The Significance of the Frontier in American History

of the Frontier Throughout history the frontier has been portrayed as a violent and turbulent boundary that served as the panicle of the new American opportunity. Soon after the formation of the thirteen colonies, social and political classes began to form and mold society for the American people. Ideology revolving around myths in individual social classes started to develop, in the hope of understanding what the frontier truly was, and conceptualizing the hidden savagery (Native Americans)…

great potential for success. At the beginning, the majority of the settlers perished in the unfamiliar landscape filled with unfamiliar threats. For several settlers, the risks would eventually pay off. As their survival became less uncertain, the American colonies lived fairly autonomous lives. Many British settlers sought the New World as a land of freedom, where they could govern themselves instead of suffer under the religion of the King. This autonomy disappeared after the war between…

of history from constitutional to cultural and answering so very important and intriguing topics open for discussion along the way in just 10 overlooked events in American history. Also telling us Puritans play a major part as “the original sources”. The epilogue, shows us that there are many surprising and unknown things in America’s history that haven’t been taught yet. Also analyzing all the important dates and time frames each thing happened in and all the new twist and turns history has…

The most popular and characteristic image of the white settler in native America was that of a cowboy; a typical frontier epitomising white bravery and potency. He was also the symbol of white American exceptionalism, he who could tame the wilderness and the wild native to their advantage. This image institutionalised the white man as a raider and hunter. Frontier thesis and its associated ideas of machismo and courage, best exemplified in cowboys conveys the idea the founding of America was…

Missouri to Santa Fe, in New Mexico. The travel along this trail began in 1821 and continued until 1860 where the railroad took over control of the trade; under the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. It traversed what was called the Great American Desert. This was named as such because of the expanse of dry, arid terrain viewed as inhospitable to the nineteenth century contemporaries, and unsuitable for settlement and expansion. When travellers reached New Mexico there were mountainous…

States, sought to expand their territorial possessions. The idea of American imperialism was very popular, perhaps because U.S. citizens felt that America was exceptional compared to other countries, mainly because of its special mission to spread freedom and democracy worldwide. In order to accomplish this, America would need to exert its economic, military, and cultural influence internationally. Among the many supporters of American imperialism, there are four notable intellectuals that…

Destiny” as Americans have settled across the west, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Coinciding with how laborers felt that their work conditions have taken away their individuality, this loss of the frontier or unsettled land, also triggered a sense of loss of American identity. One of the people who vocally expressed this feeling was American historian, Frederick Jackson Turner, in his essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” In it, he described how losing the frontier is…

TRANSFORM AMERICA? American Westward Movement is the process that people from the settled regions of the United States to lands farther west. The great west means stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, and it was subdivided into two sections: the territory between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast. This westward movement, across what was often called the American frontier, was of enormous significance and it lasted…

The American West before its conquest and establishment was a metaphorical ideology formulated by the American government within the Young America movement. In an attempt to encourage pioneers towards the frontier and to “Go West”, the United States explored the powerful notion of Manifest Destiny, creating the perception that the undiscovered land was given to America through support of Providence. This ideology and its strict adherence during settlement, poses the question: Did manifest…

Key Terms: Reservation System - After the strained relationships between the Native Americans and the Americans, the reservation system was developed. It gave Native Americans a certain plot of land which the American government urged the Native Americans to stay on. Battle of the Little Bighorn - Before this battle, the Native Americans had wiped out 250 Americans including Colonel George Custer. The United States military was then called in order to seek revenge. This was the short period of…