Discuss the origins of the Myth of the Great American Desert

Respond to Question 1 in 3 pages:

The State of Kansas was borne out of period of conflict which historians call “Bleeding
Kansas.” Discuss the major issues and types of conflict that characterized the era. What
brought the fighting in the 1850s to an end? How did various groups in Kansas fare?

Respond to Question 2 in 3 pages:

Discuss the origins of the Myth of the Great American Desert. How and why did this myth
become entrenched in American culture? What efforts did publicists undertake to reverse this
negative image of Kansas?

Use these books for parenthetical citations:

Kansas: A Land of Contrasts by Robert Richmond,
Sod and Stubble (Recent Edition from University Press of Kansas) by John Ise,
Dust Bowl by Donald Worster

*Question 1 should be written separately from Question 2