5 - History

05 History

Listen to a discussion in a history class.

When we study history without knowing it. When reading somebody’s interpretation of what happened and why it happened the way history is written is obviously a very important thing, especially as it relates to how people form their own conceptions of history.

With that in mind. Today I want to talk about the frontier thesis, which as we all know was formulated by the American historian Frederick Turner.

Let’s see who can get the class a brief summary of what the frontier thesis is all due to Troy.

Some it stirs idea of the single most important factor in the shaping of American society wasn’t unique, frontier history, according to Turner evil in the United States gained many trades based on living on the frontier on the society evolved as the frontier became more developed okay and that Americans gain some particular traits.

As a result of the frontier life. What are some of those traits?

Oh, individualism and self-reliance. Mostly that’s right. What are some other traits, inventiveness and also materialism good okay when Turner first published the significance of the frontier in American history?

In 1893. It caused a huge storm in the University’s what you think. The controversy was about. Well, I think that it was because it sort of reversed what all the other historians were saying about American society in history which was white but the institutions of the United States were primarily influenced by the English on the Germans so Turner turned those ideas on their back.

He also asserted that it was the Europeans that were affected by American settlement rather than vice versa. Given what we know about how history was being written at the time.

Why else would such a claim be controversial? Wasn’t Turner one of the first historians trained in the United States.

Yes, that’s right before he and most historians went to Europe to study so I guess there could have also been an element of discontent with the way Europeans were portrayed.

I mean to suggest that Europe was influenced by America at the time must have been jarring brother historians might’ve conceived that the European influence was much stronger.

Well, it’s true that most historians were trained in Europe that it wasn’t only in you that there were strong reactions.

The impact of the paper wasn’t based on the assumptions of which country was more powerful.

It really had more to do with the complete originality of the things Turner sent and remember Turner’s frontier thesis didn’t become the model that people used in learning about the development in the United States for at least 50 years after it was written that Turner didn’t necessarily stop with his frontier thesis. In fact, throughout his life.

He continued to form theories about American history from your readings. What were some of the ways that Turner changed his tune, so to speak, from his original theory will one that stuck out to me was how it first.

You totally glorified people moving out west because it supposedly spoke to the self-reliance and mobility of the American people, but later he wrote another paper where he pretty much flip-flopped on the issue and accuse those people rooting the environment and only caring about themselves that was a pretty interesting switch wasn’t and what solutions did Turner propose for those problems.

I mean Americans becoming distanced from each other and the degradation of the environment. The one thing he thought that Americans needed to promote community life.

He also proposed environmental conservation such as taking care of the forest instead of cutting down the trees indiscriminately. Oh, and didn’t. He also stressed the importance of the education system.

Yes, he dad essentially, he thought that people didn’t really need to explore geographic frontiers. Instead, he supposed that the developing country needed to promote the exploration of educational frontiers.

24) What is the discussion mainly about?

25) According to the discussion, which are traits that Americans gained as a result of their frontier history? choose 2 answers.

26) Listen again to part of the discussion. Then answer the question.

So I guess there could have also been an element of discontent with the way Europeans were portrayed. I mean to suggest that Europe was influenced by America at the time must have been jarring brother historians might’ve conceived about the European influence was much stronger.

Well, it’s true that most historians were trained in Europe that it wasn’t only in you that there were strong reactions.

The impact of the paper wasn’t based on the assumptions of which country was more powerful. It really had more to do with the complete originality of the things Turner sent why does the professor say this, the impact of the paper wasn’t based on the assumptions of which country was more powerful. It really had more to do with the complete originality of the things Turner sent.

27) Listen again to part of the discussion. Then answer the question.

from your readings. What were some of the ways that Turner changed his tune, so to speak, from his original theory will one that stuck out to me was how it first. You totally glorified people moving out west because it supposedly spoke to the self-reliance and mobility of the American people, but later he wrote another paper where he pretty much flip-flopped on the issue and accuse those people rooting the environment and only caring about themselves that was a pretty interesting switch wasn’t

What does the professor mean when she says: this was a pretty interesting switch wasn’t?

28) How does the professor organize the information about Turner’s later work?

29) What can be inferred about education during the mid-19th century?