Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 - March 14, 1932) was an American historian in the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin until 1910, and then at Harvard. He trained many PhDs who came to occupy prominent places in the history profession. He promoted interdisciplinary and quantitative methods, often with a focus on the Midwest. He is best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History", whose ideas formed the Frontier Thesis. He argued that the moving western frontier shaped American democracy and the American character from the colonial era until 1890. He is also known for his theories of geographical sectionalism. In recent years historians and academics have argued strenuously over Turner's work; all agree that the Frontier Thesis has had an enormous impact on historical scholarship and the American mind. Early life, education, and career: Born in Portage, Wisconsin, the son of Andrew Jackson Turner and Mary Olivia Hanford Turner, Turner grew up in a middle-class family. His father was active in Republican politics, an investor in the railroad, and was a newspaper editor and publisher. His mother taught school.Turner was very much influenced by the writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a poet known for his focus on nature; so too was Turner influenced by scientists such as Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and Julian Huxley, and the development of Cartography.He graduated from the University of Wisconsin (now University of Wisconsin-Madison) in 1884, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He earned his Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University in 1890 with a thesis on the Wisconsin fur trade, titled "The Character and Influence of the Indian Trade in Wisconsin", directed by Herbert Baxter Adams. Turner did not publish extensively; his influence came from tersely expressed interpretive theories (published in articles), which influenced his hundreds of disciples. Two theories in particular were influential, the "Frontier Thesis" and the "Sectional Hypothesis". Although he published little, he did more research than almost anyone and had an encyclopedic knowledge of American history, earning a reputation by 1910 as one of the two or three most influential historians in the country. He proved adept at promoting his ideas and his students, whom he systematically placed in leading universities, including Merle Curti and Marcus Lee Hansen. He circulated copies of his essays and lectures to important scholars and literary figures, published extensively in highbrow magazines, recycled favorite material, attaining the largest possible audience for key concepts, and wielded considerable influence within the American Historical Association as an officer and advisor for the American Historical Review. His emphasis on the importance of the frontier in shaping American character influenced the interpretation found in thousands of scholarly histories. By the time Turner died in 1932, 60% of the leading history departments in the U.S. were teaching courses in frontier history along Turnerian lines. Annoyed by the university regents who demanded less research and more teaching and state service, Turner sought out an environment that would support research. Declining offers from California, he accepted a call to Harvard in 1910 and remained a professor there until 1922, being succeeded in 1924 by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. In 1907 Turner was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society, and in 1911 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Turner was never comfortable at Harvard; when he retired in 1922 he became a visiting scholar at the Huntington Library in Los Angeles, where his note cards and files continued to pile up, although few monographs got published. His The Frontier in American History (1920) was a collection of older essays....
an important idea dashed senselessly into the past:
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This is an interesting book. Well written, although at times painfully, soddenly dated (and I do not criticize the historic tone of voice nor the apparent biases of this emminent historian--prejudice, in itself, is an important contribution to the understanding of American history as it is learned--), The Frontier in American History develops an original idea of American expansion into empire. Portions of this book are very relevent to the present, showing Turner to be an ambitious and far-reaching historian of the past. His chapters on the general influence on American government of the midwest are fascinating, especially in the light of present day hindsight. The shift in moral vision of people founding early regions of the American colonies and post-revolutionary national expansion, in a great sense, explores both the influence and subsequent dismissal of east coast religious Puritanism and the 'witch-hunting' mentality of the people. Of course, subsequent to this volume, (and even during its publication), that very religious notion shifted to the fear-mongering operation of federal government and explains something more of the fearful consistancy of American character. This book shows the manner in which religious and political interests have been and continue to be polarized based on the presumption of self-interest and regional safeguarding. An important book well worth yet another reconsideration in the light of current international events.
Westward ho
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The idea that the frontier is crucial to the development of American civilization has been one of the major themes of American history. It has also led to endless speculations as to what the closing of the frontier has meant. And it too has led to speculations about the search for new frontiers including the one in space. We went as far as we could to the West and then we went up. I cannot evaluate the accuracy of the Turner thesis. I remember however that his idea that it is precisely the settled people of the East, the veterans who head out for the West gave me the idea of Americans as a people in constant motion away from their old and hopefully toward their new and better self.
Possibly THE best ever explanation of America
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Current US international policy shows just how brilliant and enduring Frederick Turner's Frontier Thesis really is.The basic idea is that after the initial explorations by Spain, England, etc., the real colonisation of America was a flight from conditions in Europe (including Ireland and Britain) which led to a European-style culture and settlement of the East Coast.This led to a second flight from European-like influences into the interior - which simply pulled European-style culture further west. And so it continued until Europe finally reached the West Coast.There are numerous ramifications of the thesis, including the "force majeur" (might=right) attitude of the settlers towards the Native Americans - with its ominous overtones on the eve of war in the Middle-East.As far as I understand it, for all the "warts", Turner was looking to UNDERSTAND the American mentality/culture, as shaped by by historical experience, and the Frontier Thesis is a critique, NOT a criticism.Read this book and gain a whole new, or at least greatly expanded, view of what it means to be an "American".
The truth about the American frontier
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Mr. Turner ingeniously express's who we are and the reasons why. This work produced last century harbors a number of ideas on what made this country the greatest nation in the world. Mr. Turner correctly weaves his thesis on the frontier in a very short span. By reading this work you will realize what separates the United States from every other land. All other works on the history of this special place we call home are details and footnotes on the events that have taken place over our brief span of time.
An important book to understand what makes America tick
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Although this book is now considered by some to be politically incorrect and by others to have been superceded by later research, it is an important introdction to the ways in which the frontier experience has shaped American culture. From the time of the first European settlements on the East Coast until the 1890s, when Jackson and others first recognized that the American frontier had disappeared, the possibility of farming/mining/foresting new lands had always be a possibility for Americans and an attractant for European immigrants. This was a basis for Americans and other to think of the U.S. as a land of opportunity. An excellent read and a good introduction to a fascinating subject.
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