A World in Flux: what is the Great Plains Region - Assignment Example

A world in Flux Introduction The Greta Plains is vast and flat grassland which is fertile located in Canada and the central United States. The region is a land which stands on a rock, which is a marine in nature and, it is on a higher place as compared to other regions of United States and Canada. Though the land consists of unpleasing weather climates, the land is also fertile since glacial deposit left in the land during the Ice Age (Calloway 1996, p. 17). Linguists define the phrase a world in flux as a situation marked by high rate of movement of people into an area resulting in the creation of a human crisis. The nineteenth century situation in the Great Plains is an ideal example of a world in flux. Through extensive use of primary sources, Calloway portrays the situation in this area as a crisis per se where the society was unable to determine what should be done at any given time. He further portrays an area characterized by feuds involving the settlers, Indians and the explorers. The situation in the Great Plains at around this time was marked with fights for territorial expansion among the various native tribes, Western powers expansion in the region and compulsory assimilation. It also witnessed one of the greatest destruction of the fauna of any region in history in the name of the slaughter of the bison. Droughts in the area had left the native Indians with few livestock but the outbreak of deadly livestock diseases at the beginning of the 19th Century nearly wiped out the entire Indian herds (Calloway 1996, p. 17). Before the great influx of people in the area, many animals in thrived there. The Native Americans barely relied on the land with large tracks remaining underutilized. There was little pressure on the land and the natural resources were not in the danger of depletion. The physical characteristics of the area were in fact responsible for attracting many early settlers of the area. It is the influx of these settlers that are primarily responsible for the cultural, political social- economic and environmental changes that took place in the plains. It is during this time the area witnessed the largest number of settles who and established different Forts. Such forts included Fort Lisa which was established in 1809 in North Dakota and Fort Lisa which was established in1812 in Nebraska. Posts were also introduced and were pioneered by the 1822 establishment of Fontenelles Post and the Cabannes Trading Post in 1822 both in Nebraska. The establishment of forts was closely followed with attempts to develop the region. This started with the construction of new railroads which across the Great Plains which brought hunters who were responsible for the bison slaughter for their hides. The migrant rail workers as well as the European farmers, who were quick to settle the land due to its appreciated value and ease of transport, were the first significant group to settle in the plains. The Farmers were further attracted by the homestead laws which enabled them obtain free farms. These laws brought in hundreds of thousands of farmers further marking this as an era of influx hence the term world of flux. The period also saw the establishment of open range lands where ranchers reared millions of cattle herded by the cowboys. The cattle were then exported. The area was therefore not limited to human migration but also to cattle as well. This led to overstocking which coupled with adverse climate in some periods led to degradation of the environment and brought great losses to farmers. The first half of the century saw the numbers in the plains rise by 3000 percent. The period saw an increase in cases of unrest which had grown being international borders. Bloody suppression of Indian rebellions by the American forces ending in the Wounded Knee Massacre also took place resulting in many deaths. (Calloway 1996, p. 54). The plains also saw a leap in the number of job seekers. Refugees seeking were also common. This also increased the number of residents in this area by great margins. (Calloway 1996, p 94-96). Changes in culture took place in this area due to the settlement of peoples from many areas in the world that were attracted by the various pull factors in the plains. The mixture of cultures led to the birth of a new American culture but it also led to the death of many cultures of the original inhabitants of the land. (Calloway 1996, p. 92) The settlements in the Great Plains remain a great phenomenon in the American history. The building of the railroad is one of the major symbols associated with this era and has led to the development of many fork tales that explain or relate the physical labor, the bison slaughter and the hardships that the workers had to undergo. The ranching has also born many folk tales with the evolution of the cowboy as a hero. These tales and legends support the theory that a completely new culture was created by the new way of life and the mixture of people from various different backgrounds. For a new culture to be created within so short a period, one requirement is that the people be from many different unrelated cultures as was the case in the Great Plains. The early nineteenth Century Greta Plains had all the features that constitute an area or situation to be described as a world of flux. First there was a massive influx of population from different areas to the Plains. This flux is phenomenal and remains the biggest influx into America at any given time. The second aspect of a world of flux is the presence of crises which ranged from massacres, tribal wars, diseases and pestilence and adverse weather effects that caused many human crises. The period also saw the decline of many cultures all these factors correctly describe a world of flux. Conclusion Mass movement into any area presents a large number of problems to the new settlement. In addition to the inevitable problem of environmental degradation and resource depletion due increased population pressure, conflicts often arise as the people already established in the area are rarely willing to the newcomers. Conflicts between the newcomers and the original residents often have devastating consequences. The settlement the Great Plains was no different. It led the almost extinction of the bison, the forced assimilation of the natives leading to the loss of the rich cultures of the Indian tribes and the loss of innumerable lives in the process. In his book, Calloway tries to be as impartial as is humanly possible and neither leans toward the Indian side or the Settler’s point of view. He is careful not to idealize the American Indian. However, a careful study leads one to sympathize with the Indians and in the articles, they show passionate wish to conserve their age- long culture. However the same is not possible and the settler emerges the winner. The winning of the West is a much discussed topic where the winners are often glorified by history. What is rarely discussed is the losses resulting from the same. The losses that were made in the Great Plains from the influx are innumerable. This is why Calloway and others correctly describe the 19th Century Great Plains as a world of Flux. Work Cited Calloway, Colin G. Our Hearts Fell to the Ground. New York: Bedford Publishers (1996). Print. Read More