The Real Dirt on America's Frontier Legends

The Real Dirt on America's Frontier Legends
Author: Jim Motavalli
Publisher: GibbsSmith.ORM
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2019-08-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1423654595

Learn the truth behind the famous characters of the Wild West—and how the legends got it wrong—in this lively history that separates fact from fiction. The historic figures of the Western frontier have fascinated us for generations. But in many cases, the stories we know about them are little more than inventions. Popular legend won’t tell you, for instance, that David Crockett was a congressman, or that Daniel Boone was a Virginia legislator. Thanks to penny dreadfuls, Wild West shows, sensationalist newspaper stories, and tall tales told by the explorers themselves, what we know of these men and women is often more fiction than fact. The Real Dirt on America's Frontier Legends separates fact from fiction, showing the legends and the evidence side-by-side to give readers the real story of the old West. Here you’ll discover the fascinating truth about Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Calamity Jane, Kit Carson, Davy Crocket, and many others.

The Significance of the Frontier in American History

The Significance of the Frontier in American History
Author: Frederick Jackson Turner
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2008-08-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 014196331X

This hugely influential work marked a turning point in US history and culture, arguing that the nation’s expansion into the Great West was directly linked to its unique spirit: a rugged individualism forged at the juncture between civilization and wilderness, which – for better or worse – lies at the heart of American identity today. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives – and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

On the Frontiers of History

On the Frontiers of History
Author: Tessa Morris-Suzuki
Publisher: ANU Press
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2020-08-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1760463701

Why is it that we so readily accept the boundary lines drawn around nations or around regions like ‘Asia’ as though they were natural and self-evident, when in fact they are so mutable and often so very arbitrary? What happens to people not only when the borders they seek to cross become heavily guarded, but also when new borders are drawn straight through the middle of their lives? The essays in this book address these questions by starting from small places on the borderlands of East Asia and looking outwards from the small towards the large, asking what these ‘minor pasts’ tell us about the grand narratives of history. In the process, it takes the reader on a journey from Renaissance European visions of ‘Tartary’, through nineteenth-century racial theorising, imperial cartography and indigenous experiences of modernity, to contemporary debates about Big History in an age of environmental crisis.

The End of the Myth

The End of the Myth
Author: Greg Grandin
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2019-03-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1250179815

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE A new and eye-opening interpretation of the meaning of the frontier, from early westward expansion to Trump’s border wall. Ever since this nation’s inception, the idea of an open and ever-expanding frontier has been central to American identity. Symbolizing a future of endless promise, it was the foundation of the United States’ belief in itself as an exceptional nation – democratic, individualistic, forward-looking. Today, though, America hasa new symbol: the border wall. In The End of the Myth, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin explores the meaning of the frontier throughout the full sweep of U.S. history – from the American Revolution to the War of 1898, the New Deal to the election of 2016. For centuries, he shows, America’s constant expansion – fighting wars and opening markets – served as a “gate of escape,” helping to deflect domestic political and economic conflicts outward. But this deflection meant that the country’s problems, from racism to inequality, were never confronted directly. And now, the combined catastrophe of the 2008 financial meltdown and our unwinnable wars in the Middle East have slammed this gate shut, bringing political passions that had long been directed elsewhere back home. It is this new reality, Grandin says, that explains the rise of reactionary populism and racist nationalism, the extreme anger and polarization that catapulted Trump to the presidency. The border wall may or may not be built, but it will survive as a rallying point, an allegorical tombstone marking the end of American exceptionalism.

Cycles of Invention and Discovery

Cycles of Invention and Discovery
Author: Venkatesh Narayanamurti
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-10-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0674974158

Cycles of Invention and Discovery offers an in-depth look at the real-world practice of science and engineering. It shows how the standard categories of “basic” and “applied” have become a hindrance to the organization of the U.S. science and technology enterprise. Tracing the history of these problematic categories, Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Toluwalogo Odumosu document how historical views of policy makers and scientists have led to the construction of science as a pure ideal on the one hand and of engineering as a practical (and inherently less prestigious) activity on the other. Even today, this erroneous but still widespread distinction forces these two endeavors into separate silos, misdirects billions of dollars, and thwarts progress in science and engineering research. The authors contrast this outmoded perspective with the lived experiences of researchers at major research laboratories. Using such Nobel Prize–winning examples as magnetic resonance imaging, the transistor, and the laser, they explore the daily micro-practices of research, showing how distinctions between the search for knowledge and creative problem solving break down when one pays attention to the ways in which pathbreaking research actually happens. By studying key contemporary research institutions, the authors highlight the importance of integrated research practices, contrasting these with models of research in the classic but still-influential report Science the Endless Frontier. Narayanamurti and Odumosu’s new model of the research ecosystem underscores that discovery and invention are often two sides of the same coin that moves innovation forward.

Controlling Frontiers

Controlling Frontiers
Author: Didier Bigo
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2005
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780754630111

Focusing in particular on the European borders, this volume brings together an interdisciplinary group of academics to consider questions of immigration and the free movement of people, linking control within the state to the role of the police and internal security. The contributors all take as the point of departure the significance of European governmentality within the Foucauldian meaning as opposed to the European governance perspective which is already well represented in the literature. They discuss the relation between control of borders, introduction of biometrics and freedom. The book makes available in English an analysis of an important and politically highly charged field from a major French critical perspective. It draws on different disciplines including law, politics, international relations and philosophy.

Mythic Frontiers

Mythic Frontiers
Author: Daniel R. Maher
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2019-03-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0813063949

“Maher explores the development of the Frontier Complex as he deconstructs the frontier myth in the context of manifest destiny, American exceptionalism, and white male privilege. A very significant contribution to our understanding of how and why heritage sites reinforce privilege.”— Frederick H. Smith, author of The Archaeology of Alcohol and Drinking “Peels back the layer of dime westerns and True Grit films to show how their mythologies are made material. You’ll never experience a ‘heritage site’ the same way again.”—Christine Bold, author of The Frontier Club: Popular Westerns and Cultural Power, 1880–1924 The history of the Wild West has long been fictionalized in novels, films, and television shows. Catering to these popular representations, towns across America have created tourist sites connecting such tales with historical monuments. Yet these attractions stray from known histories in favor of the embellished past visitors expect to see and serve to craft a cultural memory that reinforces contemporary ideologies. In Mythic Frontiers, Daniel Maher illustrates how aggrandized versions of the past, especially those of the “American frontier,” have been used to turn a profit. These imagined historical sites have effectively silenced the violent, oppressive, colonizing forces of manifest destiny and elevated principal architects of it to mythic heights. Examining the frontier complex in Fort Smith, Arkansas—where visitors are greeted at a restored brothel and the reconstructed courtroom and gallows of “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker feature prominently—Maher warns that creating a popular tourist narrative and disconnecting cultural heritage tourism from history minimizes the devastating consequences of imperialism, racism, and sexism and relegitimizes the privilege bestowed upon white men.

Beyond the Imperial Frontier

Beyond the Imperial Frontier
Author: Vincent O'Malley
Publisher: Bridget Williams Books
Total Pages: 579
Release: 2014-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1927277531

Beyond the Imperial Frontier is an exploration of the different ways Māori and Pākehā ‘fronted’ one another – the zones of contact and encounter – across the nineteenth century. Beginning with a pre-1840 era marked by significant cooperation, Vincent O’Malley details the emergence of a more competitive and conflicted post-Treaty world. As a collected work, these essays also chart the development of a leading New Zealand historian.

Beyond the Ice Wall: Earth's FInal Frontier

Beyond the Ice Wall: Earth's FInal Frontier
Author: Cassiel E. Nox
Publisher: Cassiel E. Nox
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2024-09-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Embark on a thrilling journey to the edge of the world in "Beyond The Ice Wall: Earth's Final Frontier" by Cassiel E. Nox. This captivating narrative transports readers to the frigid expanses of Antarctica, where the towering Ice Wall holds secrets ancient and profound. As humanity's last unexplored domain, the frozen landscape whispers tales of lost civilizations, hidden realms, and scientific mysteries that challenge our understanding of history and reality. Dive into a world where fact and fiction blur, where government conspiracies intertwine with tales of extraterrestrial encounters, and where brave explorers and scientists confront the unknown, seeking answers buried beneath layers of ice and time. "Beyond the Ice Wall" is not just an exploration of geographical frontiers but a voyage into the depths of human curiosity and the mysteries that have captivated imaginations for centuries. With vivid descriptions and a gripping narrative, Cassiel E. Nox invites you to explore a realm of icy wonders, ancient mysteries, and the enigmatic allure of Antarctica's most mysterious feature. Are you ready to challenge the illusions of the Ice Wall and uncover the truths that lie beyond Earth's final frontier? Perfect for fans of speculative fiction and readers fascinated by conspiracy theories and uncharted territories, "Beyond the Ice Wall: Earth's Final Frontier" promises an adventure that defies expectations and expands the boundaries of imagination. Join us on an expedition where the greatest discoveries come from venturing into the unknown.

The Winning of the West: A History of the American Frontiers

The Winning of the West: A History of the American Frontiers
Author: Theodore Roosevelt
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 915
Release: 2023-11-17
Genre: History
ISBN:

The Winning of the West: A History of the American Frontiers by Theodore Roosevelt is a compelling and comprehensive account of the expansion of the American frontier during the 18th and 19th centuries. Roosevelt adeptly intertwines historical facts with his own perspective on the significance of westward expansion, shaping the narrative into a vivid and engaging read. His writing style is both informative and engaging, making this book a valuable resource for those interested in American history. With detailed accounts of key events such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, Roosevelt captures the essence of the frontier experience. Theodore Roosevelt, a former President of the United States, was deeply passionate about American history and the concept of Manifest Destiny. His firsthand knowledge of political and military affairs, as well as his love for the great outdoors, greatly influenced the writing of The Winning of the West. Through this book, Roosevelt aimed to educate and inspire readers about the pioneering spirit that shaped the nation. I highly recommend The Winning of the West to anyone interested in exploring the history of the American frontier in a well-researched and captivating manner. Theodore Roosevelt's authoritative voice and nuanced storytelling make this book a must-read for history buffs and enthusiasts of American literature.