Blood and Thunder

Put yourself in the shoes of a Navajo in the 1840s. Would you side with pro-diplomacy position of Narbona or the pro-war position of Manuelito? Write a persuasive argument convincing others of your decision.

Celebrity is a major theme in Blood and Thunder. How does Kit Carson’s popularity in his time reflect our modern, celebrity-obsessed culture? How is it different?

President James K. Polk seldom makes “best of” lists, but Sides argues that he was possibly the most effective president of all time. What role did Polk play in the settling of the West? Consider his personality and his actions.

What role do women and slaves play in Sides’s narrative? How was ethnicity and gender treated differently in the West than the east? What remained the same?

Are the arguments resembling Manifest Destiny still being used today? Explore a modern example.

James Carleton encouraged Carson to employ a scorched-earth style of war in his fight against the Apache and Navajo. Was this the right decision? At what point do wartime tactics become too brutal?

What role does landscape play in Blood and Thunder? How do various characters perceive it?

How did Kit Carson’s ideas about Indians evolve in Blood and Thunder? What changed his mind?