The Character of the Oklahomans

Oklahomans
Oklahoma has only been a state in the U.S. since 1907, yet Oklahomans were around well before then. Oklahoma is known as the “sooner” state because settlers had arrived in the territory before it had even been declared part of the United States. In the first half of the 19th century, the region was part of Arkansas Territory. The Native Americans were forced on the Trail of Tears and made to settle in Indian Territory in modern-day Oklahoma. In the latter half of the 19th century, cattle ranchers from Texas drove their cattle through Indian Territory to states up north and out west, paving cattle trails along the way. More and more whites began to settle in the area as a result of these cattle trails and the expansion of the railroad. Then when oil was found, Oklahoma became a major focus for the oil industry and Tulsa became known as the oil capital of the world for a brief time. However, in the 1930s a terrible drought brought pain and suffering to Oklahomans: this was known as the Dust Bowl and it caused many farmers in the state to leave their homes and travel out west. After WWII, Oklahoma became a place where many conservation plans were put into effect: many dams and lakes were created and reservoirs helped to support farming. In 1995, tragedy struck once more as a homegrown terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killed more than 150 people, and Oklahomans again had to show their grit and tenacity in facing disaster. This paper will show how the character of the Oklahomans has been through a lot in the last 100 years—and why, as Helen Keller points out, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Oklahomans have faced several trails. From the early days when they were farming to the middle of the century when they were focusing on conservation to the end of the 20th century when they were dealing with the grief and sorrow of being the victim of a terrorist attack, the people of this state have always found a way to survive and thrive. The Dust Bowl was one of the first times the strength and character of the Oklahomans was really put to the test. The Dust Bowl killed off crops and forced farmers into poverty. Many of them had to escape west just to survive. Their story was even preserved by the American author John Steinbeck in the novel The Grapes of Wrath, which told about the Okies moving to California. Half a million Oklahomans migrated west during the Dust Bowl but they did not find life any easier in California. As History (2009) notes, “Okies faced discrimination, menial labor and pitiable wages upon reaching California. Many of them lived in shantytowns and tents along irrigation ditches. “Okie” soon became a term of disdain used to refer to any poor Dust Bowl migrant, regardless of their state of origin.” Their trials only served to strengthen their character, however, and Steinbeck showed as much in his novel as the main characters are treated heroically for putting up with so much and never losing hope.
With the conservation effort after the war to help save the top soil of the state that experienced so much loss during the Dust Bowl, the Oklahomans again showed their strength of character. They worked hard to build dams and create lakes that would even go to assist their farmers and make sure there would never be another Dust Bowl like the one experienced in the 1930s. The top soil that was blown about through Oklahoman plains was now conserved thanks to the efforts of the Oklahomans in the post-War period (Oklahoma Conservation Commission, 2017).
Oklahomans enjoyed the next few years and the fruits of all their labor. But in the 1990s, tragedy struck when a terrorist attacked downtown Oklahoma City. So many people lost their lives. Family members grieved. President Bill Clinton flew to the city to give a speech. He identified with the Oklahomans and called the attack a “terrible sin [that] took the lives of our American family” (Clinton, 1995). Clinton said that in memory of the people who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City bombing, he had planted a tree at the White House. It was a fitting remembrance for it echoed the conservation efforts of the Oklahomans after the War when they made sure that their people would never again face another crisis like the Dust Bowl. Oklahomans and the White House would make sure together that they would never face another attack like this one.
In conclusion, Oklahomans have developed a great deal of character over the past 100 years. They drove the cattle, farmed the land, weathered the brutal storms of the 1930s and became heroes to some. They formed the face of the Great Depression in some ways—ordinary people experiencing extraordinary loss and suffering. Yet through it all they persevered. They never gave up hope. They came back and kept working the land and making it better. They put in so many dams and lakes that now when it rains, the problem they face is that their cities flood! But the character of Oklahomans is so great that they will surely step up to fix this issue too. These people have experienced loss and tragedy but they are still there, still fighting, and still making a difference in the world just by continuing to live and put one foot in front of the other. That is what makes them special. And as Helen Keller pointed out, it is only through trial and suffering that real success can be achieved. Oklahomans have achieved that success in more ways than one.
References
Clinton, B. (1995). Oklahoma City Memorial Speech. Retrieved from
AmericanRhetoric.com
History. (2009). Dust bowl. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl
Oklahoma Conservation Commission. (2017). Conservation programs. Retrieved from
https://www.ok.gov/conservation/Agency_Divisions/Conservation_Programs_Division/Flood_Control_Programs/index.html