1893, When Frederick Jackson Turner Gave His Thesis

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1893, when Frederick Jackson Turner gave his landmark speech "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," it laid the foundation for future discussion relative to the American frontier. After more than one hundred years later, it is still a piece of comparison for new theories. Turner's work was followed by different other famous frontier theories throughout the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. Although few historians would call this thesis pertinent, it still remains the most widely discussed interpretation of the American past. Invoking fascination, criticism and heaps of speculation from viewers, the thesis sheds light on a topic that has, notably in the last decade, stirred flaming controversy. The thesis is a comparison amongst those who view the West's development as a natural outgrowth of the pioneering spirit, and the New Western historians, who see a sad legacy of racism, greed and violence in the horizons of extended western cities.

Historian Richard Etulain has made a sound and sensible overview of Western American culture from frontier times to the present. The author does an admirable job of epitomizing the major historical trends of the past century. He positions each artistic movement in Western history, pointing to cause and effect and always, considering the perspective of women and minority groups. The frontier has long been an important mark of American culture. The thesis questions what exactly does it say about the American culture, and what exactly was the frontier.

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These questions, along with the myth of the frontier, spark attention in the subject of the frontier. Turner's thesis marked the significance the frontier had in shaping the American character. It continues to address the questions of national identity and shared attributes, which can be connected to the frontier. It explores both how the frontier experience can and can not account for the extensive deceptive American character. Apprehension on the frontier really was caused not by the closing of the frontier, but by the perception that the frontier was closing. As early as the 1880s and through the 1930s, many Americans believed a significant era had ended and worried about how this closure would influence society and democracy. The book maintains that individualism, democracy, personal initiative, and a realistic alertness character that Turner saw as typically American, all evolved from successive strife between Euro-Americans and a ruthless wilderness. The thesis also implied that American development was, at root, peculiar in comparison with the evolution of western civilization generally.

The perceived expiration of a uniquely American way of life had an impact not only on the literature of the day but on public policy as well. Frederick Jackson Turner lamented nostalgically about the end of an era dominated by the rugged individualist and westward expansion. Turner's thesis argues that what made Americans matchless and exceptional was the frontier's clear….....

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