The
Pan-American Exposition, staged in Buffalo, New York, presented
in microcosm all
of the trends, innovations, and attitudes of the
McKinley years. The great and colorful buildings along the Grand
Canal, built
in ersatz Spanish colonial style, symbolized American suzerainty
over the hemisphere. The amazing Electric Tower announced to
the world the nation's technical superiority. In memory of the
late frontier,
there was a wild west show. The subjugation of the American Indian
was evident for all to see in the Indian Village. The now-aged
Apache chief Geronimo was displayed as a side show exhibit -- accompanied
by a U.S. Army guard. The Indian Wars, now just a memory, were
turned into spectacle and mock Indian vs. cavalry skirmishes were
staged three times daily for exposition visitors. |