Research Paper On Annie Oakley

The Legacy and Leadership of Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley’s was one of the first women to shoot a gun for fun, and for a living.

Annie Oakley showed that she was a leader during the time that she showed that she wasn’t a normal, submissive girl, when she first caught the attention of both men and women, at the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, with her spectacular shooting abilities.

Introduction Paragraph:

Annie Oakley’s leadership moment impacted the country by showing women that they could do everything that a man could do, showing women that they could have an interest in men territories, and showing men that not all women were the quiet, acquiescent types, and that some women could better some of the men.

“Annie Oakley is one of the

first images available to the American populace-at-large of what a powerful woman could look like,” (Mary Zeiss Stange, PBS.org/wgbh)

Leadership Moment:
Annie Oakley’s leadership moment was when she first beat a man in his own show… His name was Francis (Frank) Butler.

When she was a young girl, Annie (Phoebe Anne Moses) Oakley, gained an interest in guns and hunting when she found that she had to provide for her family in order to stay with it.

When Annie Oakley was a young girl, in a family of six children, her father died of pneumonia.

When he died, Annie’s mother didn’t have enough money to take care of all the kids, so she sent Annie off to the Darke County Infirmary- The county poorhouse -.

When Annie turned ten, she had the option to be adopted, but she had to be a kind of servant-- She quickly agreed to it.

However, the family turned out to be very abusive (later on in her life, she referred to them as “the wolves”), and this caused Annie to re-evaluate her decisions, then run away, back to the Darke County Infirmary.

Not too long after, Annie Oakley ran away, back to her home, and her mother.

However, when she got back, she found her mother remarried… But, sadly, her husband died- again - and left her to fend for herself and kids.

Annie, not wanting to go back to the Infirmary, or another foster family, had the brilliant idea of hunting and trapping for her

family.
To gain money, she sold to the markets, hotels, and other places.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, Francis (Frank) Butler was performing in his traveling marksman show, with his gun and skills.

Frank was going up against people who thought that they could beat him in a gunshow…

One day, a local hotel owner thought it would be a brilliant idea to schedule Annie into a match with Frank…

Frank, having heard the big excitement over Annie, expected a burly, frightening woman… Instead, he got a small, five foot, fifteen year old girl.

He discarded his underestimates of the girl when she beat him (he missed his 25th shot).

This is when she first showed the signs of being an important woman to learn from.

Annie Oakley displayed the qualities of bravery, daring, slight rebellion, and courage.

She wasn’t afraid to show that she was better than the man that she was going against… She proudly showed that she could best him.

She, aside from showing that she was brave, showed that she knew how to use a gun, and that it was practically her best friend.

Annie Oakley wowed Royalty (Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II [She even shot a cigarette out of Kaiser’s mouth!]), and she impressed the Indian chief, Sitting Bull, enough for him to unofficially “adopt” her, and dub her as “Little Sure Shot (Watanya Cecilla)”

.

Short Term Impact

Annie Oakley made a social impact by entrancing many men and women who were so used to how things have always been.
Men never expected a woman to be so good at doing something that women normally never did.
“She overhears a woman talking, "I wish I could learn to shoot a gun." And Annie goes up to her and says, "I'll teach you."”(Shirl Kasper, Biographer, PBS.org/WGBH)