A History of the American Literature, Film and Art

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The American literature, film, and art depict the West as a convenient region whereby people gain land and affluence compared to the lifestyles in the littoral East. Also, the west settlement is perceived as an extension of American democratic ideals and populism compared to the conforming stagnant East. However, a closer look at the West as a historical process indicates that it is an aversion to the purposes and principles of the 1776 American declaration of Independence. The primary reason is that the land belonged to Native Americans and Aboriginals who were perceived to be uncivilized people or "savages." Contrariwise, people such as Stephen Austin and Daniel Boone were identified as heroes fighting the Mexican monolith, when they were, however, persisting in preserving a slave system in a Mexican province, which was contrary to the country's constitution, therefore causing a rebellion. The war between Mexicans and Americans moved towards imperialism. As such, it essential to identify whether the myths that shaped American belief of the West, both contemporary and original, were accurate in defining the existing American core values of Independence, freedom, and opportunity.
Norton et al. (336) explain that the belief that American was expanding westward in the 1840s was divinely ordained, inevitable, and referred to as "manifest destiny" by John O'Sullivan. The American's westward expansion was primarily focused on overspreading the continent apportioned by the Providence of Americans increasing revenues generated annually. Americans had desired to acquire new lands, since the colonists turned their eyes on the West. The region had valuable minerals, fertile soil, and an opportunity for a new beginning or a better life. As a result, ...