2014届高考英语一轮复习话题阅读素材47

2014届高考英语一轮复习话题阅读素材47

Texas Cowboy Culture The culture of the western United States, which many consider the epitome of American-ness, is in origin a synthesis of Anglo and Hispanic cultures which was created in Texas the days of the Texas Republic and spread with the herds to what is now the western United States. Major elements of the clothing, food, language and most importantly the cultural values and attitudes derive from Mexican as well as Southern American sources. There were many sources for the population of the western North America but these disparate peoples assimilated the Anglo-Hispanic culture of Texas. Although this culture is perceived as American by the rest of the United States, it is a cousin culture rather than a sibling culture and it is just as much a cousin culture for Mexicans as it is for Americans of the eastern and mid-western United States. The ties of the Texan culture to the culture of the southern United States, particularly that of the Scot-Irish of the southern Appalachians, are closer than those to the rest of the United States.

Texas Cowboys: Cowboys appeared in Texas as a result of the colonization encouraged by Mexico. The cattle and horses introduced by the Spanish explorers had multiplied and were available in great numbers to anyone who could catch them. The Mexican vaquero, Anglo and black cowboy had fully evolved by the end of the Civil War. The combination of land, freedom, horses, and cattle had become the state of mind called Texas. Texas Made Jeans: Jeans were invented by Levi Strauss (not a Texan). They were adopted by cowboys with a couple of modifications. Original jeans had rivets at all the stress points. The rivets in the back pockets were removed to prevent damage to the saddle. Those same rivets are hell on the hood of your pick-up too. It's a good idea to inspect cowgirls' jeans before you let them sit on your hood. The crotch rivet was removed as a result of discomfort while squatting near a campfire.

The Six Gun: The six-shot revolver hand gun had a specifically Texas origin. The Texans had found that single shot long guns were not effective defense against the hostile tribes of Texas. Very soon in the conflict the native tribes learned that once a settler had fired his single shot they could attack firing a multitude of arrows while the settler was reloading. The repeating fire was essential for the survival of settlers in small numbers. The hand gun was handier in the close combat the settlers faced.

The Colt Company of New Jersey manufactured a five-shot revolver. Some of these handguns were provided to the Texas Rangers. They were pleased with them but Sam Walker of the Texas Rangers felt they could be made even better. Walker is said to visited Colt in New Jersey and suggested a number of modifications: increase the number of shots from five to six; provide a trigger guard to prevent inadvertent firing; eliminate the separation of parts  when the gun was reloaded to prevent accidental loss of parts; increase the weight of the gun so it would function more effectively as a club when all the shorts were fired. These suggestions were adopted and the Texas Rangers made the Colt six shooter its official hand gun in 1847.