Date of Award

8-8-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

John McMillian

Second Advisor

Jared Poley

Third Advisor

Eliza Martin

Abstract

This thesis examines the 19th century collapse of the bison populations of North America. It discusses three prevalent (and occasionally overlapping) intellectual perspectives regarding the collapse of the bison: 1) the “Native American” perspective, 2) the environmental perspective, and 3) the market perspective. A careful analysis of each school of thought, and the primary and secondary sources upon which they rely, suggest that the collapse of the bison was due to multiple causes. A chief reason that bison nearly went extinct in North America during the 19th century, however, is that the introduction of market capitalism to the Great Plains transformed the environment, and helped incentivize nomadic Native Americans to participate in the bison’s near destruction.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/35866429

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