Use this pre-formatted Word document to complete your Module Two assignment. You do not have to retype the question. Only provide your response on the document. Complete this assignment using a single Microsoft Word, or a compatible word processor, file with Times New Roman, 12-point font. Save the file to your computer as “yourname_m2_assgn.”

1. Essay – The American West, as portrayed in popular culture (books, paintings, sculpture, and film), often differs greatly from the historical record. Survey the sources linked below. You need not read/view every source, nor read the entirety of each one.
   1. Compare The West in American Popular Culture and Secondary Sources to the story of the West presented in Chapter Sixteen, “The Conquest of the West,” in American History: A Narrative, as well as the selected readings from Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert, in order to craft an essay of no more than 800 words that addresses the ways in which the “mythical West” is similar or dissimilar to the “real West.” You must reference use of at least three different portrayals of the West in popular culture from this page. Thisrubric [PDF] will be used to score your essay assignments (100 points) You may wish to consider the following themes in your essay:
      1. The West as an outlet for rugged individualism.
      2. The cowboy as an iconic hero.
      3. The Indians as impediments to American progress and expansion.