Cowboy Violence (one-day lesson)

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Overview

In this lesson, students will examine images of cowboys and gunfighters in Western films and dime novels and discuss whether cowboys were really violent. They will read several historical interpretations of cowboy violence. They will begin to distinguish between the dual images of the gentleman cowboy and the gunfighter.

Learning Goals:

  • Students will examine images from popular Western films and read about early Western films and dime novels.
  • Students will discuss the historical question of whether cowboys were truly violent.

DAY ONE

Website Materials:

Additional materials:

  • Clip from a gunfight in a popular Western AND/OR clip from Great Train Robbery at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@field(NUMBER+@band(edmp+2443s1)).

Step 1: 15 minutes: Introduction

a) Show clip from Western AND/OR play "Great Train Robbery" at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@field(NUMBER+@band(edmp+2443s1))

(If can’t screen movies) Hand out “Great Train Robbery” and “Hollywood Westerns” and have students answer questions.

b) Ask students: Were cowboys really violent?

Step 2: 20 minutes: Read documents

Pass out “Violence in the Wild West?” Have students read the document and answer questions.

Step 3: 10 minutes: Discussion

As a whole class, discuss student answers to “Violence in the Wild West?”

  • Do the authors think cowboys were really violent?
  • What are some differences between the cowboys described in these passages and the gunfighters portrayed in the movies?

Homework

Read “Dime Novels” and answer questions. You might want to warn students that the worksheet is hard and that they should read the second passage very carefully and slowly. Be sure to schedule time to discuss student answers the following day.
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