Shaping The American Character

A critique of American ideas that first discusses how America became the nation that it is and then suggests how it could become the nation that it should be.

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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.

A critique of American ideas. The first half of the book deals with how America became the nation that it is; the second half suggests how it could become the nation that it should be. "Every Christian interested in the welfare of his or her country should read this excellent volume." (Robert G. Clouse, Department of History, Indiana State University)

2014 Reprint of 1894 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. The "Frontier Thesis" or "Turner Thesis," is the argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1894 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 consequences of a ostensibly limitless frontier and that American democracy and egalitarianism were the principle results. In Turner's 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, nor for landed gentry who controlled most of the land and charged heavy rents. Frontier land was 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 very wide acclaim among historians and intellectuals. Turner's 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.

Reproduction of the original: The Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner

America is the most powerful, influential nation on the planet today. However, its history has undergone significant debate and revision in recent years. This book provides a unique vantage point into our past by exploring the lives of key Americans and the role they played during pivotal moments. While our union has been imperfect, America has been a force for good, expanding the cause of freedom at home and abroad. In these pages, there is an exploration of America’s eight defining ideals—resilience, fairness, faith, drive, sacrifice, innovativeness, daring, and industriousness—by discussing how forty different Americans, from all walks of life, embodied these traits in their own life. From Presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt to freedom fighters like Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., business tycoons Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and even cultural sensations like Bing Crosby and Jackie Robinson, readers will learn about all aspects of American history. The time periods covered include the founding of our country, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, the World Wars, Cold War, and up through the War on Terror. As they finish this book, readers will better understand what it means to be an American and what values to espouse in their own lives to ensure they leave an even greater nation for future generations.