Response to Turner's Essay on The Significance of the Frontier in American History

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Response to Turner's Essay on The Significance of the Frontier in American History

Turner's "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" essay

presents the primary model for comprehending American history. Turner

developed his notions on the uncovering of the 1890 census that the

frontier was coming to an end, that the nation had occupied its

continental borders. As Turner discusses in his essay, an extensive

era of American development approached an ending, but left enduring

marks on American society. A major notion within his claims of the

American frontier is, "the existence of an area of free land, its

continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward,

[that] explain American development." (Turner, 33)

Furthermore, Turner's claim that the frontier experience explains the

development of democracy in the United States generates a popular

sense of American patriotism and supports a highly cultural appraisal

of the frontier. "The most important effect of the frontier has been

in the promotio...

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