Cheap The West, Vol. 02: Empire Upon the Trails (Video) (Stephen Ives) Price

The second fascinating installment of The West chronicles the many migrations that forged America's manifest destiny in the expanding frontier. Beginning with the early 1800s, the 84-minute episode focuses on selected individuals to represent the larger context of this history. In Joe Meek, we find the experience of a legendary mountain man pursuing the short-lived fur trade in the uncharted Rocky Mountains. Following the bloody siege of the Alamo, "Tejas" becomes Texas when Sam Houston creates a new republic and defeats Mexican general Santa Ana at 1836's Battle of San Jacinto. Missionary Narcissa Whitman travels west on a misguided mission to "save" the Indian tribes that neither need or want such tragically self-righteous salvation. And the Sager family of Virginia nearly destroys itself on the rugged Oregon Trail, in a compelling story that no fictional Western could improve upon.

Also covered here: The terrible Trail of Tears made by 90,000 Cherokee, who were forced out of their native Missouri as white civilization pushed west; the Mexican-American War; and Brigham Young and the Utah settlement of the Mormon Church. With startling clarity and narrative momentum, this video simultaneously captures the breathless glory and horrible, bloody cost of westward expansion. The spirit of adventure rolls toward the Pacific along with the brutal arrogance of wanton "entitlement" to the wild frontier. Finally, the discovery of gold in California leads to episode 3: now conquered, the West will soon explode in an unparalleled burst of feverish growth. --Jeff Shannon

CATEGORY:	Video
DIRECTOR:	Stephen Ives
THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE:	1996
MANUFACTURER:	Pbs Home Video
MPAA RATING:	NR (Not Rated)
FEATURES:	Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
TYPE:	Documentary, Movie, Westerns
MEDIA:	VHS Tape
# OF MEDIA:	1
UPC:	794054333930