In The Fatal Environment, Richard Slotkin demonstrates how the myth of frontier expansion and subjugation of the Indians helped to justify the course of America’s rise to wealth and power. Using Custer’s Last Stand as a metaphor for what Americans feared might happen if the frontier should be closed and the "savage" element be permitted to dominate the "civilized," Slotkin shows the emergence by 1890 of a myth redefined to help Americans respond to the confusion and strife of industrialization and imperial expansion.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Slotkin begins by elaborating on the themes of the previous study, specifically showing how the mythic Indian fighter, who defined sectional interests in the decades prior to the Civil War, evolved into the frontier aristocrat, who not only possesses the virtues of the "leatherstocking" hero but also demonstrates the ability to lead men in erecting large-scale, technologically complex enterprises. Thus, Slotkin argues, popular imagery concerning the conquest of the West was made to reflect the interests of post-Civil War industrialized capitalism.
Custer's Last Stand epitomizes the transformation of the frontier hero from warrior to robber baron. In the book's most vivid chapter, Slotkin shows how the popular press turned the Boy General's defeat into a call not only for the destruction of the Plains Indians but for social controls over the immigrants who formed the emerging, potentially militant, urban proletariat. The Fatal Environment makes a compelling case that the culture of cowboy capitalism was steeped in the suppression of class conflict. --John M. Anderson
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 5.50
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. 8vo, card covers, 656pp. A SEALED and IMMACULATE copy. Seller Inventory # ATLRSMotFAI
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think080613030X
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover080613030X
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 080613030X-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-080613030X-new
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_080613030X
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.5. Seller Inventory # Q-080613030X
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.5. Seller Inventory # Q-080613030x
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard080613030X
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon080613030X