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
Recommended Citation
Williams, Roy, "The Collapse of the Bison: Resolving the Debate." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2023.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/35866429
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