Day 6: The Closing of the Frontier

FOCUS:  What does the actual history of the American West tell us about the significance of the frontier in American history? What was the myth of the frontier? What was the reality of the frontier? Why do you think Americans have been so persistent in maintaining the myths of the West?

TASK ONE:     Fredrick Jackson Turner's "Frontier Thesis"

Reflecting on the impact of the expansion of the United States during the nineteeth century, historian Fredrick Jackson Turner developed his "frontier thesis" in his influential 1893 work The Significance of the Frontier in American History. Turner argued that the existance of a frontier beyond which lay vast tracts of unsettled wilderness throughout much of United States history was the defining factor in the development of Western democracy and the American character. Though this thesis has guided the thinking of many historians, its many critics complain that its assertions ignore other facets of the American experience such as the Civil War, the subjugation of minorities, and the importance of cooperation in frontier life, to name only a few.

Questions to Consider
1. According to Turner, what specific effects did the frontier have on shaping the American indentity and institutions?
2. Do you agree that the frontier experience is the defining factor in the American character and the development of Western democracy? Why or why not?
3. Which aspects of the thesis could provoke controversy? Explain your answer.

The Significance of the Frontier in American History: http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/doc-FJTurner.htm

TASK TWO:

The Dawes Severalty Act (1877)

The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887, otherwise known as the General Allotment Act, was designed to encourage the breakup of Indian tribes and promote assimilation of Indians into American Society by independent farming. The Dawes Act was the major Indian policy of the national government until the 1930s.

Questions to consider:
1. Why did the national government promote the development of agriculture among Indians?
2. Did the act include funding for equipment/material needed for agriculture?
3. How long would Native Americans have to live on the land before they would receive title to the land?
4. How did the Dawes Act address citizenship for Native Americans?

Link to Dawes Severalty Act:http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=50&page=transcript

HOMEWORK:   READ / SKIM CH. 17