The Significance Of The Frontier In American History
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In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner presented his landmark paper, The Significance of the Frontier in American History to the American Historical Association. Turner's thesis that the availability of land that could be acquired by anyone willing to work it explains how America developed is a landmark idea in explaining the USA. There is much to be said in favor of his ideas. From the moment that colonies were established by the European powers on the East Coast until the frontier was declared closed in the late 19th century, hardy people migrated westward. There was a natural progression of the early hunters & trappers followed by people who planted some crops but still relied primarily on what they could kill or capture to those who constructed farms. The 1st two groups were transient. The last group was permanent. It was they who established the communities with schools, churches & commerce.
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This book starts with an explanation of Turner's classic paper, which is followed by the text that he delivered. While some of what he says in the paper is still controversial, it remains one of the most significant examinations of the forces that drove the development of the USA. It is a paper that is must reading for anyone studying the history of the USA before the frontier vanished at the start of the 20th century.
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