Essays, articles, and papers that reflect important events and social movements provide modern citizens and researchers with a clearer understanding of national history. The Significance of The Frontier in American History is a thesis written by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 to address how westward settlement and expansion influenced American identity. The author explored how the nation developed from economic, social, cultural, and political perspectives, improving the lives of thousands of citizens (Turner, 1893). This review aims to discuss why Turner’s theses about the frontier are significant for American history.
The Significance of The Frontier in American History marks the important period of the United States’ expansion to the west coast that continued throughout the nineteenth century. Turner (1893) states that “perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character” (para. 3). Historians also described how the westward frontier resulted in civilization improvement through labor regulations and representative government establishment. The thesis is significant because it emphasizes that manufacturing, road building, and new land acquisition processes were essential for social values formation.
Moreover, Turner’s work outlined the evolution from the colonial period to civilized unions motivated to collaborate by the willingness to expand borders and enrich themselves and the nation. The characteristics, such as individualism, hard work, and striving for freedom, consolidated as vital for American identity and were mostly obtained during the westward settlement (Turner, 1893). The Significance of The Frontier in American History is important because it provides an explanation of national identity origins and that the country’s uniqueness was obtained through expanding the borders. The thesis also explains how frontiers were erased as the United States established the Constitution, and the movement to acquire new lands became the approach to improve its inhabitants’ lives (Turner, 1893). It is a significant aspect because it proves that expanding the borders has valuable social and economic advantages for conquerors and the natives.
Reference
Turner, F. J. (1893). Significance of the frontier in American history.The American Yawp Reader. Web.