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

 

 

  1. Why did Buffalo Bill become a famous celebrity?  What elements did he combine to create a successful show?

 

  1. At the peak of his fame, was “Buffalo Bill” a real person or a social construct? 

 

  1. 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?

 

  1. How did the advertisement programs for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show reflect this blend of the real and the imagined?

 

  1. 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?

 

  1. How might Buffalo Bill’s shows have influenced Teddy Roosevelt?

 

  1. Why was the Custer “historical re-enactment” so successful?

 

  1. How did Buffalo Bill’s show have to change as the real “wild west” slipped into history?

 

  1. How was Buffalo Bill’s experience with being a “celebrity” similar to those of today’s celebrities?

 

  1. How did Bill Cody try to create a public image of himself as frontier scout, showman, and successful businessman?  Did he succeed?

 

  1. Why did Indians join up with Buffalo Bill?  How did they interpret their own performances? 

 

  1. How did promoters portray the Indian performers?  Why?

 

  1. In what ways were “memory” and “modernity” in tension?  In what ways did they compliment each other in Buffalo Bill’s shows?