Contested Plains, Ch. 1-7
Where does West stand on the Turner frontier thesis?
What’s the purpose of his lengthy description of 20K years of history of the plains?
What key factor shaped success of early Indian settlement and existence in the Plains?
What did the Spanish see or imagine when they thought about the Plains?
In ways did the Spanish and French, directly and indirectly, help transform the Plains?
What were the 2 primary agents of change in the Plains brought by Euros?
What key goods transformed the region? Why?
How specifically did these two items change the Plains?
How did the Cheyenne life change with arrival of white traders?
What events in mid 19th century combined to harm or undermine Cheyenne?
What explains the timing of the Gold Rush in Colorado?
How did the Gold Rush affect how Americans perceived or imagined the Plains and the Rockies?
What role did guidebooks and promotional lit play in shaping people’s understanding of the Plains?