Looking Back at History: The Old West

Over the past few weeks now I've found myself deeply emerged into the history, literature, and culture of the American Old West. Perhaps it may be because we're in the start of the fall-season here, and I do tend to enjoy the open country much more in this time. It's an area I've always strayed clear of, thinking it to be too old-fashioned and conservative for my tastes. Yet recently I have come to realize that if ever I am to be a history teacher, I should know every aspect of American history, and this section is a very important part of our heritage. With my free time during the days, I've been doing extra research on the internet, movies, games, and books and have become very interested in this Old Western culture. I intend to make several posts to come concerning the American Old West...

The History

The Time period I've been focusing on begins with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and ends with the Civil War of 1865... It's during these 60 years that the primary territory of our country is established. In this study, I can't help but notice an underlying theme of greed for expansion and wealth.

• Louisiana Purchase (1803) President Thomas Jefferson decided it was unwise to allow the French total control of the port of New Orleans and therefore purchased the vast 828,000 square miles from Napoleon Bonaparte. At the time Napoleon was skeptical about the negotiation, yet needed the finances due to his war in Europe. The purchase included the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

• War of 1812 (1812-1815) The United States declared war on the British Empire due to various reasons mostly concerning trade restrictions and the British support of Native Americans. Due to their war with Napoleon, the British maintained a defensive stance in the beginning. Yet in the year 1814, following their defeat of Napoleon, they adopted a more aggressive stance, and won victories over Bladensburg as well as the infamous burning of Washington (which led to the Star-Spangled Banner)... The Americans were able to repeal these attacks at New York and New Orleans, and in 1815 signed the Treaty of Ghent to welcome peaceful relations with the British Empire.

• Trail of Tears (1831-1837) With the Passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, President Andrew Jackson implemented a removal of the Native Americans to the West. His intentions were to open up more territory for white settlers. Indians were thus forced to relocate to present day Oklahoma, where many died en route.

• Oregon Trail (1830-1870) Was a 2000 mile wagon-route stretching east-to-west beginning along the Missouri River and ending in Oregon Country. The expedition was made by many emigrants from the Midwest, looking for a new life and settlement. The journey lasted around four-to-six months, and was extremely tedious. The trail was also used for the California Trail, the Bozeman Trail, and the Mormon Trail. The harsh journey was made by over 400,000 emigrants until 1969 when the Transcontinental railroad was finished.

• Texas Revolution (1835-1836) In 1830 the Mexican government began to grow afraid of the growing number of American settlers in their land, and passed new laws and higher taxes on them. It wasn't long until rebellion and violence broke out, and on October 2, 1835 the Texan Rebels began their war with Mexico. After a hard defeat at the Alamo in San Antonio, the rebels were hungry for revenge and finally won their independence at the battle of San Jacinto.

• Mexican-American War (1846-1848) One of President James K. Polk's biggest goals was a territorial expansion to the Pacific, which meant having Texas annexed as a state, as well as it's surrounding territory. Therefore his plan was put into action with an invasion of New Mexico, California, and other parts of Northern Mexico. The war came to an end when American General Winfield Scott captured Mexico City, leading to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. Mexico was forced to give up much of it's land, and accepted the Rio Grande as their national border.

• California Gold Rush (1848) Following the defeat of Mexico, gold was discovered in California, which lead to over 300,000 migrants to settle in the land. These gold-seekers became known as 49ers, and experienced many hardships on their journey, similar to the Oregon Trail. The effects of the Gold Rush, formed many settlements and cities, such as San Francisco, and eventually allowed California to become a state in 1850.

• Bleeding Kansas (1855-1858) The conflict began with the question of whether Kansas should enter the union as a free-state or a slavery-state. This eventually led a series of violent events within the states between northerners and southerners. Such leading commanders of the proxy war was the the radical abolitionist, John Brown, who felt the only way to achieve freedom for the slaves was through violence. He was eventually hanged in 1859 for his radical actions. The abolitionists were eventually successful and Kansas was admitted as a free-state to the Union shortly before the Battle of Ft. Sumter.

• Dred Scott Decision (1857) The case began when African-American slave, Dred Scott, sued the federal court for his freedom. The US Supreme Court eventually ruled that people of African descent were not protected by the constitution, could never become US citizens, and were quite plainly considered as inferiors. This result of this case became clear to many, that the only way to solve the slave issue was through open-civil war.

• Civil War (1861-1865) After years of tension between the Northern free states and the Southern Slave states, the American Civil War finally kicked off with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. This eventually led to President Abraham Lincoln declaring war on the Confederate South, and leading an invasion to re-unite the Country. The war lasted a good five years, and finally resulted with a Union Victory, preserving the American territory as well as abolishing slavery.

Recently Seen Movies

The Town (B)

This crime-film directed by Ben Affleck truly lived up to it's hype. I decided to watch it on opening night, and was very satisfied with the non-stop action and good story. The story is set in modern day Boston, and tells of a group of bank-robbers who cannot escape from their lifestyle. With this successful film Ben Affleck has established a sub-genre of crime-movies set in Boston. Movies that fall in this category are Mystic River, The Departed, and Affleck's own Gone Baby Gone.

Role Models (B-)

I saw this one and couldn't stop laughing out loud. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott get assigned to community service after various public offenses. They get assigned to a big-brother program that is run by the hilarious Jane Lynch. The movie is full of many other comedic actors and situations, especially the hysterical medieval role-playing sequences.


500 Days of Summer (B)

I caught this one in my hotel-room at Ann Arbor, Michigan and was very intrigued by the non-linear story-telling. The film stars Joseph-Gordon-Levitt as a miserable person in his mid 20s and Zooey Deschanel as the free-spirited new girl in town. Set in the modern day professional world, we see the ups-and-downs of their 500 day relationship, just as the title suggests. The film to me was very reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, yet had lots of unique and creative sequences, good acting, and a great soundtrack!


The Color Purple (B)

One of the few Spielberg films I had not yet seen, I quickly grabbed this one when I saw it at the library. This three hour period piece, tells the story of an African American girl named Celie, played by Whoopi Goldberg, who slowly finds her inner strength. As a young girl, Celie is forced to marry an older man, played by Danny Glover, who treats her like a slave, and separates her from her sister. Through the years Celie becomes extremely submissive, yet finds strength from other characters such as a prominent jazz singer played by Margaret Avery and the strong-willed character of Sofia, played by Oprah Winfrey. The film is truly a masterpiece, with very powerful filming. The defining moment of this film is when Margaret Avery leads a passionate procession into the church.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (B-)

Based on the true story of the memoir written by French journalist, Jean-Dominique Bauby, we witness a man with locked-in syndrome. Unable to move his body at all, Jean-Dominique, played by Mathieu Amalric, must communicate by blinking his eye. In what appears to be a boring synopsis, is artistically filmed by director Julian Schnabel, who truly puts you in Jean-Dominique's state of mind. The film has a very soothing soundtrack, amazing visuals, and an inspiring story.




Gettysburg/Gods & Generals (C+)

Being obsessed with history, I have recently entered a Civil War phase, an era of which I have always overlooked. Both these films are credited as the utmost biggest-scale epics concerning the Civil War. Gettysburg, filmed in 1993, is a 4 hour epic, revolving around the three day battle at Gettysburg and the glorious Pickett Charge. Gods and Generals, filmed in 2003, is a prequel to the film Gettysburg, and focuses on the Battles of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. Both films consist mostly of drawn-out, large-scale battles that truly capture what it was like fighting in the fields of the Civil War.

Regarding Iowa University

About a week ago, I did a game in Iowa City at the University of Iowa. I was looking forward to a trip out west, something I had not done in a long time... Yet I must say that the 6 hour drive through plains and corn fields was extremely boring. When I finally got to Iowa City, I was quite disappointed, with nothing much to see. The hotel we stayed at was in the midst of construction, as well as the whole main strip. The stadium on the other hand was pretty awesome and new, nothing at all like the Big House, yet still quite massive, with a capacity of about 71,000. The set-up with Grant Yoder, was pretty easy and uneventful, minus a local helper who kind of ditched us in the middle of work. Our trucks were in the middle of the tailgate action, and we got to see a first-hand look of the Hawkeye tailgates, full of many pretty Iowa girls... I couldn't help but notice a Chicago-vibe to the city; Cubs, Gyros, and Chicago-styled bars... Other than that though, I must say I was rather bored with the city and perhaps the state of Iowa in general...

Regarding the University of Michigan

Hard to believe, with so much family history in Michigan, this was my first time in Ann Arbor. I was very happy when Sportvision asked me to work the opening game of the season at the University of Michigan. It is the biggest stadium in the country holding a capacity of over 109,000. It also has an amazing football program and legacy. I was very excited to finally get the chance to witness this massive stadium known as "The Big House" with my own eyes...

The drive there was somewhat rushed, late in the evening, following my last day at the BACA. On the way up north on I-69 I stopped in at home, for a quick dinner. I then continued the long drive across the state of Michigan and to Ypsilanti, where the hotel was located. The next morning I met up with Eric Miller, a person I had worked with before. The set-up was slow throughout the first day, yet everything came right back to me...

The town of Ann Arbor was happening, like most college towns are, most notably a European-styled strip of fancy restaurants and pubs... We went to a Brewery on our first day for lunch, and to Jimmy Johns on the second day. I found the people there to be very friendly. Yet Ypsilanti was another story, especially when Eric and I dropped in on a grease pit called Abe's. The diner was located in the ghetto, yet we just wanted to pick up some gyros and be gone. In the back corner of the restaurant, was an extremely angry Navajo person, screaming intense profanities into his phone. For the 15 minutes that we awaited for our food, he did not stop his angry rant into his phone, looking for some kind of a fix. It reminded me of my experiences with random hobos and drunkards on the "L" in Chicago. Very sad to see people at such a low. Yet to be fair, the greasy food at Abe's Diner wasn't half-bad.

On game-day, the site of U of M football came to full magnitude. It began around 9am for us, when we parked in the tailgate fields, and got to walk through the fields of morning drunkenness.. It looked like so much fun, and reminded me of the good-times tailgating at IU.
Yet the best site of the day came when I actually got to walk into the stadium, towards the end of the game and witness the full attendance. That day there was a record-setting attendance of 113,000 people. Never have I witnessed so many people at once, sitting in a giant bowl, which truly deserves it's title of the Big House...

The drive home early Sunday morning, was quite enjoyable, on Highway 12, a country road across Michigan. For nearly 50 miles I took in some good Michigan culture, through small towns, farms, rivers, lakes, and so forth... I'd say it was my first taste of the year of the Fall Season. Tomorrow I set off for Iowa, an 8 hour cross-country drive, which I'm very excited for!

Random Notes

So Last Wednesday I worked my last day at the BACA... After nearly 9 months of work my patience with autism had finally reached its wall. It will be hard to put aside all the hard-work I put in with these children, such as Hillel, Noah, Isaac, Gavin, Nick, Emily, Andrew, and so forth... I will miss them dearly, yet I look at the entire thing as a very valuable experience in moving forward.

The final decision to leave was inspired when Sportvision gave me a call a few weeks ago. They offered me a few games to work this season. At first I thought I might be able to juggle both jobs, doing therapy during the weeks, and football games on the weekend. Yet after a week vacation, I did some hard thinking and realized that I was simply worn out with autism, and ready for the next thing... Teaching! Therefore I put in my notice and used Sportvision as my out...

I just worked a game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a three-day job, including a good drive there and back. Everything came right back to me, as I helped set up cameras, computers, and operate the coloring matte during the game. Of course as usual, we had a few problems here and there setting up, but the entire show was a success, and a fun experience.

So the next big thing for me in the future is teaching... I've thought about pursuing a career in teaching for some time now, and think now is the time to finally go for it. I want to teach History to secondary students, and know it's something I could be very passionate about. Of course getting there won't be easy, and will require going back to school. Yet in the end, I think it's my final road, that all paths lead to...

Philip and Shawna's wedding is about a month away, and I'm very excited for it. I hope to have everything figured out and ready to go by this time, so I won't be stressed, and can relax and have a great time. I know it's going to be an event we'll never forget!

The Fall season is in the air, my favorite time of the year... College football has begun, the NFL season starts this Thursday, and I have already begun to notice leaves changing colors. With this coming fall season, comes a new sensation of change, of hope, and of love, which I welcome dearly!

Time to Turn the Page

"Time to Turn the Page."





These were the exact words that Obama gave on his address to the nation a few nights ago. This statement was concerning our stance in Iraq, which after 7 years has finally reached a dead-end, and the president has decided to take a new approach; the right approach. To provide security and protection for the Iraqi armies instead of an aggressive, combat stance.

Very similar to Vietnam, it was a war that could not be won, where we fight unknown guerrilla and rouge enemies. The sad truth is that we never even belonged there in the first place. It was a giant mistake, by the Bush administration, claiming Iraq was a threat under Saddam Hussien whom they believed possessed weapons of mass destruction. As we all know, no weapons were ever found, and instead we had to change our reasoning for going to war... To secure Iraq from a dangerous dictator, and establish a stable government for the nation... All while pursuing our highest interest, controlling the golden depot of Iraq's oil fields. Well after losing thousands of American lives as well as innocent Iraqi civilians, I think enough blood has been spilled for such an insignificant cause. The simple truth is, that there are far better things we as a nation can put our resources into. And I once again highly commend President Obama for making this bold move!