THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FRONTIER IN AMERICAN HISTORY THE FRONTIER THESIS FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER

« important economic area.

The gradual expansion of markets and the ever growing production of agricultural products led to innovation of new technologies, resulting in an increase in farm production.

America's inventiveness is closely linked to the offshoot of the expansion westward in that regard.

But more generally Turner wants to stress the importance of the government in securing land and maintaining law and order at the frontier.

New institutions were created, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (which was supposed to provide Indians with health care services), the Land Office or the Forest Service. America's development in terms of wealth increased with new technologies, which enabled a more important production and the industrial revolution : “the progress from primitive industrial society […] up to manufacturing civilization ”.

But natural resources were at least as important on the economic field.

The expansion westward was partly motivated by the discovery of mines of gold, silver, iron, copper and other metals.

The Great West, as it is called, rich in such resources, stood in sharp opposition with the East : ' Limiting our attention to the Atlantic coast, we have the familiar phenomenon of the evolution of institutions in a limited area […].

But WE have in addition to this a recurrence of the process of evolution in each western area reached in the process of expansion”.

Turner gives his reader the image of an American nation growing more and more developed nearly exclusively through the expansion in the west.

It is as if without expansionism America would have remained to a static and non evolving ground.

He speaks very highly of the west, as opposed to eastern America or even Europe. Turner uses a literary strategy to make the west stand in position of supremacy, in the sens that this region seems to be placed above other nations in terms of cultural wealth.

Indeed, he first talks of “ other nations ”, then narrows his scope of comparison to the “ Atlantic coast ”, so as to eventually end with the “ western area ”, which is spoken of both in poetic and glowing terms :' This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character' .

While the west is described as prosperous and rich in possibilities, ' most of nations' 's development ' has occurred in a limited area' .

As for the ' Atlantic coast ',Turner talks of ' the evolution of institutions in a limited area'.

Here his will seems to give the west an image of free land, as opposed to the east which he clearly defines as limited, restricted.

When he talks of the Atlantic coast's industrial revolution, it's only to oppose the Manufacturing Belt to the West, and make the latter appear even more ahead of eastern America : ' [about the Atlantic coast] the progress from primitive industrial society, without division of labor, up to manufacturing civilization .

But we have in addition to this a recurrence of the process of evolution in each western area reached in the process of expansion '.

What Turner means is that evolution in the west is constant and full of novelties by virtue of the moving frontier and the new elements they come across at each step of their expansion.

This is best expressed through the expression ' Perennial rebirth', which alludes to the encounter with new peoples, exclusive trade possibilities (fur trade, exploitation of precious metal mines etc...), exchange of knowledge between Indian tribes and cow- boys for example.

But above all, the west differs from the east for its free-spirit and his evolution contingent on nature, whereas the east was essentially based on machinery and technology.

But instead of considering the west ant the east as complementary, Turner insists on opposing them, proclaiming the superiority of one over the other : 'The true point of view in the history of the nation is not the Atlantic coast, it is the Great West '.

This excessive pride close to rivalry may be explained by the despise east-American people felt towards western inhabitants.

Indeed the east considered itself as civilized, modern, well-educated, and looked down upon the west for its different way of life, and its primitive conditions.

But it is true that the Great West encapsulated simplicity and rural life, but it is also what made its strength : ' […] its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character' .

Indeed, people in the west developed a strong sens of self-reliance, especially in the countryside, due to the lack of 'eastern civilization', adapted to the needs of an isolated population.

The east was more materialistic. »