Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of History
First Advisor
David A. Horowitz
Term of Graduation
Summer 1998
Date of Publication
1998
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.) in History
Department
History
Language
English
Subjects
Shoshoni women -- Folklore, Sacagawea -- Legends, Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
DOI
10.15760/etd.3604
Physical Description
1 online resource (140 pages)
Abstract
Sacagawea, the Indian woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition has been one of the most romanticized figures in Western history. Although Sacagawea received little attention following the Corps of Discovery's return to the United States, she was rediscovered by writers associated with the women's suffrage movement at the end of the nineteenth century. The development of the enduring American legend that formed around Sacagawea was an Anglo-American and twentieth century phenomenon. In myth, she was given credit for the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and over time she became its savior and leader.
It is the purpose of this study to review written records of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and works on the Indian woman to trace the evolution of Sacagawea' s myth in the twentieth century. As important as the myth's relationship with the suffrage movement was, it is also important to investigate the role that professional historians, popular writers, and others played in the expansion of the legend. Did historians agree with popular writers' judgement of Sacagawea' s attributes and her contributions to the expedition? What role, if any, did Native American writers play in the formation and spread of the legends? Did governmental agencies participate in the myth's formation or dissemination? How was Sacagawea's myth altered during the latter part of the century after WWII? And most importantly, how did the Sacagawea myth support or :frame the nation's discussion of the conquest of the continent? In examining these questions, one may form a more complete opinion on the role Sacagawea played in America's Western culture.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40709
Recommended Citation
Patten, William Jeffrey, "Sacagawea : The History of a Myth" (1998). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 6460.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.3604
Comments
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