Richard White The Winning Of The West Summary

As highlighted in Richard White’s 1978 article “The Winning of the West,” the Sioux were the agents of their own migration and expansion between the late seventeenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. The first phase of migration, which occurred in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, was for small-scale beaver fur trade and subsistence buffalo hunting; the second, from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was to conquer neighbors in order to acquire their hunting grounds; and the final period, in the early and mid-nineteenth century, was to support the lucrative trade and Sioux lifestyle by following the buffalo and raiding neighbors for necessary resources to aid in this mission. Overall, White argues the idea that native …show more content…
The Sioux expanded in order to capture furs, which could be traded for guns, and the guns allowed for more expansion. As the Sioux traded with white settlers and gained European goods, they were able to use these superior goods to conquer more neighboring groups. In the late seventeenth and early and mid-eighteenth centuries the Sioux conquered the following neighboring groups: Omahas, Otos, Cheyennes, Missouris, and Iowas (White 322). This demand for more resources, and the subsequent conquest, was the basis for early Sioux expansion. Rather than their expansion being forced, it was a necessity; expansion and conquest were the normal processes of the nomadic peoples, such as the …show more content…
This assertion is substantiated by the fact that the Sioux migrated in order to trade, capture buffalo, and support their nomadic lifestyle. Given that White is giving the Sioux the representation they deserve, will this idea carry over into more works? Ultimately, James Merrell employs this representation in his book The Indians’ New World where he argues that the Catawba nation was able to formulate trade deals and gain respect from the South Carolina colony. Additionally, Great Lakes Creoles, by Lucy Murphy showcases this representation by illustrating the cordial relationship between the Creoles and French colonists, where the French actively abided by Creole demands. It is important to understand this equal representation so that the traditional view of the indigenous people as savage and inferior will no longer be prevalent. Instead, the works of White, Merrell, and Murphy can convince the general public of the native’s ability to thrive politically, economically, and