In this lecture, Professor Totten argues against the mythic memory of the West. He contends that large corporations, rather than small homesteads, dominated the West. In addition, it was government investment and subsidies to businesses that fueled western development, rather than a "pull yourself up by your bootstrap" mentality. While government investment helped fuel the transcontinental railroad, western settlement, and higher education, it also led to corruption, genocide, and environmental disasters. The west of American memory was promulgated to reinforce partisan rhetoric and was spread through political parties and popular culture, particularly television and movies. In the end, the myth of the American West left an indelible mark on American perceptions of themselves.

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