The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy (The Great Courses, 8552) by Patrick N. Allitt - 2017

Chantilly, Virginia: Teaching Company, 2017. DVD. Twenty-four 30-minute lectures on four As New DVDs in a Fine original case along with an As New 197-page paperback Course Guidebook. No shrink-wrap, otherwise As New. Pristine inside and out. Not from a library. Suitable for gifting.

The legendary people and events we associate with the Wild West - the last stand at the Alamo, the Battle of Little Bighorn, the exploits of Calamity Jane, the hardships of the Oregon Trail - are even more fascinating once the historical realities have been separated from the myths. Designed to shine a light on the American frontier, these 24 lectures are a way for you to experience the grit and grandeur of an epic period in American history. Professor Allitt uncovers new historical angles and perspectives about events and themes ranging from the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Indian Removal Act to the creation America's first national parks. You'll cover more than 200 years of history and the most important events, themes, and ideas that form the backbone of the frontier's reality - and legend. Among these: the Transcontinental Railroad, the idea of Manifest Destiny, the Gold Rush, the Trail of Tears, and (yes) cowboys. You'll also learn how popular culture - novels like Little House on the Prairie, paintings by artists like Frederic Remington, and decades of Western films - can actually clue us in to the intimate details of life for everyday men and women.

Contents:
Lecture 1 Westward the Course of Empire ;
Lecture 2 The West in the Colonial Era ;
Lecture 3 Venturing beyond the Appalachians ;
Lecture 4 Discoveries of Lewis and Clark ;
Lecture 5 The Fur Trade and the Mountain Men ;
Lecture 6 Trail of Tears ;
Lecture 7 Struggles of the Plains Indians ;
Lecture 8 Rebellious Texas and the Alamo ;
Lecture 9 Traveling the Oregon Trail ;
Lecture 10 Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War ;
Lecture 11 The California Gold Rush ;
Lecture 12 Bleeding Kansas and Civil War in the West ;
Lecture 13 Building the Transcontinental Railroads ;
Lecture 14 Cowboys and Cattle Drives ;
Lecture 15 Homesteaders on the Plains ;
Lecture 16 Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee ;
Lecture 17 Life in Western Towns and Cities ;
Lecture 18 John Wesley Powell and the Desert Southwest ;
Lecture 19 Women in the Wild West ;
Lecture 20 From Territories to Western States ;
Lecture 21 Western Violence, Law, and Order ;
Lecture 22 Protecting Yellowstone and Yosemite ;
Lecture 23 Mythology of the American West ;
Lecture 24 Winning the West?