What's so "wild" about the Wild West?

Wild West I think I know where you are going with this question. Today's culture resembles that of the wild west given the following factors; 1. Bank robberies 2.

Stealing horses or cattle, instead of home envasion (?) 3. Gun toting in sight 4. Tting the saloons to drink, get loaded and shoot em' up.5.

Murders Our Culture "We". 1. We have speed limits, but galloping horsed had free reign.2.

We have cells and Internet, they had smoke signals or shooting up in the air.3. We drink from bottled water, they drank from horses trough 4. We eat frozen dinners or go the the resturant.

Although, they had dinner houses, they had to grow or shoot its meals. Thanks, that was fun!.

Not so "wild" any more. During the "wild West" days, most of what is now the western states was not well integrated into American society. Some portions had become states, and others were still territories.

There were still disputes with Amerindians over property ownership, as well as between setlers. As lawyers and judges were few and far between, most disputes that were not easily negotiated were settled by the simple expedient of violence. Also, there was limited organized commerce in any given area, frequently only a saloon, and maybe a general store.

People tended to live with whatever they could produce, or trade with neighbors for. It was considered normal to carry a firearm on your person, not just for dispute resolution, but in case of wild animal attack (or vice versa) crimes were pretty simple: killing a man other than in a fair fight (stealing his horse was included in this in some regions) Stealing (and other forms of fraud) harming a woman or child in towns, disturbing the peace was sometimes added as a minor offense. TheLightWorks's Recommendations The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour: The Frontier Stories: Volume One Amazon List Price: $24.00 Used from: $4.70 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 13 reviews) Westward the Tide Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 6 reviews) The Quick and the Dead Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 9 reviews) Kilkenny Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 6 reviews) Bowdrie's Law Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 4 reviews) The Key-Lock Man Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 3 reviews) Flint Amazon List Price: $4.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 19 reviews) Education of a Wandering Man (A memoir of Louis L'Amour) Used from: $14.999 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 1 reviews) Louis L'amour was one of the more prolific novelists of the "wild west" genre.

Most of it was probably less exciting than the books, but you get the idea. (the particular titles were selected almost randomly) .

Selected wild interpretations of the "Wild" West I think one could come up with some linguistic response that tied the term "wild" to "wilderness". Or, one could employ a literary metaphor that just as the Israelites had to transform themselves from slaves to conquerors by wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the Promised Land, so too Americans had to go through a transformational "wilderness period" in which it converged on its future nationhood. Perhaps the Wild West was the foil for America just as the Biblical desert was for ancient Israel.

I wouldn't want to speculate on America's Mt. Sinai though... :) BUT, I much prefer thinking that the Wild West referred more to the state of civil organization and law. Perhaps I watched too many Westerns as I was growing up.My American history is probably influenced more by Hollywood than by scholarly historians.

I believe that during the 19th Century, which witnessed a great expansion westward, the populated East was ruled by the Constitution and our growing body of laws; but, the West was wild, ruled effectively by the end of a six-shooter or a Winchester. Of course, if my Hollywood education is up to snuff, perhaps "wild" refers more to "Kitty" and the wild antics in "the saloon"? Sources: photo from http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Gunfights2.html .

1 Horse manure in the streets, cheating gamblers in every saloon, and a drunk sherrif that would just as soon watch you get gunned down as intervene for his dollar a day pay.

Horse manure in the streets, cheating gamblers in every saloon, and a drunk sherrif that would just as soon watch you get gunned down as intervene for his dollar a day pay.

3 "Outlaw" is the equivalent of an old west terrorist, or "train robber" - "stagecoach robber" and most of these guys were shot dead in fairly short order. Not as many places to hide...

Outlaw" is the equivalent of an old west terrorist, or "train robber" - "stagecoach robber" and most of these guys were shot dead in fairly short order. Not as many places to hide...

What was the name of the train used by James West of TV's "Wild Wild West" Where can I find the train & where does it go.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.