The history of the American frontier has celebrated the opportunities that the West offered to everyone. Some early historians glorified the American frontier and the role it played in developing the American character. Others have argued that what has been presented is a myth. How much was the truth, and what was a myth?
INSTRUCTIONS:
To prepare you must complete the following readings:
- Consider the following questions for your essay. The questions in each section will assist you in understanding the content and to prepare for the essay.
- The questions can and should be addressed in the essay, but they should not constitute the only discussion in the essay.
- How did this period of westward expansion differ from earlier ones?
- How did industry and the late 19th-century American economy influence the transformation of the West?
- What role did the federal government play?
- Read the linked essay titled DEBATING THE PAST: THE FRONTIER AND THE WEST. Download DEBATING THE PAST: THE FRONTIER AND THE WEST.
- Consider the following questions for your essay. These questions can and should be addressed in the essay, but it should not constitute the only discussion in the essay.
- What is Frederick Turner’s “frontier thesis,” and what are the criticisms of it? The link will direct you to Turner’s Thesis, The Frontier in American HistoryLinks to an external site..
- Examine the information provided on these links, which address “new views on the history of the American West.” They are not full articles but do provide additional sources that you can review.
- A Different View of the American West: https://artsci.washington.edu/news/1999-10/different-view-american-west
- Rethinking History: American West: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/rethinking-history-american-west
- History American West – Get much-needed rewrite: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-american-west-gets-much-needed-rewrite-180960149/
- Developing the American West: https://youtu.be/wmuMbOcL-mo
- Burden Western History: http://prospect.org/article/burden-western-history
- Project MUSE: The American West Reprised, Revised, and Revived – http://muse.jhu.edu/article/29166
- Utilize at least one of the linked sources to support your discussion.
- Identify and incorporate at least one additional outside source to support your discussion. You are also encouraged to do your own research and identify relevant sources. Please keep in mind that WIKIPEDIA is not an acceptable reference.
PREPARE AND SUBMIT:
Write a well-organized essay, a minimum of 700 words (but not limited to), including supporting details from the documents/other sources in which you analyze and discuss the material that has been assigned by addressing the following question:
- Discuss the reality and myths that have been presented when relating the history of the American Frontier and its development.
