ipl-logo

Frederick Jackson Turner's Impact On American Character And Culture

492 Words2 Pages

Frederick Jackson Turner was an American historian who argued that the frontier played a decisive role in shaping the American character and culture. Among the many effects of the frontier experience, Turner attributed one significant effect to
American culture: rugged individualism. According to Turner, the frontier created a culture that emphasized self-reliance and independence. The challenging conditions of the frontier forced people to depend on themselves and their own resources, which led to a sense of self- reliance and rugged individualism in
American culture. The frontier experience also fostered a sense of democracy and egalitarianism, as social class distinctions were less relevant in a frontier environment. This sense …show more content…

As the frontier closed, land became scarcer, and the demand for resources increased. This spurred innovation and technology, leading to the rise of industries such as steel, oil, and manufacturing. Urbanization and the growth of cities increased, creating new job opportunities and attracting workers from rural areas. However, this also created new challenges, such as labor disputes, environmental issues, and urban poverty. It also led to the displacement of indigenous people and their way of life, which is another negative impact of the frontier's closing. Overall, the closing of the frontier was a turning point in
American history, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. By transforming the economy and society, it laid the groundwork for the United
States to become the global superpower it is today.During the period between 1865 and 1898, one additional factor that shaped American culture and character was the westward expansion and settlement of the frontier. The promise of land, opportunities for economic growth, and the idea of Manifest Destiny drove
Americans to venture beyond the Mississippi River and into the

Show More
Related

Western Frontier Individualism

181 Words | 1 Pages

In my opinion and based on readings I think that the western frontier fostered values of American democracy and individualism. Moving west allowed settlers and even immigrants the opportunity to make a new life for them and their families. The “Gold Rush” and mining for other precious metals such as silver, copper, lead and iron brought many people west to explore and find riches. Many cities such as Virginia City, Nevada were industrialized and colonized by those who wanted to find riches in those precious metals. Many of these settlers were immigrants, it is noted that the Utah Territory, that eventually became known as Nevada, had about 30 percent of people settling that were from outside the United States, compared to 25 percent in New

Read More

Summary Of David Potter's People Of Plenty

1315 Words | 6 Pages

Turner credits the frontier with American nationalism, individualism, and democracy, but while Potter agrees with these attributes, he questions whether the disappearance of a frontier would make these traits less American. As Potter writes, “Turner did not recognize that the attraction of the frontier was simply as the most accessible form of abundance,” one that had since been replaced with other frontiers, like industrialization, and other means of defining prosperity,

Read More

Frederick Jackson Turner The Frontier In American History Summary

187 Words | 1 Pages

He describes the historical phenomenon as the creator of American history and of Americans. Rid of England's rule and created into a new character of Americanization, Turner believes that the frontier influenced social evolution, democracy, and individualism. However, other critics argue that the frontier was not

Read More

The Trans-Mississippi West

784 Words | 4 Pages

The people who settled the west were greatly dependent on the US government and the policies they adopted. The settling of the west in the late 19th century was similar to the settlement of the south in the 1830’s. Andrew Jackson drove out the indians so that the valuable land of the south could be secured by white settlers. Once again, the federal government made it possible to settle the west by forcing indians off of their lands. A recurring theme in American history is manifest destiny and the attempt to develop unsettled lands by the federal government.

Read More

Late Nineteenth Century: Contrast To The American West

842 Words | 4 Pages

The contrasts between the American West and East in the nineteenth century range from a new start to the adventure of the living in the Wild West. The east had become overcrowded and did not allow much opportunity for people of lesser wealth. “In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a celebrated lecture, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” in which he argued that on the western frontier the distinctive qualities of American culture were forged: individual freedom, political democracy, and economic mobility. The West, he added, acted as a “safety

Read More

Why Was The American Frontier Closed

999 Words | 4 Pages

In American Society during the 1800s, the Frontier was a land full of mysticism, mystery, adventure, and potential. The idea of American pioneers, explorers, and travellers conquering the formidable and uncivilized Frontier carried a sense of allure among American Society, which corresponded to fashioning the American identity associated with expansion, determination and perseverance. Fredrick J. Turner’s The Significance of the Frontier in American History, explores the concept of overcoming the challenges of the Frontier and, by overcoming these challenges, helping to craft aspects of the American identity, portraying the Frontier as a land in need of taming, a land that is “the meeting point between savagery and civilization”. It was the Frontier, Turner argued, that helped to construct the identity of America, an identity associated with vanquishing problems with resolution and hard work.

Read More

Nat Turner And The American Revolution

301 Words | 2 Pages

Nat Turner was born into slavery in 1800 and was a spiritual leader among his fellow slaves (Wood 1). Turner believed himself to be prophet and claimed to have visions from God, in which he foresaw an “attack directly the institution of slavery,” and a spiritual battle between white and black spirits (Vox 2). A solar eclipse in February of 1831 was seen by Turner as his sign to strike against the institution of slavery and on August 21st of the same year he did, killing his owner’s family. Together with a group of slaves Turner continued his reign of terror across the county, raiding houses, recruiting more followers, and killing all whites they encountered. By the time word had spread of this rebellion Turner already had 50 men, including

Read More

Jackson Turner Frontier Thesis

790 Words | 4 Pages

Frontier Thesis by Fredrick Jackson Turner There are many influences that shaped American history since the colonization of the new world. There exist many theories that suggest which variables and factors are most influential. American historian Fredrick Jackson Turner played a role in discussing such influences that ultimately shaped the way historians look at American history. Fredrick Jackson Turner was born in the midst 1800s and died early 1900s. He attended Harvard University and is widely known for his famous thesis that he wrote in 1891.

Read More

Frederick Jackson Turner Frontier Thesis

794 Words | 4 Pages

According to Turner, as the frontier line moved further west, European norms were abandoned and settlers had to rely on their own strengths, which in turn resulted in individualism. From this innovation, new ways of governing and democracy evolved. The audience can infer that Turner was fearful that the characteristics unique to being American such as, “strength, inventiveness, and dominant individualism,” would diminish with the disappearance of an apparent

Read More

Frederick Jackson Turner Characteristics

751 Words | 4 Pages

In their writing, Frederick Jackson Turner and Jack London provide benchmarks for how facing the frontier affects man and his ability to survive. However, the authors themselves could not have been more different in their approach to the subject. Frederick Jackson Turner credits the American frontier as the one main focus in shaping the American character. In The Significance of the Frontier in American History, Turner expresses “The result is that to the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics.” (Turner 1136).Turner felt that the hardship of the frontier molded all American’s characteristics and made them more adept to overcome adversity.

Read More

Westward Expansion Thesis

1324 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the 19th century European settlers in the United States were enthralled by Westward expansion, furthermore, defining the Western region of the country as the ‘frontier’ to represent the challenges and opportunities expanding West would institute. Westward expansion was significantly driven by the concept of Manifest destiny which describes the idea that Europeans have the divine power and inherent right to expand across North America (Burton, January 17th, 2023). Westward expansion was legally encouraged and endorsed by the federal government through the Homestead act of 1862. The Homestead Act encouraged Westward migration/ settlement by offering land grants to settlers from the East willing to migrate to the West to develop the land.

Read More

American Frontier Expansion

725 Words | 3 Pages

As Turner pointed out, his own views on how he believes that the American frontier was formed by the different characteristics of the people who made it happen and formed America. He states that the attraction to the frontier made a dramatic change to America and the West due to the different cultures each race brought unto the country allowing each one to accept as well change persons perspective of each others culture. (Turner, 1996.) The frontier helped everybody make a part of the history because of the necessities the frontier helped provide. It was and it continues to be a part of history because the frontier continues to change peoples life as they still continue

Read More

Frederick Turner The Significance Of The West Movement

338 Words | 2 Pages

Frontier is very important and express not only process, it describes history, culture of American that started with movement of settlers to the West. In my opinion as Turner explained the West is important and significant in western history and its a process.

Read More

The Frontier Thesis Analysis

1611 Words | 7 Pages

Turner 's proposition depends on the possibility that "easterners … in moving to the wild agitated grounds of the outskirts, shed the trappings of progress … and by reinfused themselves with an energy, an autonomy, and an innovativeness that the wellspring of American vote based system and national character." (Cronon) While this thought appears like a delightful hypothesis of why Americans are extraordinary, it depends on the idea that the Frontier was "a zone of free land," which isn 't the situation, undermining the hypothesis ' validity. (Turner) The scene of precolonial America was not so inadequately populated the same number of think.

Read More

Essay On Manifest Destiny

977 Words | 4 Pages

In conclusion change was unavoidable and the Americans’ hunger for land, belief in Manifest Destiny, and access to new resources only helped feed into the events that happened. The idea that America was destined to seize the whole of North America would alter the course of American history as we know it today as it would start the Civil War. After that, due to America’s hunger for land, Oregon and California’s development would go exponentially faster as thousands of people flooded these states during the gold rush and Oregon trail. And as a result of the hunger for land, the Indian Removal Acts and the Mexican American war would be put into

Read More

More about Frederick Jackson Turner's Impact On American Character And Culture

Related Topics

Open Document