American West

Three ways in which movies have distorted the 19th century American West?

There are so many ways that Hollywood distorts history, since their objective is to make money, do not represent historical facts. You have asked three "Forts" rarely had a wall, a bridge and towers. Fort Davis (Texas), Fort Miles, Fort Wallace, Fort Hayes (Kansas), Fort Lincoln (Dakota), Fort Bowie (Arizona) are typical examples, is simply a collection of buildings with no defensive walls or towers or gates. The buildings are of local materials - newspapers, clods of earth, mud brick or adobe. Conditions, food, medical care and training were extremely poor, disease and desertion rates have been proportionately high. Native Americans were much wilder than Hollywood portrays - at least to any person considered an enemy (Including other indigenous tribes). White women and girls have been captured, brutally beaten, repeatedly raped and treated as slaves being traded from one group to another and worked almost to death. Captured the babies would be dropped, shot or beaten to death, for another useless mouth to feed was considered unnecessary. Enemy wounded and dead would be mutilated in a horrible way to prevent the soul enjoy good time in the afterlife. Revolvers and pistols of all sorts have been almost useless in a fight. A well-documented report by a Texas Ranger said he would rather deal with any white man armed with a pistol in a Comanche armed with a bow and arrows - The arc could be released much faster than a six-shooter and with the goal much better. Gunshot wounds are rarely fatal unless they hit a vital organ, and arrow wounds and brewing the victim would die of blood poisoning (even after an injury Minor, sometimes taking several weeks to die).

GCSE American West 1840-1895 Revision