how the pictures of realities differed from the images of heroic cowboys and grand plains was that yes the west did have lots of grand landscapes and gigantic mountains but it was mainly deserts and plains that were already settled by plain indians. most settlers thought that the west was a place untouched by man and that it was a great opportunity to gain wealth and land. another reality that differed from images was the depiction of the cowboy, popular culture made it seem like the cowboy was a heroic figure but in reality the cowboy was just what the name says, he was a person who watched the cows and made sure they were safe. the cowboy became this image of freedom because of his traits, he was courageous, free and violent this is what made cowboys become popular.


with painters painting pictures and writers making stories of the west displaying it as a vast untouched land that was perfect for settling, people were driven to the west. these beliefs were crushed when people finally came to the west, settling in the west was hard, the weather was harsh and the landscape was harsh. if they lasted long enough to make a house and get settled they would have to deal with indians.

in popular culture cowboys were made into heroes. word of their bravery and freedom was spread and people began to idolize cowboys. in reality, cowboys herded cattle and keep the fields safe, they were courageous at times but they didn't fight off indians and aliens like they are depicted to be doing. it was the lowest paid job of the time and no one wanted to be a cowboy. although vigilanti is awesome(the guy in the picture below)

1. before we studied chapter 15 i actually knew none of what we talked about. while talking about it i learned that when the south lost its slaves, they used convicts in the convict-lease system. what stands out most for the me was the creation 13th amendment. to me this was the most significant change in southern history. with this new freedom it gave rise to lots of organizations such as the freedman's bureau. this organization sought to bring blacks into the society and give them an opportunity to get back on their feet.