Taming the West

David Huckobey

EN 106. .   First year writing seminar II
7 September 2010
Taming the West

      When I was a kid growing up all the neighborhood kids would play Cowboys and Indians, I remember that no one wanted to be the Indians. .   The Indians were always the bad guys, the savages, the barbarians, all the typical stereotypes that were plastered on TV, and in the movies. .   I held on to images of scalping, and raids on poor unsuspecting settlers for many years until I started learning more about how and why the western United States was tamed. .   I choose to use the word tamed because, it is the best way to describe the plight of the Native Americans that inhabited the west. .   Throughout my grade school history classesclasses, I learned about how the Anglo European settlers fought for their very existence on the western frontier of America. .   Every day was a struggle against the harsh elements and brutal savagery of the Indians. .   I never considered the other side of the story
      The history that is described and printed in some textbooks especially grade school texts do not go into great depth concerning the treatment of Native Americans by Pioneers or by the United States Government. .   The period is glossed over and saturated with political correctness in an effort to protect grade school students from the ugly realities of the day. .   The events and timelines reflect a sense of patriotic right, a time when a young nation was expanding and healing from a bitter civil war. .   The history books portrayed Native Americans as a nuisance and as an uncivilized race of people. .   The harsh realities are often wrapped up in a few short lines by indicating that the Native Americans were moved relocated to reservations. .   These words and the meaning behind them hide the pain and suffering thrust upon the Native Americans and once again leads the student to believe that this was the happy solution to the issues facing the settlers of the time....