Eric Espitia
Ms. Righteous
English B1A
02 October 2013
American History West
When hearing the words “American history,” I think straight to the building of the colonies and the war for independence from British rule or the American civil war. The westward expansion of settlements across the land toward the Pacific Ocean seems to be buried under those previous moments in American history. In 1893, Frederick J. Turner (a professor at the University of Wisconsin), wrote an article that has been said to have “. . . created as profound a change in the general attitude toward American history as any single word on the subject that has ever been spoken” (Rounds). In the article, The Significance of the frontier in American history by Frederick J. Tuner, I believe he makes the argument that the westward expansion of America was an important and pivotal period in American history due to the development and the frontier nature.
The Importance of the expanding frontier according to Turner is much more than people moving, rather it is the effects it has on the evolution of social and structural characteristics that carries more significance. The word “development” is used by Turner multiple times to describe the recurrence of progression from an unsettled land to a civilization. Turner believes the most important part of American development of that era is that it isn’t a unique event but an ever-happening event. He makes this clear when he notes that “. . . American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line” (Turner). He also believes that this recurrence happening on the frontier has played a vital role in the social development of America. He states, “This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its