How Wild Was the West - Essay Example

s How Wild Was the West Problems facing new towns in the West During the Western times whilst new towns were being established, there were many problems facing their inhabitants. These included troubles such as money, climate probabilities and supplies. The environment for new settlers, for example, was harsh and destroyed numerous homes and killed many villagers all along the way. The land that these people lived upon also caused a dilemma as they mainly thrived upon agriculture, and these harsh soil conditions, in actual fact, didn't quite suit their crops. Throughout these times, the state government was still beginning to establish solid grounds upon the hierarchy of its systematic beliefs. During the early periods, these inhabitants resided in unorganized sections of homelands situated in any way in which they wanted. This is considerably factual in the aspect that when white men began to settle in America during these early times, there were no towns at all. These towns in the early settlings of the west obtained a very meager reputation. This is essentially due to the fact that they engrossed many variables of society. These types of citizens included criminals, robbers, thieves and gunslingers. Taking this into consideration, families were tempted away from these areas, making them seem even more desolate. These however, weren't the only problems facing the new settlers. Others included tribulations such as facilities and education. The towns were rushed, unplanned and lacked many of the essential requirements that a newly established town must have in order to prosper and to suit the needs of its people. Education is these areas were also poor as the need for teachers increased as the amount of children requiring education did too. Health and hospitalization was also a grave difficulty when sometimes it seemed that the populations became sick, or caught the wrong diseases, and no apparent reason could be found. All of the problems facing these people were mainly due to the fact that they simply had to start from the very core of their society. When they established their grounds upon which they lived, they merely had nothing but hard, dusty earth which of course took them time to develop the necessary means in which to prosper. Other problems included the lack of resources such as banks, buildings and stores. This is particularly factual when combined with other troubles such as cattle rustling, horse stealing (for which the punishment was hanging), and claim jumping. All of these problems and many more, meant that towns had to simply fend for themselves in times of trouble. Conditions during this era also caused problems when they meant that other means were needed to support their livelihood. This is where the unnecessary problems such as crime and hostility took place. Combined with this, gender imbalance meaning the lack of women in the area, meant a lack of community respect and ordered women into violence, caused racism problems and most notably, economic intolerance upon its entire people. Poverty was also another beneficiary of these troubles as it seemed to be inclined upon producing other troubles such as lack of supplies, bad people and depressive social tensions. Why were these towns so violent and lawless Difficulties and negative circumstances seemed to make the towns in the west become intolerable to live in. Some of the main causes of these problems included drunkenness, in which men would become bored, frustrated and fight upon each other. Together with these people included minorities, who found it hard to live in these distrustful conditions and were often the victims of racism and violence because of their religious practices and beliefs. For example, the Mormons practiced polygamy, and had more than one wife which disconcerted the rest of the majority of the population, which eventually led to this group leaving their community. The legal system incorporated in this time upon these areas also shaped an uncompromised position for its people. Corrupt sheriffs such as Henry Plummer of Bennock, was elected in 1863 was the leader of a gang known as the 'innocents' that were involved in crimes such as local robberies and murders. Eventually, he was convicted and sent to jail to serve time whilst receiving release upon contradictory health grounds. Other problematic reasons for this injustice included the number of law enforcement officers available in these regions, which also increased the amount of crime and lawlessness. Most importantly, misunderstandings upon the people created an exceptionally clash of unendurable attitude among the people. Difference in language, religion, background and attitude made it very complicated for everyone to get along as one. Most people however, were truthful and respectable and didn't really compare to the marginal criminals who were greedy, lazy and caused problems for the rest of the population. These people were prone to take part in gambling, robberies, and most notably, claim jumping. The Johnston county war during the 1870's was probably the most infamous conflict in which their power was mistreated. This was where cattle barons set up large ranches and formed the Wyoming Stock Growers Association which met in Cheyenne each year. These were also known as 'cow towns' which appealed to gunslingers such as Butch Cassidy, Jesse James, Belle Star, Billy the Kid and John Wesley Hardin. These people were also a reason of power being abused in the west in which it has seemed that the crimes that they committed have also been somewhat justified. These portrayals have been seen in novels, films and plays in our most recent times. Guns however, seem to be the cause of the majority of these problems such as mayhem and disorder occurring in these Western towns. They were originally purchased so people could protect themselves, nevertheless, in most cases this was deemed to be untrue. A lot of men did not have it in them to shoot another man, this made robbing banks and committing petty crimes seem even more feasible and obtainable to anyone who would think that they had it in them. Analysis of the part played by vigilantes and women in dealing with the problems of living in early towns of the West In novels and films, most sources claim that the Wild West proclaimed that men and women were known and treated as equally as each other. However, in the household it was mainly men who went out to find sources of money to feed their family in order to protect his wife and relations during such harsh times. This however, doesn't compare to the fact that whilst men were working, women were unnoticeably doing chores such as cleaning, cooking and washing, in order to ensure that their husband arrived home to a clean house and a cooked meal after he had finished a hard days work. Problems such as illness, fatigue and intolerance were also facing the women of this era. It was unlike anything they had experienced before, whereby they had to endure the troubles that would face their children all by themselves whilst their husbands were at work. These problems would also juxtapose with the fact that they would staff hospitals as nurses curing the sick, helping the old, and attempting to make their community a safer place. They would also assist in providing education where needed, whilst together with their aid of hospitalization, they would teach children in schools where education facilities seemed to lack in numbers. The main reason that women were given these responsibilities was due to the fact they had already been trained or nurtured in the tasks at hand. They were compliant in helping, assisting and most importantly, skilled in the art of listening to others speak about their problems which they encountered in their daily lives. Women also used these responsibilities in order to set up social links whereby they would help other women to encounter their problems in a much more sophisticated way. Having noted this, it would be apparent in stating in that the Wild West was full of various types of people, women seeming to be the most responsible and accommodating to their societies. Vigilantes on the other hand, had taken a much more indifferent role in the society of the Wild West. Lynching for example, was by far the most accepted method in resolving disputes and was considerably easier done compared to others. According to historical records, these vigilante groups were also supported by politicians with a high seniority which succeeded any contest encountered. Obvious advantages of these vigilante groups included means in which they proved faster, stronger and quicker in pursuing criminalization and bringing people to justice. However, there were various negative aspects and disadvantages of these groups including the ability to use their power in negative ways in which to boost their reputation among their peers. This was a common occurrence in this time and meant that they would become a lot more feared than those of their counterparts who which they maintained an extensive distance from. Together with this, it was known that to be a vigilante was to be against the law, which meant punishment would be undertaken if they were to be proved guilty. These variables included retributions which were deemed rough and often very violent for their times. It is in these vigilante predicaments that innocent people, such has housewives, crooks and low socio economical regions would find serenity and refuge. Read More