Interpreting the New History of the Old West
Don’t Shed a Tear That the 19th-Century Construct of the American West Is Riding off Into the Sunset
Not too long ago, historians of the American West joined their artistic brethren in celebrating what we now think of as the “Old West.” For historians and artists, the “winning of the West” was a glorious achievement that heralded the triumph of “civilization” over “savagery.” Indeed, by the conventional scholarly wisdom and orthodox artistic vision, the vanquishing of Indians and the march of manifest destiny made America great and made Americans special.
In recent decades, however, most historians—and many Americans—have rejected this perspective. Dismantling cherished fables about the Old West and …
