Frederick Turner Frontier On American History Summary

Turners “significance of frontier on American History” provides Americans with a primary model of understanding American History. His dissimilar perspective on American history was developed when he uncovered the 1890 census report that stated that the complete settlement of America’s western frontier marked the end of Manifest Destiny. Turner announced his dissatisfaction with this announcement and emphasized greatly about how important the frontiers were to America, including how this would do a disservice to American history in the years to come. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on why Frederick Turner thought the frontiers paid a pivotal role in the civilization and growth of the American people as well as to follow the journey

Frontier lines shaped modern American lives and values. In the 17TH century many Europeans settled in America, and with them came their values, towns and culture. In contrast the Native Americans roamed around farming and hunting to feed their people. The adventurous Europeans started to move west in search of farmland and building materials and so a frontier emerged, where settled America meets unsettled primitive wilderness. These experiences of savagery and conquering of the west is what is said to have taught Americans determination and individuality. Also they learned to embrace democracy because all these different people had to learn to live together and confront whatever difficulty they

I agree the frontier is significant, but through out Turners paper about the advancement to the west he failed to acknowledge the very set of indigenous people and how they aided Americas individuality and its democracy. And how in return America destroyed their homes and left them unsettled. The Indian trade was the one that led the way for civilization, in the face of adversity. This trade turned into trails, which them widened into roads and the roads eventually into railroads. Turner failed to realize to what extent the native Americans were existed in the “wilderness” before the frontier began to advance. He made Americans think that the frontier was moving to conquer free inhabited land which is not true. There were native Americans living in the “wilderness” that spawned the expansion of Americans civilization. Furthermore, he claims the frontier is “the meeting point between savagery and civilization” which reduces Native Americans to uncivilized savages who are simply part of the wilderness.
In 1987, nearly a century after Turner wrote his paper on the end of the frontier and how significant it was for American history. The Poppers write their own paper about their proclaim of the return of the frontier back in the areas of the Great