American frontier

Quick Facts: Who was American frontier?

Subject:

American frontier

Known for:

The historical region encompassing American expansion from early settlements to 1912.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The American frontier encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last few contiguous western territories as states in 1912. This era of massive migration and settlement was particularly encouraged by President Thomas Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase, giving rise to the expansionist attitude known as "manifest destiny" and historians' "Frontier Thesis". The legends, historical events, and folklore of the American frontier, known as the frontier myth, have embedded themselves into United States culture so much so that the Old West, and the Western genre of media specifically, has become one of the defining features of American national identity. Historians have debated at length as to when the frontier era began, when it ended, and which were its key sub-periods. For example, the Old West subperiod is sometimes used by historians regarding the time from the end of the American Civil War in 1865 to when the Superintendent of the Census, William Rush Merriam, stated that the U.S. Census Bureau would stop recording western frontier settlement as part of its census categories after the 1890 U.S. census.

Career & Major Achievements

His successors however continued the practice until the 1920 census. Others, including the Library of Congress and the University of Oxford, often cite differing points reaching into the early 1900s; typically within the first two decades before American entry into World War I. A period known as "The Western Civil War of Incorporation" lasted from the 1850s to 1919. This period includes historical events synonymous with the archetypical Old West or "Wild West" such as violent conflict arising from encroaching settlement into frontier land, the removal and assimilation of natives, consolidation of property to large corporations and government, vigilantism, and the attempted enforcement of laws upon outlaws. In 1890, Merriam, the Superintendent of the Census, stated: "Up to and including 1880 the country had a frontier of land, but at present the unsettled area has been so broken into by isolated bodies of settlement that there can hardly be said to be a frontier line. In the discussion of its extent, its westward movement, etc., it can not, therefore, any longer have a place in the census reports." Despite this, the later 1900 U.S. census continued to show the westward frontier line, and his successors continued the practice.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

By the 1910 U.S. census however, the frontier had shrunk into divided areas without a singular westward line of settlement. An influx of agricultural homesteaders in the first two decades of the 20th century, taking up more acreage than homestead grants in the entirety of the 19th century, is cited to have significantly reduced open land. A frontier is a zone of contact at the edge of a line of settlement. Theorist Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier was the scene of a defining process of American civilization: "The frontier," he asserted, "promoted the formation of a composite nationality for the American people." He theorized it was a process of development: "This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward...furnish[es] the forces dominating American character." Turner's ideas since 1893 have inspired generations of historians (and critics) to explore multiple individual American frontiers, but the popular folk frontier concentrates on the settlement of lands west of the Mississippi River, in what is now the Midwest, Texas, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and the West Coast. Enormous popular attention was focused on the Western United States (especially the Southwest) in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, from the 1850s to the 1910s.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1865: 1865 Milestone — For example, the Old West subperiod is sometimes used by historians regarding the time from the end of the American Civil War in 1865 to when the Superintendent of the Census, William Rush Merriam, stated that the U.
2. 1890: 1890 Milestone — Census Bureau would stop recording western frontier settlement as part of its census categories after the 1890 U.
3. 1893: 1893 Milestone — " Turner's ideas since 1893 have inspired generations of historians (and critics) to explore multiple individual American frontiers, but the popular folk frontier concentrates on the settlement of lands west of the Mississippi River, in what is now the Midwest, Texas, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and the West Coast.
4. 1912: 1912 Milestone — The American frontier encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last few contiguous western territories as states in 1912.
5. 1919: 1919 Milestone — A period known as "The Western Civil War of Incorporation" lasted from the 1850s to 1919.
6. 1920: 1920 Milestone — His successors however continued the practice until the 1920 census.

Notable Quotes by American frontier

“The frontier... promoted the formation of a composite nationality for the American people.”

“The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American development.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: American frontier

True or False: “Did William Rush Merriam state that the frontier line was still a primary feature in the 1920 U.S. census?”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Merriam stated that by the time of the 1890 census, the unsettled area was too broken up to have a clear frontier line.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. E. van Vogt — Historical peer (Born in 1912) (1912): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• Abubakar Tafawa Balewa — Historical peer (Born in 1912) (1912): First and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, a dominant figure in the nation's independence.
• A. P. Hill — Historical peer (Died in 1865) (1865): Confederate general who distinguished himself in the American Civil War.
• Abraham Isaac Kook — Historical peer (Born in 1865) (1865): Pioneering Orthodox Rabbi and Father of Religious Zionism.
• Abdul Ghaffar Khan — Historical peer (Born in 1890) (1890): Pioneering nonviolent activist and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement.
• Agatha Christie — Historical peer (Born in 1890) (1890): The 'Queen of Crime,' a master of the mystery genre, best-selling author of all time.
• Abraham Kuyper — Historical peer (Died in 1920) (1920): Influential neo-Calvinist pastor, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani — Historical peer (Born in 1920) (1920): Emir of Qatar (1960–1972) whose reign oversaw the nation's oil boom and independence.
• Adelina Patti — Historical peer (Died in 1919) (1919): Legendary Spanish-Italian soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and lyrical voice.
• Ahmed Abdallah — Historical peer (Born in 1919) (1919): Comorian politician who served as President of the Comoros from 1978 to 1989.

Frequently Asked Questions about American frontier