My analysis of our week 1 reading assignments:

This week’s reading assignments involve in depth discussions of the American frontier, and the significance of America’s westward expansion in shaping our country. The articles were published by two very different authors from very different eras.

I’ll start with Frederick Turner’s “The Significance of the frontier in American History”. Our class could probably spend all eight Saturdays discussing this one paper. Mr. Turner’s 1893 article initially points out that the most recent census, published in 1890, almost insignificantly mentions that our nation’s clear westward movement had been completed, and that a frontier line no longer existed. Turner obviously felt compelled to shine a bright light on the importance of the vast and westward moving frontier in the formation of our country. He lends an almost sentimental reminiscence of our march west. His words paint a very patriotic picture of how we forged our new, American identity. The pioneers left the Atlantic sea board, and in doing so stripped themselves of any European identity. Initially, they were much like savages, hacking out new settlements out of the wilderness, doing whatever necessary to survive. Eventually, these tough pioneers helped form new laws meant to “meet frontier needs and demands”. In forming laws, settlements, & commerce, the new Americans became truly independent of England. Fueled by the opportunity to build and shape our country, the pioneers of western expansion as Dr. Lyman Beeher noted in 1835 and credited by Turner in his article, moved like “the rushing waters of a flood.”

In the middle of his paper, Turner includes some published words from Alexander Hamilton that were almost chillingly prophetic. Hamilton speaks of the immense opportunity afforded by democracy and liberty, but warns of “...its dangers as well as benefits. Individualism in America has allowed a laxity in regard to governmental affairs which has rendered possible the spoils system……the influence of frontier conditions in permitting lax business honor, inflated paper currency and wild-cat banking.” Free commerce unchecked and lightly regulated mixed with greed, came very close to bringing our country to its knees with the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that has kept our nation in a state of severe recession.

A century after Turner published his article; Patricia Nelson Limerick published “Adventures of the Frontier in the Twentieth Century”. While reading the article description at the top of the page, I was a little confused by the comments “…Limerick explicitly rejects...Turner’s influential thesis…and claim that the frontier essentially closed at the end of the 19th century.” I personally read Turner’s article as an attempt to summarize the significance of our western expansion in forming the America he knew as of 1893. He cites the 1890 census as the source of opinion regarding the end of the frontier.

While reading the first few paragraphs, I was a little uncomfortable with Limerick’s comparison of American knowledge of the frontier to Velcro and Frontierland in California’s Disneyland. Fortunately, I got past my initial “bristling” and accepted some very valid points. The Disneyland comparison really served to note the continually advancing frontier of American sensitivity to racial and cultural intolerance, and ignorance. Limerick points out that one attraction features a log cabin on fire. When the attraction opened, the park guests are told that savage Indians attacked the home. In the years since the attraction opened and Limerick’s paper was published, she notes that the guide manning the attraction suggests that “…the cabin was on fire because the settler had been ecologically and environmentally careless.” Limerick also uses Disney’s Frontierland to note the mixed messages and confusion Americans continue to work through regarding our past actions on the frontier throughout westward expansion. Just as I began to settle into the paper, Limerick again registers on my bristle meter with “…the work of academic historians has had virtually no impact either on Disneyland’s vision of the frontier or on the thinking of Disneyland visitors. That cheerful and complete indifference to the work of frontier historians may in truth be the secret of the place’s success.” I think there are better places to look than amusement parks to gauge our nation’s historical enlightenment. I just returned from Orlando’s Universal Studios with my 12 year old son. His favorite ride was The Mummy – we rode it four times in one day. However, he most certainly doesn’t believe the ride is an accurate depiction of ancient Egypt.

In the end, Limerick is obviously accurate that the average American’s perception of the frontier, and westward expansion, includes visions of the Anglo American pioneer being almost solely responsible for our successful expansion. However, Turner does point out in his paper that the pioneers’ survival was dependant on learning from, and adopting the ways of the Indians. The pioneers also learned from and followed the trails and practices of the French traders. Turner’s paper served to explain how westward expansion shaped our country from government, to free trade, to true independence. Limerick’s paper serves to shed a light on the importance of the many people other than Anglo Americans that helped shape and influence our country’s growth during expansion. How these people were perceived and treated during our westward expansion, particularly Indians cannot be changed. At the least, they can be properly credited for their contributions. I’m afraid I can’t remember and properly quote the author, but remember reading something close to the following several months ago: “Our nation has a huge problem with illegal immigrants. Just ask the native Americans.” I’ve provided a link that does just that. It’s an article written a few years ago on illegal immigration written by a native American.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/3821
Our nation’s frontier of understanding and acceptance continues to move in a positive direction, but certainly has plenty of room for expansion. Today, I find it much more relevant to discuss our last presidential election as a reflection of our growth in comparison to changes to amusement park attractions.