American Old West History Made Easy Quizzes
The American Old West, or the Wild West,
comprises the history, geography, people, folklore, and cultural
expression of life in the Western United States, most often
referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the
California Gold Rush of 1849 and the end of the century. After
the 18th century and the push beyond the Appalachian Mountains,
the term is generally applied to anywhere west of the
Mississippi River in earlier periods and westward from the
frontier strip toward the later part of the 19th century.
Thus, the Midwest and American South, though
not considered part of the Western United States today, have
Western heritage along with the modern western states. More
broadly, the period stretches from the early 19th century to the
end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920.
Through treaties with foreign nations and
native peoples, political compromise, technological innovation,
military conquest, establishment of law and order, and the great
migrations of foreigners, the United States expanded from coast
to coast (Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean), fulfilling
advocates' belief in Manifest Destiny. In securing and managing
the West, the U.S. federal government greatly expanded its
powers, as the nation evolved from an agrarian society to an
industrialized nation.
First promoting settlement and exploitation
of the land, by the end of the 19th century the federal
government assumed stewardship of the remaining open spaces. As
the American Old West passed into history, the myths of the West
took firm hold in the imagination of Americans and foreigners
alike.
Old West Timeline
Who Am I - These
are all well known Old West Cowboys, Cowgirls, Lawmen, and Outlaws. I will give you some
information and you pick the correct Old West folks.
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