Legends shape what we think about how the West was won, and so many movies, along with subsequent media portrayals, tend to solidify those legends in our minds. The West was won by cowboys battling Indians, by John Wayne heroes saving helpless wagon trains, or lone mountain men braving the wilds. It's hard to imagine growing up in the United States without having these powerful images dominating our concepts of western expansion. Follow the Trail, Win the West does not deny these images. Cowboys did fight Indians, heroes may well have saved wagon trains, and courageous mountain men deserved legendary status, but they were far from the dominant forces. The men, women, and children who suffered the hardships of walking west with those wagon trains really led to the winning of the west and settling it. They headed west from the Missouri River along the Mormon Trail and other trails, facing the dangers of trail life, harsh weather, and Native American resisters who were defending the land they had lived on and roamed for centuries. Many of the settlers came from the East in hopes of starting new lives, and many accomplished what they set out to do.
Follow the Trail, Win the West follows Allen Miner, Jr., a young Easterner with a remarkable history, even before leaving home and family at the age of sixteen in search of his own new life. As Allen's new life takes shape and expands, many other characters-family, friends, those who helped him along the way, Native Americans, former slaves, enemies-become part of an increasingly complex story. Just keeping track of the characters as they are introduced and developed may challenge the reader. Many of those whom Allen met, influenced, and was influenced by, were involved in various anti-slavery activities including anti-slavery societies, the underground Railroad, and several freed slave communities. The effect of political questions surrounding slavery, both local and national, on western expansion is one of the main themes of the book. Slavery controversies and the related federal government Land Act of 1820 were critical. I'll leave it at that, and let readers wade through the connections. Many may see parallels with our twenty-first century antagonisms.
