The American Cowboy
The American Cowboy
The cowboys of the frontier have long captured the imagination of the American public. Americans, faced with the reality of an increasingly industrialized society, love the image of a man living out in the wilderness fending for himself against the dangers of the unknown. By the year 1900 there were few renegade Indians left in the country and the vast expanse of open land to the west of the Mississippi was rapidly filling with settlers. Cowboys represented a major part of the frontier spirit and Americans were eager to keep the romanticism of the west alive. Throughout the 20th century, western-themed movies and books have been extremely popular. The cowboys of the west, while realistically a minor part of United States history, have developed into an integral part of American culture. Their popularity is a result of the independent nature they represent and the disappearing wilderness they inhabited. In the late 1800's the American frontier expanded due to increases in population and great opportunities in the west. Immigrants from all across the world poured into the United States seeking a new life. Many of them found their way to the frontier, working mostly as farmers. The Homestead Act also encouraged settlers to move to the west. The Act stated that, "any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States shall, from and after the first of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be entitled to enter one quarter-section or a less quantity of unappropriated public lands." (?????) The land was extremely cheap, provided the farmer agreed to live on the land for five years improve it and pay a small fee. Those willing to brave the frontier were therefore given the opportunity to start a new life. Settlers risked, among other things, constant pressure from renegade Indians. The Indians of the United States had been abused for hundreds of years and their
The cowboys of the frontier have long captured the imagination of the American public. Americans, faced with the reality of an increasingly industrialized society, love the image of a man living out in the wilderness fending for himself against the dangers of the unknown. By the year 1900 there were few renegade Indians left in the country and the vast expanse of open land to the west of the Mississippi was rapidly filling with settlers. Cowboys represented a major part of the frontier spirit and Americans were eager to keep the romanticism of the west alive. Throughout the 20th century, western-themed movies and books have been extremely popular. The cowboys of the west, while realistically a minor part of United States history, have developed into an integral part of American culture. Their popularity is a result of the independent nature they represent and the disappearing wilderness they inhabited. In the late 1800's the American frontier expanded due to increases in population and great opportunities in the west. Immigrants from all across the world poured into the United States seeking a new life. Many of them found their way to the frontier, working mostly as farmers. The Homestead Act also encouraged settlers to move to the west. The Act stated that, "any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States shall, from and after the first of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be entitled to enter one quarter-section or a less quantity of unappropriated public lands." (?????) The land was extremely cheap, provided the farmer agreed to live on the land for five years improve it and pay a small fee. Those willing to brave the frontier were therefore given the opportunity to start a new life. Settlers risked, among other things, constant pressure from renegade Indians. The Indians of the United States had been abused for hundreds of years and their