Film Analysis: The American Old West

I had read episode one and episode two. The American Old West has always been the center of a romanticized view people had in the 1800 's from all over the world. The West is an eight-part television documentary regrading the American Old West. In it, the West is presented as a vast and beautiful landscape where many people from different parts of the world come to purse a prosperous life. A new world for some and the center of the universe for others. Stretching from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean it is dubbed "the most extraordinary land on Earth". Many people had come to the West from distant lands, the Spanish moving from Mexico, the French and the British moving from the South and the Russians as well as the Chinese from the East. …show more content…
Having residing in America for such a long duration, they were the ones to initially believe that America was the "center of the universe." I found it intriguing how it is important to take note of these beliefs that the Native Americans had regarding America, because it is evident that the "land"-- being America-- is mentioned repetitively in the creation stories that the Native Americans share with one another. It is rooted deeply into their mythology and ideology that they believed to have been created from the swirls and dust that fills the land, with the Comanches being an excellent example of a tribe with strong convictions in such beliefs. Subsequently I found it interesting to note that several more myths and superstitions would later emerge, myths of cities built of gold and vast amounts of treasure paved way to many unsuccessful expeditions, another long-lasting myth was of a passage that would lead the explorer to sea. This drove two Americans through the vastness of the Old West in search of such a passage. This presents how the West had stories of conquest and opportunities waiting to be discovered. To quote Richard White "There 's always come place in the West, were something wonderful is about to happen.... And even when we turn around.... even when we say, well, something has been lost, what 's lost is always in the …show more content…
This was the driving point for Americans in the Old West to exceed what was in their grasp. To subdue the continent was the destiny of the American people, but this would not prove to be an easy task. Many problems arose, by 1821 the question of who would take control of the vast amount of land the West had was a mystery. Several other issues such as which spoken language would be used for day to day communication, which religion would be worshiped by the masses, conclusively The United States and the Republic of Mexico claimed possession of most of the land. Albeit the Americans were moving West much faster than the Mexicans, all of these factors came into play in shaping what the West would become. Many others also flocked to the West, Mountain men pursued a journey into the Rockies in acquisition of fur, Latter-day Saints retreated to the West for religious sanctuary, and many more found opportunities in the West that they were not able to find in the East. Overall of all the reasons for relocating to the West, everybody was eager to make the West their home. To quote Richard White "Americans can 't do what they might like to do, but the time is coming. This is a country that is going to grow more and more powerful." and another "There 's going to come a time by mid-century where in fact in can fulfill its ambition, and when that time is reached, the West will be an entirely different place."