horn, 1903.” Reading this article gave me many feelings. I felt grossed out reading the details of the actual hanging of Horn. I don’t feel bad for his death sentence because he knew what he did was wrong. He purposely killed the boy instead of his assigned target. In reading this article, I learned that the West didn’t play around. When someone did wrong, they took care of it. Tom Horn was shown no mercy (not that he deserved it at all). Learning about the west has taught me more about the cruelty’s people used to show each other. It’s sad reading about all the people who were beaten or killed for doing nothing wrong. I say that not including Tom Horn. He was a murderer who deserved every punishment given to him. The article says that Tom was aiming his rifle and saw that it wasn’t the man he was supposed to kill. He continued to pull the trigger and took multiple shots. He watched the boy fall the ground. A man that could watch someone die and not care deserves to die himself. His punishment was unquestioned. (Word count: 200)
ReplyDeleteThis week I have chosen to read “The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881.” Billy the kid starts out sad the author explains to the reader that Billy’s Father passed away. Billy’s mother and him had to move he was 13 when they moved to Lincoln county, New Mexico. His mother remedied shortly after his mother died. In Lincoln county, Billy worked as a ranch hand for John Tunstall a leader of one faction seeking control of the county. Tunstall acted like a father for Billy. Tunstall was ambush and murder in 1878 by a sheriff. Billy was very upset he wanted revenge. Billy first person to kill were the sheriff and his deputy, killed on the streets of Lincoln. Billy had to be on the run for two years, he was eventually captured, tried, convicted and returned to Lincoln to hang for the murders. However, Lincoln's makeshift jail was no match for Billy. On the evening of April 28, 1881 as Billy was climbing the steps returning him to his cell, the Billy made a mad dash, grabbed a six-shooter and shot his guard. Billy had to run away again. The New Mexico government put a bounty Worth $500. That’s when Pat Garett started looking for Billy. On July 14, 1881 Pat killed Billy. This story was different than most stories about kids. Billy killed a lot of people, He was involved with the wrong influence and that lead him to doing wrong things, this is an extreme example, but it just shows what can about when we aren’t influenced by the right people.
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I chose to read the article “the death of Billy the kid.” Billy started off as a normal and stable kid. When things started to get complicated he did not seek for justice but for revenge. Billy took matters into his own hands and took the lives of two people. After being chased down, Billy was put into prison but that did not stop him at all. He took a gun and shot down a prison guard. Billy soon rode away on a horse and in the town he ended up in, all the residents has sympathy for him. He was taken over by anger and after the experiences he went through, he got worse and not better. Billy was staying with a friend and ended up getting up and going out possibly ready to hurt somebody else. Billy ended up being shot twice and struggling to breathe. He then fell dead and ended up just like all of the victims he had shot. I thought this article was very interesting because most kids do not live a life like Billy did. In terms of violence, times in the old west and times now have not changed much. However, now you don’t have to ride away on a horse. (Word count: 209)
ReplyDeleteThe Transcontinental Railroad was an unbelievable completion to America, which officially started in 1866; but the eastern side started long before 1866. American was amazed to hear that the first sea to sea railroad was completed in 1869. Two Railroad companies took up the challenge to build the transcontinental railroad from coast to coast. The Central Pacific Railroad, which was ran by Governor Stanford, started their building of the railroad in Sacramento, California. The Union Pacific Railroad, which was ran by Thomas Durant, and founded by Abraham Lincoln, started their building of the railroad in Omaha, Nebraska. Near the end of this new railroad, the two companies were planned to meet in Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. Between the two companies, were 50 miles of track until they met in several days in Promontory, Utah. When they arrived; a Telegraph was sent saying that the Transcontinental Railroad was complete. From the west company Sidney Dillon, General Dodge, T. C. Durant, John R. Duff, S. A. Seymour and newspaper men were brought by train to drive in the last spike of the railroad. California manufactured the golden spike to drive into the last whole of the railing. Governor Stanford and Vice President T. C. Durant both had a shot at driving the golden spike but both missed it. When this happened all the Chinese men and Irish men hoot and hollered when they missed it. Everyone gathered around and shook hands for a picture. That photo along with wooded spender’s are in a museum in California. (258)
ReplyDeleteOn December 29, 1890 the Sioux lost completely everything. All the buffalo were obliterated. They were confined in reservations. They looked towards the “Messiah”, Wovoka, for salvation. “The dead would soon join the living in a world in which the Indians could live in the old way surrounded by plentiful game. A tidal wave of new soil would cover the earth, bury the whites, and restore the prairie. To hasten the event, the Indians were to dance the Ghost Dance.”-(Wovoka) They would wear certain shirts with animals on them, as symbols of protection from the bluecoats’ bullets. The natives danced and danced, and this brought fear into the whites; so they sent orders to kill Sitting Bull and Chief Big Foot was next. Sitting Bull died on December 15. Once, Chief Big Foot heard of his death he led his people south, to seek protection. Meeting them at Wounded Knee Camp, the soldiers waged war. Sounds of gunshots, battle cries, and the wounded filled the atmosphere. Over 300 of Chief Big Foot’s troops died, including himself. Twenty five of the white soldiers were dead. The battle at Wounded Knee stopped the Ghost dance but was the beginner of many Indian wars. Thus, the story of “Massacre at Wounded Knee”.
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