frontier thesis of history
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The Frontier Thesis, by Frederick Turner argued the idea that the rush for the west and frontier land is where American values and character were drawn from. Turner claims that the older values changed once the rush for new frontier land started to be settled. Turner discusses how the ideals of what an American was, changed with this serge of movement to the west.
Turner argues that American values can be drawn from our desire to gain freedom and less attachment. The west was a chance to see new things and become well-defined individual separate from the rest. Turner states that the west was a chance to change American destiny.
The frontier changed Americans ideas of what kind of values to have. Prior to 1865 freedom and individualism were not very important characteristics to have. Turner says, "The frontier produced a man of coarseness and strengthacuteness and inquisitiveness". Turner states that the romantic pull of the west gave Americans the idea of being free, strong, and an individual...