Lesson 1
Bugeaters and Ax Murders
Overview:
The year 1890 saw the tragic Battle of Wounded Knee, and a new phenomenon occurred in the state of Nebraska - the first football game was played at the University of Nebraska. Articles were written in the student newspaper that Nebraska had to have a football team if it wanted to be considered a "real" college. After all, the "real" colleges such as Harvard and Princeton were already playing football.Life on the plains of Nebraska in the 1880s and 1890s was very difficult. Self-reliance, hard work, and physical and mental toughness enabled settlers to survive the droughts, economic depression, grasshoppers, and blizzards. The first Nebraska football players shared these same qualities. Toughness was a quality valued by Nebraskans, and they could identify with the football players. Bugeaters seemed an appropriate title for the Nebraska team.
The composition of the early Nebraska teams also reflected the inhabitants of the state. The early teams consisted of Germans, Irish, Czechs, African Americans, etc. George Flippin, an African American, was elected captain by his teammates, yet he faced discrimination from the coach and certain elements of the community at large.
Objectives
1. To identify the values shared by Nebraska pioneers in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
2. Analyze how racial issues faced by the Nebraska football team reflect societal prejudices.
3. Discuss the influence of the Klu-Klux Klan and anti-Catholic sentiment in Nebraska during the 1920's.
1. What traits of a good football team are also idealized as traits for Nebraskans?
2. Willa Cather identified what parallels between the Nebraska football team and literature?
3. What traits did immigrants to Nebraska value?
4. What do the titles "ax murders" and "bugeaters" suggest about the traits of early Nebraska football players?
Post-viewing Video Questions
1. Identify one or more stories written by Willa Cather and discuss traits her characters possess that exemplify values held by Nebraska's football team in the late 19th and early 20th century?
2. Evaluate the prejudices encountered by George Flippin in the 1890s with treatment received by the African American football players at the University of Nebraska in the 21st century.
3. What is the connection between the term "bugeaters" and conditions on the plains of Nebraska in the late 1800s?
4. Are Nebraska football players characterized today as "ax murders" i.e. tough, violent, crude, and lacking in social skills?
5. How did a state that largely embraced a black football player in the 1890's come to be viewed as a hotbed of anti-Catholocism and Klu-Klux Klan activity in the 1920's?
These activities are offered as suggestions to help you learn more about the material presented in this lesson.
Activity 1: Interview with Nimrod Ross:
Access the interview with Nimrod Ross at the Library of Congress' American Memory web site at: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query
Answer the following questions:
1. Who is Nimrod Ross and what connection does he have to the University of Nebraska football team?
2. When and why did Nimrod Ross move to Lincoln? Did he feel conditions for African Americans were better or worse when he moved to Lincoln than they are today? Why do you think he felt the way he did?
Activity 2: George Flippin, African American football player:
Access the following web sites:
Husker Press Box at: http://www.huskernews.com/texis/scripts
/vnews/newspaper/+/SEC/Husker+History Then access the link to "The Beginning of the Huskers."Biographies:Click here and http://www.unl.edu/alumni/publications/flippin.htm
History at: http://www.huskersnside.com/pdf1/666.pdf
Husker Century. The Events. "Bugeaters and Rattlesnake Boys" at: Click here
Answer the following questions:
1. What made George Flippin unique as a Nebraska football player?
2. Name two ways the team showed their support for George Flippin.
3. Would life as a Nebraska football player be different for George Flippin if he were playing today? Explain.
Activity 3: Analysis of a photograph of a black pioneer family:
Access the following web sites:
Solomon D. Butcher--Photographs of the Nebraska homestead Experience located at: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/thumbs.htm
Husker Century. The Events. "Bugeaters and Rattlesnake Boys" located at: Click here
Answer the following questions:
1. Who was the Shores family?
2. From what geographic area of the country did the family most likely originate? Why would they select Nebraska?
3. What inferences could you make about their reception by other Nebraska pioneering families during the 1880s and 1890s?
Access the National Archives and Records Administration "Photograph Analysis Worksheet" at: http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/photo.html Use the worksheet as a guide to analyze the photograph of the Shores family
Suggested correlations with Nebraska Standards
Activity 1:
Social Studies/History Standard 12.3.17 Analyze documents, records, and data, such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, and historical accounts.
Reading/Writing Standard 12.1 Students will locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information such as using electronic resources such as CD-ROM and online resources.
Activity 2:
Social Studies/History Standard 12.3.18 Students will develop discussion, debate, and persuasive writing skills, focusing on enduring issues and demonstrating how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled, such as; problems of intolerance toward racial, ethnic, and religious groups in American society.
Reading/Writing Standard 12.1.6 Students will read, identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure, elements, and meaning of nonfiction or informational material and provide evidence to support their understanding. They will determine the accuracy and reliability of materials from different sources.
Activity 3:
Social Studies/History Standard 12.3.17 Students will develop skills for historical analysis, such as the ability to analyze documents, records, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, and historical accounts.
Web sites:
Husker Century. The Events. "Bugeaters and Rattlesnake Boys "
Click hereNational Archives and Records Administration. "Photograph Analysis Worksheet." http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/photo.html
Nebraska State Historical Society. "Solomon D. Butcher--Photographs of the Nebraska Homestead Experience." The Shores family. http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/thumbs.htm
Printed Materials:
Babcock, Mike. Go Big Red: The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Nebraska Cornhusker Football. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1998.
Davis, John Kyle. Nebraska Studies. Lincoln:The Nebraska Department of Education, 1983.
Harding, David F. The Mighty Bugeaters: The First Decade of Nebraska Football 1890-1899. Omaha: Nebraska Clothing Co. Press, 1998.
Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University: A History of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
Larsen, Lawrence H. and Cottrell, Barbara J. The Gate City-A History of Omaha. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Limprecht, Hollis, James Denney, and Howard Silber. Go Big Red: The All-Time Story of the Cornhuskers! Omaha: Kratville Publications, 1969.
Nelson, Eric, and Chris Jenson. Huskers Handbook: Stories, Stats, and Stuff About Nebraska Football. Wichita: Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Co., 1996.
Olson, James C. and Naugle, Ronald C. History of Nebraska. 3rd Edition. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Sherwood, James E. Nebraska Football. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.
Ware, Frederick and Gregg McBride. Fifty Years of Football: A Condensed History of the Game at the University of Nebraska. Omaha: Omaha World-Herald, 1940.
Video:
Black Frontier: The Exodusters. Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. Heritage Library Tapes.
