Borbor Kesselly English 802 Ms.

Partyka Essay 2 To what extent is it wrong to judge history based on modern days perspectives, beliefs, and laws? As a human being, when one envisions the past the person tends to make a snap judgment based on what he/she believes and has been taught by the society in which they have spent most of their lives in. There are many historical events and figures that were accepted in the time of their actions and when read and learned about in present times, we realize that they consist of injustice acts and immorality. William Frederick Cody better known as Buffalo Bill Cody is an American icon known and loved for his killing of Indians in war for his country and more for his Wild West Show and the countless numbers of buffalos he killed, shortening Indian supplies but at the same time, increasing the Americans. Buffalo Bill Cody was praised for his actions and was giving him the idea by society that his actions were best for the country. We must ask the question: does the fact that Cody was living in a society where the killing of Native Americans was a way to serve the country justify his actual killings of the natives? As far as history goes, the taken of ones life is morally incorrect; therefor; the idea that we cannot judge the past by present beliefs does not justify Buffalo Bills murders of Native Americans. In her essay, At the Buffalo Bill Museum, June 1988, Jane Tomkins suggest that it is not so much we cannot learn from history as that we cannot teach history how things should have been (Tomkins 602). This is an affective point but to a certain extent. It is best that we learn from history instead of criticizing it because it simply cannot be change. Experience is the best

teacher and if we are arrogant towards what we feel were cruel and selfish acts of the past, we will never be able to move on. Historical figures and individuals during this period did not share the modern day view of the world; therefor they had different beliefs about morality and how to act during different types of situations. Overtime, laws were made to separate right from wrong and create equality; these laws are what separate past America from modern day America. However, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, Tomkins belief that we cannot judge history from our perspective goes to a certain extent. In this specific case, we are speaking of murderan act which had long been a crime before Codys birth on February 26, 1846. Buffalo Bill is as guilty as Christopher Columbus and his followers for the murder of innocent Native Americans. In his essay The American West and the Burden of Belief, N. Scott Momaday reveals that In 1872, William Frederick Cody was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor in fighting Indians (Momaday 630). Although he is portrayed as an American hero in many texts, when one looks back and examines the actions taking by Buffalo Bill Cody it is easy to find flaws; for example, when Cody hunted and captured buffalos he appeared to be saving them from extinction. In reality, he did it only to later take their lives. One cannot look back and justify the murder of the Native Americans by arguing that they did not think, have laws, and beliefs corresponding to those of present day America. On the other hand, the concept of utilitarianism can be argued the Oxford English Dictionary describes utilitarianism as the doctrine that an action is right insofar as it promotes happiness, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct. Therefor it can be said that Buffalo Bill Cody battled Native Americans and killed buffalos in order to benefit his country and bring happiness to America. Now the question leaves: was his degrading of the Natives justified because it benefited his country? Striping a person of

their rights and taking a life is unjust no matter if it is to benefit others. It is no secret that the Natives were invaded, tricked and treated unfairly by Europeans. Describing George Armstrong Custer experience with the Indians in America, Momaday writes. For the European, who came from a community of congestion and confinement, the West was beyond dreaming; it must have inspired him to formulate an idea of the infinite Above all, it was wild, definitively wild. And it was inhabited by people who were to him altogether alien and inscrutable, who were essentially dangerous and deceptive, often invisible, who were savage and unholyand who were perfectly at home. After the Natives had been on the promise land long before Europeans laid eyes on it, the Europeans decided that they were not people and stripped them of their dignity, killing children, men and women and using others for selfish reasons. Can it be said that we cannot judge this action by our understanding of the world today because we did not live in this time? No matter how one is to look at the situation, (from a 1700s, 1800s, 1900s, 2000s view point) time does not differentiate the idea of this invasion being morally incorrect to the conscious mind. The conscious mind as described by Nicholas Arokiyadoss in his article Basic of Hypnotic Psychology: Conscious and Unconscious minds is the part of you that distinguishes between good and bad, healthy and unhealthy, basically is the part that rationalizes (Arokiyadoss). As a person lives and use their brain, they have a conscious mind which enables one to know right from wrong especially at an older age. As our laws change and the American beliefs spreads into a wider range, our conscious mind has always been there hundreds of years ago and is still here

today. Unless Buffalo Bill was mentally challenged, (which there are no records of) he understood the immorality in his act but continued because of the idea utilitarianism which brought good and satisfaction to his country. It is also necessary that I acknowledge that Buffalo Bill as a child was forced to grow up quickly and begin work that impacted who he became. At a young age, his family moved to Leavenworth, Kansas. Cody left home to herd cattle and work as a driver on a wagon train joined the Pony express (Site), and also scouted for the army after the Civil War gaining his name Buffalo Bill as a hunter. Buffalo Bill was taught how to use weapons and haunt at a young age as it was more acceptable and tradition at this time in American history. This is true that the time was different and as a child, one learns what he/she is taught and is more likely to follow tradition after their alders. It is also true that Cody was a member of the army: but does that justify his murder of an Indians? It seems quite convincing that an army man is only doing his duty when he takes a life of an opposing side. But let us remember Momadays point that the Indians were peacefully at home and showed no act of violence before the Europeans decided to try and conquer the land. Tomkins asked the question [m]ust we throw out all the wonderful qualities that Cody had, the spirit of hope and emulation that he aroused in millions of people, because of the terrible judgment history has passed on the epoch of which he is part (Tomkins 602)? It is not to say that Buffalo Bill should be hated or we should discredit his positive impact because of the negative causes, but instead we should know both sides: the good and bad. It is important that we do not be bias and look at the situation in one light, but know the truths of the other perspective. In order to make millions of Americans happy and serve his country, Buffalo Bill had to take part in immoral acts.

Tomkins reveals that she was unable to maintain the anger she felt towards Buffalo Bill Cody before she stepped foot into the museum and did research. She also reveals that out of everything she learned about him throughout the course of his, she could not point out one action he took part in and tell him it was wrong and he should not have done it. Tompkins believes that you cannot prescribe for someone in Buffalos Bill Position what he should have done (Tompkins 602). It is true that when one thinks thoroughly about Buffalo Bill Codys actions along with the situation and places themselves into his shoes, one cannot simply say that he should not have done that. On the other hand, there are actions of his that a person can examine and clearly notice immoral acts. Because we are living in a modern world does not mean that we cannot judge certain historical figures and events because there are some that no matter what time period they are looked at, the majority of the perspectives will all be the same.

WORK CITED
"A Brief History of William F. Buffalo Bill Cody." NP. The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave True West Magazines Museum of the Year. Web. 29 March 2013. <http://www.buffalobill.org/History Arokiyadoss, Nicholas. " Basics of Hypnotic Psychology: Conscious and Unconscious Minds." (2002): NP. mindrisehypnosis. Web. 29 March 2013. <http://www.mindrisehypnosis.com/basics-of-hypnotic-psychology/>.

Cultural Conversation The Presence of the Past. Stephen Dilks,Ragina Hansen,Matthew Parfitt.Boston,New York, 2013. Oxford English Dictionary.http://www.oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=art&_ searchBtn=Search.29March2013. Tompkins, Jane. At the Buffalo Bill Museum, June 1988. Cultural Conversation The Presence of the Past. Stephen Dilks,Ragina Hansen,Matthew Parfitt.Boston,New York, 2013. 587-603. Print