Christopher Bower Explain and evaluate Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis. Frederick Jackson Turner’s ‘The significance of the frontier in American History’ (1893) provides us with the first history and explanation of the ever extending frontier in fledgling America. Turner seeks to prove the idea of American exceptionalism, this key idea that there is something about the foundations of the US that we have come to know today, that makes it different and essentially better than any other country that has come into being. There are four key themes within this thesis that found place on the ever extending frontier over time, these are; individualism, democracy, freedom and independence, all of which will be dealt with in this essay to explain his thesis. I will then evaluate his thesis, highlighting its shortcomings, which are rife, although I will be taking into account the provenance of the thesis- Turner was writing in a very different social climate to that of today. America in the recent history preceding 1893 was in an exceptionally unique position in that throughout the late 18th and all of the 19th century, the settlers that had emigrated to the United States were extending westwards away from where they had landed and originally settled on the Atlantic Coast, places like New York and the Carolinas. This expansionary spirit caused the frontier belt to be formed, beyond which was “the existence of an area of free land”1, although how free this land actually was will be touched upon further in the essay. Turner’s main argument in this thesis is that the US has come to be so great and so successful by 1893, and even before its 20th century dominance, due almost exclusively to the presence of the frontier and the conditions that this created. The settlers on the Atlantic Coast have become accustomed to life there and had built townships and even well established government institutions by the time of Jackson’s thesis. The main body of his argument is that when settlers moved onto the frontier line, it was primitive free land that needed to go through the same process that other more easterly and advanced areas went 1 Frederick Jackson Turner, “The significance of the frontier in American history (1893)”, American Historical Association, https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historicalarchives/the-significance-of-the-frontier-in-american-history , (accessed 27/10/19). Christopher Bower through, namely the creation of an economy, which required farming and trade, followed by the building of towns and settlements, followed by the creation of distinct political institutions etc. “The peculiarity of American institutions is, the fact that they have been compelled to adapt themselves to the changes of an expanding people—to the changes involved in crossing a continent, in winning a wilderness, and in developing at each area of this progress out of the primitive economic and political conditions of the frontier into the complexity of city life.”2 Turner believes that this is the cause of American exceptionalism, European settlers spend a few years on the frontier carving their own lives, laws and largely how to govern themselves (at least at this time), something which over time makes these people distinctly American. American exceptionalism is also linked to the idea that other nations have not evolved out of a sweeping frontier of ‘undiscovered’ land, and if they have it was many centuries ago. For example, he compares it to the European frontier and points out how fundamentally different that frontier is, “The American frontier is sharply distinguished from the European frontier—a fortified boundary line running through dense populations.”3 The American frontier on the other hand, is a complete open book of possibility waiting for pioneers to go and settle and build civilisations upon. “In this advance, the frontier is the outer edge of the wave—the meeting point between savagery and civilisation.”4 Turner’s argument is based on the four foundations highlighted in my introduction. The first is individualism- the idea that any one individual that migrates to America from Europe can go and forge a completely new life for themselves on individual merit. You could move from living in the busy city of London, and find yourself on the frontier becoming a farmer, or end up working in fledgling government institutions. This leads us onto the next point, democracy. America was, and still very much is, a country that prides itself on its democratic roots that run deep into its constitution. Immigrants perceived themselves as having a real voice in where power lied within 2 FJT, Frontier. FJT, Frontier. 4 FJT, Frontier. 3 Christopher Bower America, perhaps more so than back in the UK or France for example. This brings us onto the next theme of the frontier thesis, freedom. Settlers in well established places by 1893, such as New England, probably had less of this aspect, but those on the frontier were really free to do what they wanted. The government institutions had not been established yet, law and order was barely existent on the border of “savagery”5, with Turner referring to the Native Americans. Pioneers were able to forge many of their own rules and lay their stamp of authority on a budding township as the frontier extended further westwards over many years. Freedom goes hand in hand with the last theme of independence, independence in who you were, how you acted, independence from old style European government and the constraints that brought. All of this came to represent the American exceptionalism that Turner vouches for. These four conditions on the frontier shaped America into what it was in 1893, and in my opinion has continued to be present in America today with the diverse ways of life and political views etc that we see over the vast expanse of land. Now that the thesis has been explained, it’s time to evaluate it and highlight some of its shortcomings. To understand this thesis, we must see it through the lens of Turner, a historian who grew up during a time of great American expansion, when admittedly “Much has been written about the frontier from the point of view of border warfare and the chase, but as a field for the serious study of the economist and the historian it has been neglected.” This thesis was the first serious attempt to tackle how the frontier shaped America, not necessarily the brute force by which way it was expanded. One idea in this thesis that I would now hope is firmly stuck in 1893 is that the land beyond the frontier was free land, and Jackson writes with a note of self entitlement to this land. In reality this land belonged to Native Americans, who he labels savages, who had lived there for thousands of years with their own independence and freedom. He then strikes a somewhat contradictory tone, speaking of settlers planting “Indian corn” or the idea they have to at first “follow the Indian trails” if they want to begin to thrive on the frontier. I find it somewhat 5 FJT, Frontier. Christopher Bower problematic that these savages are also the ones that show settlers how to live on this land, and without them they would have been much less successful. We must forgive Turner as he writes in a time of largely white European Protestants with upside down ideas on race to what we have today, but nonetheless it is a shortcoming. Another shortcoming comes in that Turner “dramatised the material on the frontier.”6 This can be seen in some grandiose parts, “The wilderness masters the colonist. It finds him a European in dress, industries, tools, modes of travel, and thought. It takes him from the railroad car and puts him in the birch canoe. It strips off the garments of civilisation and arrays him in the hunting shirt and the moccasin.”7 In conclusion then, Turner’s frontier thesis was clearly a very important piece of work in explaining American history, so much so that it was followed by “three decades of almost unqualified acceptance of Turner’s theories.”8 I believe Turner provides a decent argument as to the effect of the frontier on the history of America, but it is fair to say that he overly emphasises it as has been highlighted by numerous works since. The four key ideas of freedom, democracy, independence and individualism highlighted within this essay are key in explaining where Turner is coming from with the frontier thesis, its effect on America and the idea of American exceptionalism. The most agreeable point made by Turner is this, “moving westward, the frontier became more and more American.”9 This is profoundly true, people got further away from their old lives and roots in Europe, and forged new ones, creating the America Turner speaks of, and to a large extent the America we see today. 6 Gene M. Gressley, “The Turner Thesis: A problem in historiography”, Agricultural History Vol. 32, No. 4, (Oct 1958), pg 229. 7 FJT, Frontier. 8 Gressley, The Turner Thesis, pg 229. 9 FJT, Frontier. Christopher Bower Bibliography Gressley, Gene M. , “The Turner Thesis: A problem in historiography”, Agricultural History Vol. 32, No. 4, (Oct 1958), pg 229. Jackson Turner, Frederick, “The significance of the frontier in American history (1893)”, American Historical Association, https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-andarchives/historical-archives/the-significance-of-the-frontier-in-american-history , (accessed 27/10/19).
