How the West was Won: Debunking the Mythology Around Indigeneity and the Making the United States

In this episode, we speak with distinguished professor, Elliott West, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and winner of the Bancroft Prize for his book Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion. We talk about the changing relationship between the United States government and American Indians influence Euro-American lives. We look at the ways westward expansion affected native cultures and freedom as well as their portrayal in American popular culture. We challenge some of the popular mythologies around Native Americans, especially common in Westerns and other popular culture surrounding cowboys. Confronting these issues unveils some of the dehumanizing ideologies, stereotypes, and atrocities experienced by Native Americans. The views expressed are meant to illuminate and unravel these issues.