Did Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis suggest that westward expansion had positively impacted the formation of American liberty? What event caused him to propose his thesis?
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@Reed
I shouldn't of copied and pasted the whole question since it was just the last part. From the text it states "Turner began by noting that the 1890 census no longer discerned a clear frontier line. So I am guessing it was the 1890 census.
That may well have been what prompted him to write his essay. I'd go with that. His thesis is that the frontier created American democracy, not that the frontier continued to exist as it had since the first European settlers arrived.
@Reed
so I am simply stating that prompted by the 1890 census he suggested theclosing of the frontier meant an end to the development of American democracy
Yes, Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis did suggest that westward expansion had positively impacted the formation of American liberty. According to Turner, the existence of an open frontier throughout American history fostered individualism, democracy, and self-reliance, which he believed were essential elements of American liberty.
To understand how Turner proposed his thesis, we need to look at the event that prompted him to develop this idea. Turner presented his thesis in 1893 at a meeting of the American Historical Association, during a time known as the "Closing of the Frontier." This term refers to the moment when the U.S. Census Bureau declared that there was no longer a discernible frontier line in the American West. This announcement marked the end of an era of westward expansion, which had been a defining feature of American life for centuries.
The Closing of the Frontier brought about a sense of concern among scholars and the public. Many wondered about the implications of this milestone on American society and its future. In response to this, Turner delivered his paper titled "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," where he put forth his Frontier Thesis.
Turner argued that the frontier experience had shaped the American character and contributed to the development of American institutions. He believed that the challenges and opportunities presented by the frontier, such as the need for self-reliance and the necessity to cooperate with others to overcome adversity, had fostered a unique set of values in Americans. These values, according to Turner, were essential for the growth of democracy and the establishment of a distinct American identity.
In short, Turner proposed his Frontier Thesis in response to the closing of the frontier as a way to explain the influence of westward expansion on American liberty and the development of distinctive American attributes.