History
477
Devine
Spring
2013
Buffalo Bill Study Questions
Reading Assignment
Introduction,
Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 (only pp. 123-141), Chapter 5, Chapter 6 (only
pp. 221-236), Conclusion
- Why did
Buffalo Bill become a famous celebrity?
What elements did he combine to create a successful show?
- At the
peak of his fame, was “Buffalo Bill” a real person or a social
construct?
- Kasson
says Buffalo Bill’s audiences wanted to see the “real thing” yet knew the shows were
fictional. How can we explain this
paradox? How did audiences define
“real” (or “authentic”)? What is it
that they really wanted to see?
- How did
the advertisement programs for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show reflect this
blend of the real and the imagined?
- How did
Frederick Jackson Turner’s view of the West differ from that disseminated
by Buffalo Bill’s shows? In what
ways were they similar?
- How might
Buffalo Bill’s shows have influenced Teddy Roosevelt?
- Why was
the Custer “historical re-enactment” so successful?
- How did
Buffalo Bill’s show have to change as the real “wild west” slipped into
history?
- How was
Buffalo Bill’s experience with being a “celebrity” similar to those of
today’s celebrities?
- How did
Bill Cody try to create a public image of himself as frontier scout,
showman, and successful businessman?
Did he succeed?
- Why did
Indians join up with Buffalo Bill?
How did they interpret their own performances?
- How did
promoters portray the Indian performers?
Why?
- In what
ways were “memory” and “modernity” in tension? In what ways did they compliment each
other in Buffalo Bill’s shows?