Jeans: a reflection of American valuesLevi Strauss and Jacob Davis did not know they were creating an American heritage when they patented the process of riveting pants on May 20, 1873 , nor could they see the lasting influence of their product before their deaths in the early 1900s (“Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline”). Nevertheless, since their inception, denim jeans have become a symbol of various American sentiments over the years: the romanticization of the American West, the social rebellion of countercultures, and a paradoxical preoccupation with individuality. Denim jeans were born out of necessity in the American West. during the gold rush of the 19th century. The miners found that their pants were not durable enough to withstand the strain of their grueling work. Levi Strauss, owner of a successful San Francisco dry goods store, collaborated with Jacob Davis, a Reno tailor who had discovered how to rivet the pockets of men's pants. The two men patented the process and began selling “overalls” to miners and other hardworking workers (“Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline”). In the 1920s, their overalls, or jeans, were "the best-selling men's work pants in the West" (Gromer). The popularity of jeans spread, spreading to the East with the help of the media. Images of cowboys and other Westerners wearing jeans made jeans a symbol of the independent lifestyle of the American West. The films of Gary Cooper and John Wayne contributed to denim's status as the fabric of the "rugged, individualistic lifestyle" of the "authentic American" (Gromer). Sociologist Fred Davis argues that jeans captured the imagination of many Americans because of the pants' historical "mystique" that emanated from themes of "democracy, middle of paper in clothing and fashion." » Qualitative Sociology 12.4 (1989): 337-355. Academic research completed. Internet. April 21, 2011. Freund, Charles Paul. “The politics of pants.” Rev. of Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon, by James Sullivan. Reason February 2007: 70-71. Academic research completed. Internet. April 21, 2011. Gromer, Cliff. “Levi’s jeans.” Popular Mechanics May 1999: 94-98. Academic research completed. Internet. April 21, 2011. Kramer, Karen Ruoff. "Jeans." Historical Materialism 14.4 (2006): 289-294. Academic research completed. Internet. April 21, 2011. “Levi Strauss & Co. Timeline.” Levi Strauss & Co.- Heritage. Levi Strauss & Co., 2005. The web. April 20, 2011. Sector, Charlotte. “Belarusians wear jeans in silent protest.” ABCNews.com. ABCNews, January 13, 2006. Web. April 21, 2011. “The pants that changed the world.” » Esquire May 2005: 59-66. Academic research completed. Internet. April 21. 2011.