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Western expansion in the 1800s US
Western expansion and how it affected america
Western expansion and how it affected america
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The author’s main theme of the chapter “Jackson’s Frontier—and Turner’s” seems to be theories on the creation and expansion of American development. The main person discussed in this chapter is Fredrick Jackson Turner, a historian from the University of Wisconsin. Turner presented a thesis titled “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” at the World’s Columbian Exposition and in the Johns Hopkins University seminar room in 1893. The central focus of his thesis was that “the existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American development” (130). This thesis sparked years of scholarship and historical debate after being examined under critical scrutiny. Before …show more content…
the author gets into the prominent details of the thesis, he explains the significance of theory. In one sense, theory can be defined as a hypothesis, but in a more broad sense, it can be defined as a body of truths presenting an orderly view of one big subject. When discussing their own theories, historians apply a set of coherent principles to explain a particular event. These theories can be derived from formal education, informal discussions, and reading about specific statistics, opinions, and philosophies. What the author calls a “grand theory” is what encourages historians to single out areas of investigation and only ask questions about those particular areas because everything else is irrelevant. Although it can be a positive for Historians to zone in on what they think is the most particular area of study, it can also be negative because what they think is irrelevant to the study could actually be very important. Many historians fall guilty to leaving out important aspects, including Fredrick Jackson Turner. As a further matter, the author expresses how Turner’s thesis is a perfect representation of a “grand theory.” Turner began the lecture on his thesis by claiming that there was a frontier line of settlement in the country all the way up until the year of 1881, and that is when the frontier line began to pass.
This, Turner said, was a great historical moment. He argued that the frontier line of settlement was something that returned human beings to a primitive state of nature and also something that allowed for evolution to take its course time and time again. Each new time the settlers would shed a bit of their European culture and form a new type of American culture. This evolution produced nationalism through the mixing of immigrants coming into one settlement, independence as the towns became more self-sufficient in getting their own material goods, and lastly democracy as social distinctions disappeared. The author goes on to explain how Turner believed that Andrew Jackson’s life was a perfect representation of the frontier evolution. Jackson was stripped of his European culture and it was replaced by a nationalistic democracy. An undergraduate student of Turner’s from Harvard went on to write a book dedicated to Turner, however the book denied Turner’s democratic conception of the frontier. This student was Thomas Perkins Abernethy, and he proposed that instead of there being a democracy, America was run only by speculators in real estate—with Andrew Jackson being one of the speculators. A third man, historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., then went on to write an article on the influence of eastern urban laboring classes on Jacksonian Democracy. This was not meant to attack Turner’s thesis, but rather to provide a more balanced view with an appreciation for both the country and city in the advance of America civilization. He had also proposed the idea that it was Jackson’s method of laboring that made him the leader of his
people. The authors analysis did not change my mind about the subject but rather broadened my knowledge of the particular topic. I agree with his analysis because he provides extensive amounts of information on the most popular theories of how American culture developed and even gave reasons as to how these theories may be flawed. The author does not come to a direct conclusion about which theory is he thinks is the most accurate but instead expresses the research and process that historians must go through in order to come up with such theories. I learned how when it comes to theories and hypothesizing, the questions that are brought about in the process are almost as important as the answers that you come up with. Theories can easily be criticized and it is hard to justify your theory if you haven’t done the testing and research to support your conclusions. This is the problem that many historians fall into, other than leaving out important aspects of information. I also learned that by focusing on different aspects of information, different conclusions can be confirmed about the same person in the same time period. For example, for the few different historians who wrote on Jackson’s role in the advancement of American development, Jackson was seen as three completely different people. His role was seen as a frontier democrat to Turner, an aristocratic planter and speculator to Abernethy, and a friend of labor to Schlesinger.
The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians was written by Anthony F.C. Wallace. In his book, the main argument was how Andrew Jackson had a direct affect on the mistreatment and removal of the native Americans from their homelands to Indian Territory. It was a trail of blood, a trail of death, but ultimately it was known as the "Trail of Tears".
There are many ways in which we can view the history of the American West. One view is the popular story of Cowboys and Indians. It is a grand story filled with adventure, excitement and gold. Another perspective is one of the Native Plains Indians and the rich histories that spanned thousands of years before white discovery and settlement. Elliot West’s book, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, offers a view into both of these worlds. West shows how the histories of both nations intertwine, relate and clash all while dealing with complex geological and environmental challenges. West argues that an understanding of the settling of the Great Plains must come from a deeper understanding, a more thorough knowledge of what came before the white settlers; “I came to believe that the dramatic, amusing, appalling, wondrous, despicable and heroic years of the mid-nineteenth century have to be seen to some degree in the context of the 120 centuries before them” .
The generalization that, “The decision of the Jackson administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s was more a reformulation of the national policy that had been in effect since the 1790s than a change in that policy,” is valid. Ever since the American people arrived at the New World they have continually driven the Native Americans out of their native lands. Many people wanted to contribute to this removal of the Cherokees and their society. Knox proposed a “civilization” of the Indians. President Monroe continued Knox’s plan by developing ways to rid of the Indians, claiming it would be beneficial to all. Andrew Jackson ultimately fulfilled the plan. First of all, the map [Document A] indicates the relationship between time, land, and policies, which affected the Indians. The Indian Tribes have been forced to give up their land as early as the 1720s. Between the years of 1721 and 1785, the Colonial and Confederation treaties forced the Indians to give up huge portions of their land. During Washington's, Monroe's, and Jefferson's administration, more and more Indian land was being commandeered by the colonists. The Washington administration signed the Treaty of Holston and other supplements between the time periods of 1791 until 1798 that made the Native Americans give up more of their homeland land. The administrations during the 1790's to the 1830's had gradually acquired more and more land from the Cherokee Indians. Jackson followed that precedent by the acquisition of more Cherokee lands. In later years, those speaking on behalf of the United States government believed that teaching the Indians how to live a more civilized life would only benefit them. Rather than only thinking of benefiting the Indians, we were also trying to benefit ourselves. We were looking to acquire the Indians’ land. In a letter to George Washington, Knox says we should first is to destroy the Indians with an army, and the second is to make peace with them. The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act of 1793 began to put Knox’s plan into effect. The federal government’s promise of supplying the Indians with animals, agricultural tool...
However, it is relevant that we understand the ripple effect that Turner’s thesis had on the world. Soon to be President had already written three of the fourteen four volumes of Winning the West, prior to reading the pamphlet. The concern I see that effects our society is that Turner was able through a speech able to not on influence but encourage Roosevelt to continue to write more in regards to Winning the Race in the West. The impact of Turner’s ideas and Roosevelt’s rise to presidency are a great indication of how significant the thesis was through the “frontiers” which included the Chinese Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine-American War. During both of these engagements, American soldiers were accused and found guilty of brutally beating, killing and even raping women and men in both regions. The tolerance of “manifest destiny” was still alive and well as Roosevelt then Governor of the Philippines would soon take over as President of the United States in 1904. Although this was a negative impact, this is still significant to our history even
America has always been a land of opportunity ever since the pilgrims first arrived. During the infancy of America’s history, the country was under developed and would be considered a third world country today. Even though America was under developed compared to the previous motherland of Great Britain it always had the potential to exceed the many limits set upon by others. For example, Andrew Jackson, also known as the man of the people, was raised by a single mother who struggled to raise two other children and struggled with economic hardships. Regardless of his upbringings, Andrew Jackson became the seventh president of the United States in which he invited the public to his inaugural ball. Some people who migrated from other countries to America, such as Frances Trollope, failed to recognize the potential that America had. Instead of Mrs. Trollope acknowledging the promises the newly found country had, she decided to critically compare it to her homeland.
This historical document, The Frontier as a Place of Conquest and Conflict, focuses on the 19th Century in which a large portion of society faced discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and religion. Its author, Patricia N. Limerick, describes the differences seen between the group of Anglo Americans and the minority groups of Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics Americans and African Americans. It is noted that through this document, Limerick exposes us to the laws and restrictions imposed in addition to the men and women who endured and fought against the oppression in many different ways. Overall, the author, Limerick, exposes the readers to the effects that the growth and over flow of people from the Eastern on to the Western states
Earle, Johnathan H. Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil 1824-1854. The University of North Carolina Press, 2004.
"Chapter 2 Western Settlement and the Frontier." Major Problems in American History: Documents and Essays. Ed. Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde. 3rd ed. Vol. II: Since 1865. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 37-68. Print.
Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom 1822-1832. Vol. 2. NY: Harper & Row, 1981. Print.
In this study, the author familiarizes The Bank of the United States and Andrew Jackson 's fabrication of an anticipating war, which inadvertently saves America. During the 1820’s and 1830’s, The Bank War, a war between the Bank of the United States and President Andrew Jackson, resulted beneficially to America 's future for numerous reasons. Jackson set standards and pushed boundaries, creating larger presidential responsibilities. The Bank of the United States, which earned a prevailing bad reputation along with a substantial amount of animosity, was abolished. While Jackson and the Bank quarreled, they both unknowingly played a role in constituting a tenacious executive branch. A majority of American 's have over-looked the Bank War’s importance to modern society, this inspired the author of “Andrew Jackson and the Bank War”, Robert V. Remini, to emphasize the importance of the Bank of the United States destruction, maximize presidential powers, and the optimization of the governments Executive Branch.
Andrew Jackson, Southerner, by Mark Cheathem, is an in-depth book on President Jackson’s life and ideologies. Cheatham is a professor at Cumberland University, which is located thirty minutes away from the Hermitage, Jackson’s mansion. His knowledge of the period, lifestyle, and specifically Andrew Jackson’s life while at the Hermitage is astounding. The bulk of his works and article dove into the Jacksonian period and America’s early republic. From the rise of the Democrats to the life of Andrew Jackson’s nephew, Cheathem is a historian who studies ninteenth century history. However, bias was present in the book, since he depicted the South in a positive light. Perhaps, it is because he is from the South. At any rate, slight bias is present within the book, and should be noted when taking into account Jackson’s background, and its effect on Jackson’s
Many causes fueling America's need to expand and acquire new lands existed. One of the reasons was Americans were experiencing "a large birthrate increase due to immigration. And because agriculture provided the primary economic structure, large f...
At first, we were a nation of immigrants that prospered in a way that people have never seen. America is known as the land of opportunity, we have innovativeness, and when you really work hard you can definitely make a change for yourself. Turner coins American development by the westward movement. Moving west, and tapping the resources given to us is what made us different. Turner’s thesis is, “The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain[s] American development. The idea that success came from moving west. This idea wraps up how America became the nation to be.
He expresses that the point of his argumentative paper is basically to point out the frontier as a fertile field for examination, and to recommend a portion of the issues which emerge regarding it. He provides some proof for his claims, for example, maps to indicate how the frontier moved after some time. The quality of his argument is in the logic and novelty of his thoughts; it is just natural that in the wilderness the pieces of clothing of civilization would need to be peeled off, that he should acknowledge the conditions which the wilderness outfits, or die. The reactions of the Frontier Thesis are trenchant and shifted. As Frontier Thesis proponent Ray Allen Billington notes, Turner never characterizes the "Frontier." Turner calls it numerous things including a condition of society as opposed to a place, a procedure, a migrating area, a perspective, a meeting place amongst brutality and civilization and the transitory limit of an extending society at the edge of significantly free lands. This not characterizing of the frontier by Turner is a shortcoming of his argument. Billington noticed that the hypothesis that free-land was a wellbeing valve for urban dwellers has been refuted by later research showing that the majority of the free land of the West was purchased up via land theorists and that the greater part of the migration in the nineteenth century was to the urban areas, not to the
The concept of aggressive expansion sometimes also, somewhat ironically, called American Imperialism is being recognized as a phenomena of the 19th century by most historians. However some credit its start with the first colonization of the Northern American continent. For example the historian Paul Kennedy wrote; "From the time the first settlers arrived in Virginia from England and started moving westward, this was an imperial nation, a conquering nation." (P. Kennedy, 2002) Meaning that even the Western expansion should be considered an act of aggressive expansion which makes sense considering the land was already inhabited by Native Americans. While true that the Early US foreign policy is described as isolationist in its behaviour to other recognized nations, the reason for it is the view of western expansion as a discovery, not conquest. This is due to the difference in culture, specifically the concept of ownership of land, between the Indians and the white colonists. This “exploration” is the main reason for the later changes and cultural acceptance of aggressive expansion; there of course were other contributing factors, such as Manifest Destiny, Louisiana Purchase and the developing Nationalism, which will be analysed in the next part of this essay. The presented terms are frequently used as an argument to explain the US cultural mind-set in the 19th century and its continued tradition. While the concept of conquest can still be found even in today’s US, it was a partial failure in the 19th century. This paper will analyse the individual cultural concepts that developed in this time period and will answer what was the cause for its failure, and what the consequences were.