The Great Plains Region in the Early Nineteenth Century - Assignment Example

A world in Flux Introduction The Great Plains is fertile, vast and flat grassland located partially in Canada and partially in the West of the United States. The region was originally inhabited by American Indians until the arrival of the Europeans and forms part of the United States frontier popularly referred to as the Wild West. The land has a rich history captured in American folklore. The book Our Hearts Fell to the Ground by Colin Calloway captures the life in this land from an Indian perspective as depicted by various Indian writers (Calloway 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 the right steps to take to tackle arising issues. The author further portrays it as an area characterized by feuds involving the settlers, Indians and the explorers. The situation in the Great Plains 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 in the American history, namely bison slaughter. During this time, a number of natural calamities, including droughts and epidemics, left the area in a desolate state. The latter nearly wiped out the entire Indian livestock herds. Generally, the region was in a state of desperation during the arrival of American settlers who found a weakened Indian community that could barely resist external aggression. Before the great influx of people in the area, many animals thrived here. The Native Americans relied on the land only for their basic sustenance and large tracks remained underutilized. There was little pressure on the land and the natural resources were not in the danger of depletion. These physical characteristics of the area were, in fact, responsible for attracting many early settlers. It is the influx of the settler migration into the area that is primarily responsible for the cultural, political, social-economic and environmental changes that took place in the plains. The settlers arrived in different groups and established different forts that included Fort Lisa which was established in 1809 in North Dakota; Fort Lisa which was established in1812 in Nebraska; posts that were pioneered by the 1822 establishment of Fontenelle's Post and the Cabanne's Trading Post in 1822 in Nebraska. The establishment of forts was closely followed with attempts to develop the region with the settlers going to great lengths to ensure ease of transport in the area and setting up facilities that guaranteed their comfort. The construction of new railroads across the Great Plains was the first significant step toward a new livelihood in the area. The construction brought hunters who were responsible for the bison slaughter. 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 groups 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. 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 also witnessed a leap in the number of cases of unrest that included conflicts over international borders and bloody suppression of Indian revolts by the American forces ending in the Wounded Knee Massacre. After this massacre, the Indians were completely weakened and could no longer hold their ground (Calloway 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. Remarkable cultural changes were also witnessed in the area due to the settlement of peoples from many different backgrounds and varied cultures that were attracted by the various pull factors in the plains. The mixture of cultures led to the birth of a new West American culture, consequently leading to the death of many cultures of the original inhabitants of the land whose struggles to resist the changes could not counter the strength of European cultures and weaponry. 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 folk tales that explain or relate the changes that took place and the physical labor, the bison slaughter and the hardships that the rail workers had to undergo. The ranching has also bore many folktales with the evolution of the cowboy as a hero. These tales and legends support the common sociology 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 people from many different unrelated cultures have to meet in one melting pot, like in the Great Plains. The early nineteenth century Great Plains had all the features that constitute an area or situation to be described as a world in flux. First, there was a massive inflow of population from different areas to the Plains. This flux is phenomenal and remains the biggest migration into America of all times. The second aspect of a world in flux is the presence of crises which in this case ranged from massacres, tribal wars, diseases and pestilence and adverse weather effects that caused high human and livestock mortality. The period also saw the decline of many cultures. It is, therefore, rational to refer to the 19th century Great Plains as a typical world in 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 to the 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 humanly possible and neither leans toward the Indian side nor the settlers’ point of view. The author is careful not to idealize the American Indians. However, a careful study leads one to sympathize with the Indians as 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 subject that has been exhaustively discussed and 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 in flux. Work Cited Calloway, Colin G. Our Hearts Fell to the Ground. New York: Bedford Publishers, 1996. Print. Read More