Some of Jimmy Stewart's notable Westerns - Destry Rides Again, Bend of the River, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - center on protagonists who are either unable or unwilling to fire a gun. Whether they are ex-gunslingers ready to settle down or educated Eastern folk, they represent a nonviolent civilizing force.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, perhaps the most direct of these films, stands as John Ford's tribute to those who saw the West as a place to build communities instead of lawless territory ripe for personal enrichment.
The film begins with the result of their efforts - the calm western town of Shinbone, which hosts a visit from Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart). The townsfolk, now accustomed to peace and quiet (and apparently ignorant of the region's rambunctious early days), are puzzled by the Senator's arrival. His visit is not official business - it is to eulogize his old friend and rival Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), a man who helped him protect and modernize the town. Following this brief introduction, Ford takes us back to Stoddard's first visit to the town. Despite arriving in a similar fashion, he doesn't even make it to Shinbone without being robbed and assaulted by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Doniphon brings him into town, bloodied and bruised, and Stoddard immediately sets out to improve the town according to his civilized perspective.