Hello! This is a quick research blog over the actual history of the 1800s. That way, I know what is true from the movies I watch and don't unintentionally spread misinformation.
In 1803, America expanded with the Louisiana purchase. As the century came to an end, people began settling down and the land that was once unfamiliar became home. Around this time, the telegram and trains where invented and perfected, it connected people across the country. Also, Jim Crow Laws became controversial as the abolishment of slavery war rearing near. This brought in millions of immigrates and increase a demand for labor.
Housing ranged from country side to cites. Cities aren't common in the western genre though, so I'll focus on rural living. Urban areas where also uncommon back then, but expanded quickly. Many settlers flocked to the plains, due to the Homestead Act, but most were forced into debt and migration because of drought. They arranged themselves into Granges and Farmers' Alliances, which fought poor economic conditions and even founded the short-lived Populist Party in 1892. Life as a homesteader in the 1800s was hard and unkind. There was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and no modern medicine. Farming, cooking, and surviving required manual labor. They grew or hunted their own food, made their own clothes, and huddled on winters with little food. I found a video that show how self sufficient people had to be back then.
Hygiene was bad, diseases were a common feature, and medical care was rare; consequently, there was a very high rate of child mortality and a low life expectancy. Hardships included lack of food, extreme weather conditions, and wild animals. Self-sufficiency and resilience characterized rural life, but it isn't at all how the western genre romanticizes it. From what I've seen, the wild west has always been a symbol for strength, independence, and moral righteousness. Maybe this romanticism is the right thing to do though. I mean if viewers wanted to watch a western, they'd want to see a man on his horse shooting his gun and saving the town. Not a mother struggling to help her children survive winter. This research was definitely eye opening, I'm considering trying in incorporate this into my video opening. Maybe having the protagonist's struggle find food or overcome sickness be a part of the plot.
That being said, here is a list of things I want to look into should I ever have the time:
- How did people speak back then?
- How did they dress? What where the dress differences between lower and upper classes?
- What were women allowed to do? I know they stayed home and worked, but where they allowed to mount horses? Do dresses even allow for that?
Cites:
https://www.ancestry.com/c/ancestry-blog/what-was-life-like-1800s#:~:text=Daily%20life%20in%20the%2019th,to%20be%20prepared%20for%20conscription.\
https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/blackrights/jimcrow
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/CivilRightsAct1875.htm
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/rural-life-in-late-19th-century/
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