Best Selling Books by Frederick Jackson Turner

In 1893 a young Frederick Jackson Turner stood before the American Historical Association and delivered his famous frontier thesis. To a less than enthusiastic audience, he argued that "the existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development"; that this frontier accounted for American democracy and character; and that the frontier had closed forever with uncertain consequences for the American future. Despite the indifference of Turner''s first audience, his essay would soon prove to be the single most influential piece of writing on American history, with extraordinary impact both in intellectual circles and in popular literature. Within a few years his views had become the dominant interpretation of the American past. A collection of his essays won the Pulitzer Prize, and for almost half a century, Turner''s thesis was the most familiar model taught in schools, extolled by politicians, and screened in fictional form at local movie theaters each Saturday afternoon. Now, a hundred years after Turner''s famous address, award-winning biographer John Mack Faragher collects and introduces the pioneer historian''s ten most significant essays. Remarkable for their truly modern sense that a debate about the past is simultaneously a debate about the present, these essays remain stimulating reading, both as a road map to the early-twentieth-century American mind and as a model of committed scholarship. Faragher introduces us to Turner''s work with a look at his role as a public intellectual and his effect on Americans'' understanding of their national character. In the afterword, Faragher turns to the recent heated debate over Turner''s legacy. Western history has reemerged in the news as historians argue over Turner''s place in our current mind-set. In a world of dizzying intellectual change, it may come as something of a surprise that historians have taken so long to overturn the interpretation of a century-old conference paper. But while some claim that Turner''s vision of the American West as a great egalitarian land of opportunity was long ago dismissed, others, in the words of historian Donald Worster, maintain that Turner still "presides over western history like a Holy Ghost.". Against this backdrop, Faragher looks at what the concept of the West means to us today and provides a reader''s guide to the provocative new literature of the American frontier. Rereading these essays in the fresh light of Faragher''s analysis brings new appreciation for the richness of Turner''s work and an understanding of contemporary historians'' admiration for Turner''s commitment to the study of what it has meant to be American.

More than a hundred years after it was first articulated, Frederick Jackson Turner''s "frontier thesis" remains one of the key interpretations of American history. Turner argued that the European heritage of Americans was less important in understanding the country they had made than their own experience in settling a continent. It was the circumstances of life on the frontierin fact a succession of frontiers that moved inexorably westwardthat were a determining influence on American character and institutions. Turner read this paper propounding his thesis at the meeting of the American Historical Association in Chicago, July 12, 1893, as part of the World''s Columbian Exposition. It was timely, he suggested, because the Census of 1890 had announced the closing of the frontier in the United States and thus the end of an important stage of American development.

Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-The Frontier thesis or Turner thesis, is the argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that American democracy was formed by the American frontier. He stressed the process-the moving frontier line-and the impact it had on pioneers going through the process. He also stressed results, especially that American democracy was the primary result, along with egalitarianism, a lack of interest in high culture, and violence. "American democracy was born of no theorist''s dream; it was not carried in the Susan Constant to Virginia, nor in the Mayflower to Plymouth. It came out of the American forest, and it gained new strength each time it touched a new frontier," said Turner. In the thesis, the American frontier established liberty by releasing Americans from European mindsets and eroding old, dysfunctional customs. The frontier had no need for standing armies, established churches, aristocrats or nobles. There was no landed gentry who controlled most of the land and charged heavy rents and fees. Frontier land was practically free for the taking. Turner first announced his thesis in a paper entitled "The Significance of the Frontier in American History", delivered to the American Historical Association in 1893 in Chicago. He won wide acclaim among historians and intellectuals. Turner elaborated on the theme in his advanced history lectures and in a series of essays published over the next 25 years, published along with his initial paper as The Frontier in American History.

"Rise of the New West 1819-1829" from Frederick Jackson Turner. American historian (1861-1932).

In ''The Character and Influence of the Indian Trade in Wisconsin'', historian Frederick Jackson Turner presents a meticulous exploration of the economic, cultural, and political interactions between Native Americans and European settlers, focusing on the fur trade in Wisconsin. Turner''s scholarly work is both a product of and a contribution to American historiography, reflecting the nuances of early 20th-century thought on frontier history. His literary style adopts a comprehensive and analytical narrative, delving into the symbiotic relationships that shaped the socio-economic landscape of Wisconsin. The work is situated within a broader literary context of American frontier studies, offering a nuanced perspective that challenges the monolithic narratives of colonial conquest and celebrates the complex tapestry of interactions that defined the region.nFrederick Jackson Turner, best known for his influential ''Frontier Thesis'', was an American historian deeply invested in understanding the dynamics of the American frontier. Turner''s academic background and intellectual fervor offer a foundation for his examination of the Indian trade, reflecting his broader interest in the ways in which the frontier experience shaped American democracy and culture. This book, one of his earlier works, showcases Turner''s dedication to uncovering the multifaceted relationships between indigenous peoples and European arrivals, an interest likely spurred by his upbringing in the very heart of the American West—Wisconsin.n''The Character and Influence of the Indian Trade in Wisconsin'' is recommended for students of history, anthropology, and cultural studies, as well as for any reader with an interest in the formative period of American history. This book invites a reconsideration of the simplistic dichotomies often found in traditional historiographies, instead offering a complex and enlightening view on the interplay of trade, power, and culture. It provides invaluable insights for anyone looking to grasp a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the American frontier and the legacies of its diverse peoples.

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"Western State-Making in the Revolutionary," an article by American historian Frederick J. Turner (1861-1932, from the October 1895 issue of the American Historical Review, talks about the meaning of "West" in terms of American progress and expansions of the 19th century.

History of the Frontier is a collection of works related to the history of American colonization of Wild West. Turner expresses his views on how the idea of the frontier shaped the American being and characteristics. He writes how the frontier drove American history and why America is what it is today. Turner reflects on the past to illustrate his point by noting human fascination with the frontier and how expansion to the American West changed people''s views on their culture. Contents: The Significance of the Frontier in American History The First Official Frontier of the Massachusetts Bay The Old West The Middle West The Ohio Valley in American History The Significance of the Mississippi Valley in American History The Problem of the West Dominant Forces in Western Life Contributions of the West to American Democracy Pioneer Ideals and the State University The West and American Ideals Social Forces in American History Middle Western Pioneer Democracy

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.