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Conquering and Populating ‘The Frontiers’ In Texas
In chapter 10 Cary and Sam inform the reader of the process of conquering and populating the frontiers. This was a major issue in Texas between the periods of 1860 to 1920. It is during this period when the state of Texas had a lot of visitors and immigrants coming to look for wealth and better living standards. Therefore these people who came populated this area in unexpected ways. Most of these individuals were attracted by the large space and field which Texas had because most of them came as a way for them to become rangers and herders. Therefore their desire and wish to become herders and rangers were a justifiable course as there was a very large number of cattle, sheep, and goats which needed this. Therefore this paper discusses the period of 1860 to 1920 in the face of the process of conquering and populating frontiers. The paper focuses on three stories which are very crucial in understanding this whole process. These stories are firstly the story of the woman who travels to fort Davis from Austin, the African American young gent who is trying his level best to become a horse rancher and lastly, the Mexican ranger who fights his way into becoming a rancher of many animals (“Settlement Expansion of the Texas Frontier: Causes, Effects & Conflicts | Study.com”).
Emily K. Andrews begins traveling around mid-summer. She is the wife of George Andrews and their home is in Fort Davis. During her journey, she writes to her father, and therefore observing her diary comments and entries we realize that her trip was full of negative issues and therefore it was not a good trip which she could have enjoyed. She seems to come from a family that is well off and she is not used to some things, for example, the wet roof over her is something she is not familiar with. She is also not used to dirt on the floor as it means that the floor at her home is usually cleaned as many times as possible therefore making it remains clean. She is disturbed and talks of the Indians and how they are dirty. She talks of the Indians being ruthless and being very harsh. After realizing this she always kept her eye and made sure that there was nothing that was going wrong (“Frontier Defense in the Civil War | TSLAC”).
It can be said that it is these challenges which she faces that she does not want to trust many people. She is therefore very good at how she does her things and she is smart and brave. She is also very precise in the manner in which she explains the land and the town encountered during her mission. Therefore if more women could read about her story there would have been a better and easier way of dealing and seeing the challenges which ladies or the female gender goes through. She recorded how the other frontier people were welcoming and how it was a very big success of her as she even stopped fearing the Indians and their ability to attack a person. With the fleeing of slaves, there was a large number of people trying their best to make a living with almost everything they had. An example of this group of people is Will Crittenden (“Settlement Expansion of the Texas Frontier: Causes, Effects & Conflicts | Study.com”).
The process of conquering the frontier began during the period of the separation from the union. Texas was one of the states that stated that it could manage itself and indeed it even organized several individuals for its defense against the union so that it could be left strong and standing. During this period the Texas government had the role of getting into a war with the unionists while at the same time having to defend the frontier from the Comanches and their allies. Texas succeeded in the two and this was a sign of their power and ability to do a lot of things or to do multiple activities at once.
Terry’s Texas frontiers was a concept which later emerged and it was made up of nine volunteer companies that came together to act and make everything work for their state. with the companies establishing patrols from Rio Grande to the red river the Indians realized how poorly guarded this area was and therefore they decided and planned to attack. However, with the many failures and successes, the Indians were still a threat and there was a lack of understanding between the Indians and the government, and therefore the Indians took to act through the war while the government decided to prevent them. The frontier organization was the organization that was formed to deal with the Indians from 1864. However, even though Indians were a big problem they were not to be killed. This group was formed by the retired military men and their purpose was to prevent Indians from doing anything harmful or wrong and therefore did not have to kill them (“Frontier Defense in the Civil War | TSLAC”).
The Indians had harmful and evil activities and they desired to get back to the frontier. They even at times planned to steal from the whites. This was noted in august 1864 when about 30 Indians were intercepted when they were trying to steal from the whites. However, they were armed and killed three police officers thus proceeding with their aim of stealing around 50 horses from Stephenville. At this point, the issue was becoming a problem as the military had to fight not only for their lives but to prevent the armed individuals from crossing to the whites and stealing from them (Haynes et al., 301)
The battle of dove creek was very controversial. There was an attack on Kickapoos who were mistaken for Kiowas. They were conducting a peaceful migration from Kansas to Mexico and it was a difficult time not only for the militiamen but also for the Kiowas. The Kiowas were not happy with the attack when they were just passing peacefully and from then they began attacking Texas from Mexico.
This history is very crucial to our understanding of the current relationships between Indians and whites and how this relationship has increased and become better with time. It also informs us of the civil war and how Texas was defeated by the union and therefore had to go back to be in union with the state. Therefore it is an important part of Texas that should be considered very important and worth to be looked into(Haynes et al.,320).
In conclusion by many outsiders coming to Texas and the defeat of the frontiers was possible at later dates. This is very significant to the political conditions of Texas at this point and therefore it reflects how the changes happened and the different ways in which there were efforts to end the many issues and challenges which presented themselves around this period.
Works cited
“Frontier Defense in the Civil War | TSLAC.” Www.tsl.texas.gov, www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/indian/statehood/page4.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2021.
“Settlement Expansion of the Texas Frontier: Causes, Effects & Conflicts | Study.com.” Study.com, 2021, study.com/academy/lesson/settlement-expansion-of-the-texas-frontier-causes-effects-conflicts.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2021.
Haynes, Sam W., and Cary D. Wintz. Major Problems in Texas History. Nelson Education, 2016.
