The heroes and villains who won the West

"Custer's Last Charge," painting by Feodor Fuchs. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

From the Alamo to Bull Run, the westward expansion of the United States was a path of conflict, compromise, and sacrifice.

In his book “Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion,” Robert Morgan profiles 10 figures he sees as instrumental in forging the coast-to-coast empire America would become.

Morgan tells Steve Fast about the figures who helped forge the American West, including an overlooked president and a pseudo-hippie.

In part one of the interview Morgan talks about the frontier philosophy of two presidents: Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

In part two of the interview, Morgan talks about one of the most overlooked U.S. presidents and the real Johnny Appleseed:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.