The West Transformed

The myth of the American West is that of a land of opportunities populated by rugged individuals determined to tame the wilderness.  Parts of this myth are true.  Cowhands roamed the range, spending their hard earned money on drinks and entertainment in towns at the end of cattle trails.  Settlers and immigrants from the East traveled to the West seeking wealth and prosperity.  These men and women settled the land while enduring great hardships on the plains.  Miners also moved west looking to strike it rich.  And railroads were built through difficult labor, carrying goods and people West and resources back East.  These railroads transformed the economy of the West and of the entire nation.

 

Your task is to recreate the diary of one of three individuals who traveled to the West for a new opportunity.  You will put yourself into the shoes of a homesteader, railroad worker, or a cowboy.  For that individual, you will create a diary of at least three entries, each entry containing one paragraph detailing the positives and one paragraph detailing the negatives of your life in the West.  You will include descriptions of challenges you faced, opportunities presented to you, and the impact of moving to the west on your life.  You must also include detailed descriptions of every aspect of your life including where you live, what the landscape is like, and the weather. Each entry must contain at least 5 paragraphs and must use details about your life at that time.

To earn additional credit you may complete a diary for another or do all three.

This is the process you must follow to successfully complete this assignment:

 

This assignment will be completed during class over the course of three days.  If you are unable to complete the assignment in the time given, it is your responsibility to complete it outside of class.  

 The information and details presented in your journal entries will come from what you have learned so far in your studies of the West and from the internet links from on the bottom of this page.   Requirements:

• You will create three separate Journals/Diaries for the three types of people listed in the Task: Homesteader, Railroad Worker, and Cowboy
• The diaries will be typed in Microsoft Word and must include a title (Journal of _______________) and dates that you are making the entries. Remember to save your journal entries on you Buffalo schools account.
•  Each journal/diary will contain a minimum of three entries
• Each entry will be at least 3 paragraphs of five sentences in length
•  Entries must include information such as: where you live, experiences in the West, descriptions of the environment and climate, and more
• Be creative
   

The due date for your journal/diary is Wednesday, 12/17.  Five points will be deducted per day late.  The assignment will not be accepted after one week.  

Your final work will be graded based on the rubric found on the Evaluation page. Resources:

Cowboys

 

http://www.truecowboy.com/history.php

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy

 

http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Cowhand.htm

 

http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/cowboys/essays/front_life2.htm

 

http://texasescapes.com/DEPARTMENTS/Guest_Columnists/Times_past/LifeOnTheTrail.htm

 

 

Railroad Worker

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad#Laborers

 

http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html

 

http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/cowboys/essays/front_life2.htm

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/sfeature/sf_map.html

 

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/goldenspike.htm

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/peopleevents/index.html

 

 

Homesteader

 

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/index.html

 

http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.gen.040

 

http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/pioneer-and-frontier-life.htm

 

http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/cowboys/essays/front_life2.htm

 

http://www.campsilos.org/mod2/students/life4.shtml

 

http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/sodhouse/more.html

Your grade will be based on the following rubric and will be score out of twenty points.  The assignment will count as a test grade toward this Chapter.

 

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Organization	The diary is very well organized. Each entry includes a date. One entry follows another in a logical sequence.	The diary is pretty well organized. Some entries include dates. One entry may seem out of place.	The diary is a little hard to follow. A few of the entries include dates.	Entries seem to be randomly arranged. None of the entries include dates.
Accuracy of Facts	All facts presented in the diary are accurate.	Almost all facts presented in the diary are accurate.	Most facts presented in the diary are accurate (at least 70%).	There are several factual errors in the diary.
Focus on Assigned Topic	The entire diary is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.	Most of the diary is related to the assigned topic. The diary wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.	Some of the diary is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.	No attempt has been made to relate thediaryto the assigned topic.
Creativity	The diary contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his/her imagination.	The diary contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his/her imagination.	The diary contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his/her imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Requirements	The diary includes nine entries, three entries per topic. Each entry is at least five sentences long.	Almost all (about 90%) the written requirements were met.	Most (about 75%) of the written requirements were met, but several were not.	Many requirements were not met.

 

    After completing your diary entries, you should now have a richer understanding about the challenges that individuals faced as our country grew westward.  Over the past two centuries, millions of Americans have moved west in a search for prosperity.  If it were not for these Americans that came before us, our country would not be as prosperous as it is today.  But also keep in mind that our prosperity did come with a price.  As you have studied in class, the ways of life of the Native Americans living in the West was forever changed by Westward expansion.  We must be aware that as we move forward, our actions always have consequences, sometimes unintended.