Importance of the Rifle in the American Culture - Essay Example

Importance of the Rifle in the American Culture In his book “The Rifle”, Gary Paulsen writes about a rifle that was built in the 1700s and follows it throughout the course of history. Basically, he uses the example of a rifle and relates it to the changes that have occurred throughout American history. First he talks about the American Revolution of the eighteenth century when the rifles were created. Then he moves onto the use of these rifles in the American civil war. In the end, he comes to the importance of the rifles in modern day America. Throughout his book, he mentions repeatedly the importance of the rifles to the American history. According to him, the rifle is explicitly intertwined with the American Culture. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the rifle has been an integral part of the American culture. Firstly, the paper explains how the gun industry developed from time to time. Furthermore, it discusses the difficulties faced by the soldiers who used the early guns. Also, it elaborates on how the gunsmiths of America developed and improved the gun structures that led to the invention of more sophisticated fire arms. Early Fire arms Guns have played a vital role in wars and conflicts since the 1600s. (Pike, 2007) Guns were created initially when the Europeans took ‘gun powder’ from the Chinese. The chemicals that later came to be known as the ‘gun powder’ were initially used by the Chinese for fireworks. The gun was created when the Europeans dig a hole in a metallic cylinder and poured some of the powder into it. Bringing the powder close to a fire source created a spark which led to the creation of the first gun (Pike, 2007) Initially the fire arms that were introduced were very heavy. They often consisted of just a long cylinder that used to be carried by many soldiers in a battle field. With these fire arms it was difficult for the soldiers to aim. (Pike, 2007) Moreover, the soldiers could not judge the projectile motion of the fire arms thus making it hard to shoot at a target. The most commonly used fire arms at that time were the Cannons. Cannons were used because they could be used mainly because they could be used to penetrate the cities that had high walls. (Pike, 2007). As time passed, the need for more portable and accurate weapons grew. In the 1600s gunsmiths throughout Europe tried to concentrate on lighter and more accurate fire arms. (Pike) Experiments carried out by the gun smiths of America led to the creation of guns that could be easily used and carried. Also, these guns could be easily used to shoot at the target. With time, the quality of the guns improved as far as the targets and the reloading was concerned. Eventually, the invention of the new and developed guns, especially the rifle, became very important for the people of America and hence the American tradition. Importance of guns and rifles to the American culture Whatever the American country today is is due to the fact that guns and rifles were developed by the people of America when they were needed most. A large contribution of the present state of America goes to the gunsmiths of the past and the present. Due to these gunsmiths guns and rifles were created that helped the people of America in many ways. Firstly, the guns proved to be of help as they provided protection to the household. For example, the presence of a gun in the house meant that it could be used to stop burglars from stealing belongings. This gave increased protection and a sense of security to the people residing in a community. Guns and rifles could also be used for other purposes. For instance, in ‘The Rifle’ Cornish Mcmanus finished his apprenticeship in gun smithing and created guns that he sold later to get married. (Paulsen, 1995) Hence the creation of the guns also proved to be a source of income for the gunsmiths. It led to the opening of a new occupation that could be adopted by the people and since guns were in demand these gunsmiths had a bright future. However, the gunsmiths needed to be trained well before they could start practicing. The training process was very long and hence there were very few gun smiths in America at the time of the great American Revolution. Usually, it would take months to just repair some of the weapons. (Wilkinson, 2008). The scarcity of the gunsmiths at the time of the great revolution was felt and more emphasis was put on gunsmithing in America. Gunsmithing also became increasingly popular because through experimentation on the part of gunsmiths new weapons could be created. At a time when it was particularly difficult to win a war enhanced weapons could alter the situation of the wars. According to Paulsen the rifles and guns and more importantly the tactics that were used by the soldiers in that era shaped the outcomes of the war.(1995) The main weapons that were used in the American Revolution were the muzzleloading flintlock musket and cannons. (Wilkinson, 2008) The soldiers had to stand in rows to shoot. At the same time they had to clean the muskets because the muskets used to have black powder which needed to be cleaned in order to proceed. In order to speed up the process of reloading the army also used paper cartridges that were easy to open up with the use of the teeth. Although the soldiers could load no more than three bullets a minute, yet this tactic proved to be fruitful in a war where everything had to be done quickly. (Wilkinson, 2008) Initially the soldiers had to be careful about where they were supposed to be shooting however with time and a lot of practice and also with much advancement in the fire arms industry the shoot became more precise and the lighter guns were introduced. But that was many years after the American Revolution. Although the soldiers at the time of the American Revolution had developed tactics for the easy use of the initial weapons, the muskets and the flintlock were very difficult to use. To load the musket the soldier had to take a cartridge from the cartridge box. Then he had to remove the end of the cartridge so as to expose the powder. Consequently he had to drop the cartridge into the barrel, and return the rammer before aiming at the enemy. This process took a lot of time and so there was a need for weapons that could easily be loaded and used. The short comings of the earlier guns in the wars led to experimentation by the gunsmiths. Various lighter guns were created that were easy to carry and proved to be very useful. The range of the shoot and the penetrating power were the two things that were improved gradually. The gunsmith’s testing of the guns ultimately led to the invention of the rifles. Rifles were weapons that proved to be very important in the wars during the American Revolution. The reason was that rifles had longer barrels. These barrels could be used to aim easily. Also since the design of the barrels and the bullets were pointed and narrow, it ensured that the shoot was accurate. It was due to the invention of the rifles that the soldiers could aim at a target precisely and hence the rifle played an important role in the independence of America. The rifle in this period sort of intertwined with the American Culture as it led to the victory of the people in the American Revolution. The victory in the American Revolution further motivated the gun smiths of America to concentrate on new designs of guns and rifles. During the earlier years the supply of the guns was limited because a lot of time was to be spent on the creation of the gun and the guns smiths were few. Later however, as the areas rich in iron core were discovered the number of gun smiths grew. (Pike, 2007) The discovery of the basic natural resource needed for the creation attracted many people into this occupation. As a result there were many more advancements in the gun industry. For example some of the designs created at that time were so sophisticated that they still remain to be used for sports activities. (Pike, 2007) This phase was an important one for the Americans because the enhanced gun industry became an identity for the people of America at that time. Even to this day, the gun industry remains representative of the American tradition. Today the guns present are very different from the guns that were used at the time of the American Revolution. The guns that are present today are very beautiful prized and also deadly. (Paulsen, 1995) Due to many enhancements much sophisticated technology is used in warfare at present. For example, usually tanks and planes are used to kill the enemy. However, despite the sophisticated technology, the American rifle and the guns still play an important role in the wars. The importance of the guns and rifles in the world today where the technology is so improved again reiterates the importance of the American gunsmiths who are responsible for these advancements. Conclusion To conclude, the rifle and the guns throughout history have proved to be an integral part of the American Culture. The American gunsmiths were the ones who transformed the bulky and heavy muskets that were initially introduced to America into weapons that were more useful and precise. Had the American gunsmiths not taken any interest in the developments of the guns, the gun industry would not have been as developed as it is today. The fire arms industry today owes a lot to the gunsmiths of America at the time of the American Revolution. Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. The Complete Idiot?s Guide to the American Revolution. Penguin Group, 1999. Print. Colby, C.B. A Colby Book about Revolutionary War Weapons. New York: Coward, McCann and Gheogenan,1963, Print Paulsen, Gary. The Rifle. San Diego: Harcount Brace and Company, 1995. Print. Pike, John. "Rifle History." Www.globalsecurity.org. 9 Oct. 2007. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. . Wilkinson, Norman B. Portal State Pennsylvania and Museum Commission, 10 Sept. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. . Read More