Thursday, April 1, 2010

Fredrick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis

It was the opinion of Fredrick Jackson Turner that all of America could be acredited to the new frontier. America itself, as a nation, began in the pursuit of a new frontier; this can be traced as far back as the very arrival to America; when the first visitors to the New World landed, our entire country was a new frontier. It was a place almost unimaginable, where everything from the location to the wildlife to the flora was unknown. America was not only the New World; it was the first frontier.



Clearly, the soon-to-be Americans could not be stopped with only a single step. They not only visited this new land; they claimed it. By disregarding Native Americans, and after a bloody battle to shake Britain off their heals, America was a claimed frontier. Americans now had success, they had drive, and they had inspiration. But more than this, they had a future; they had the next frontier.



And so, they moved West. Regardless of who was pulled up from their own homes and what the effect of the process, it was west that they went. Turner's theory states that it was at these moments that Americans were the most purely American. Set back to the state of absolute starting-over, they were forced to be completely what they were, no media or propaganda to influence them. It was through tackling the new, the undeveloped, and the uncharted that Americans were forced to resort to the very core of how they defined themselves. It was this Americanism that shaped how the communities were built and what they would become.

Critics of Turner's theory argue that there was much more to shape this country than just a pile of new land and a journey to claim it. Our nation was shaped on war, on revolution, on writing a Constitution and declaring independence. Our people were shaped by industrialization, slavery, and the goal of becoming the "City Upon a Hill," a model to the world around us. Having limited land boundries is hardly more powerful than all of this.

However, upon further thought, it is the new frontier awaiting that led to everything that has since then shaped America. A new frontier, a new land, is more than simply a pile of dirt and grass; it is potential and opportunity; it is hope. Without the inspiration of a new world to shape and build, who would have come to America? Who would have written a constitution for a land already under control? Who would have debated slavery in a land where the decision had already been made? It is the potential and opportunity of a new frontier that inspired everything that shaped America. No, it did not create our country singlehandedly, but it did create the opportunity for us to become what we are today.

4 comments:

  1. It was fun to read through this entry. You demonstrated your understanding, pulled out great quotes to support your argument and organized your thoughts clearly and concisely. Nice work.

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  2. THESIS is a requirement for completion to finish a degree of your course.

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  3. I think, you are right about the subject and your ideas are worth using and unique. Keep up the good work and I would be looking forward for such useful information on thesis and dissertations in future as well. Warm regards

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  4. Wow, it's wonderful to see this has been read! This blog was a requirement for my Sophomore year of high school History class, I didn't expect it to be noticed at all. Thank you!

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