Episode Guide
The Geography of Hope
Series: The West
A 85-minute history episode from The West, Season 1, Episode 7.
At a Glance
Series Snapshot
Synopsis
Episode Seven of director Stephen Ives' nine-part series on the West chronicles a decade with equal measures of hope and hardship. By 1877, the continent seemed firmly conquered -- whites outnumbered Native Americans 40 to 1, and several seasons of unusually heavy rainfall made it seem as though industrious farmers had actually turned "the Great American desert" into arable farmland. Former slaves, calling themselves "Exodusters," migrated en masse to Kansas amidst refrains about the promised land. But in the early 1880's, economic depression led to increasing tension between differing racial and religious groups. In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration from China for the next ten years. That same year, polygamy was declared a federal crime -- a calculated blow to the powerful Mormon community in Utah. Race riots broke out in California, Wyoming, and Washington state. Native American children were shipped off to eastern boarding schools, forbidden to speak their own tongue, and taught to think and act like whites. In the midst of this shameful era, however, Geography of Hope also catalogues the enduring seductiveness and ever-growing myth of the West by profiling swashbucklers like Teddy Roosevelt and William F. Cody -- better known as Buffalo Bill. Like every period in this colorful history, the decade from 1877-1887 tells a tale of human victory, human cruelty and self-defeat, and surprising flashes of humor and spirit.
Director
Series Binge Profile
Total Content Density: 11 hours 50 minutes (8 episodes)
Intensity Rating: Relaxed Watch - Easy viewing. Perfect for casual watches.
Binge Milestones
1 episode/day: 8 days
3 episodes/day: 3 days
5 episodes/day: 2 days
Episodes (8)
- S01E01 - The People
- S01E02 - Empire upon the Trails
- S01E03 - The Speck of the Future
- S01E04 - Death Runs Riot
- S01E05 - The Grandest Enterprise Under God
- S01E06 - Fight No More Forever
- S01E07 - The Geography of Hope Viewing
- S01E08 - One Sky Above Us
