1. A Timeless Consumer Product
The West
A Timeless Consumer Product

2. The Most Important Historical Paper in History: A Closed Frontier?
Frederick Jackson Turner’s The Significance of the Frontier in American History
Delivered at the World Columbian Exposition, (World’s Fair)
Chicago 1893
Critical Crossroads:
US Census of 1890 can not delineate a “Frontier Line” for first time in US History

3. The Turner Thesis
The Frontier divided Civilization from Savagery and forged the American Character.
The Frontier inculcated the MOST AMERICAN Values to America: Rugged Individualism, Democracy, Hard Work, Independence, Equality.
The Frontier was a place of Continual Re-Birth of the American Spirit.
Progress requires a retreat into a primitive state to elevate into a more advanced state. Waves of settlement made America progress.
The Frontier acted as an escape valve for social turmoil and social decay.
The Frontier was the Most American part of America and was the great assimilator.

5. Retreat to Primitive State

6. American Values
American Escape Valve
American Assimilator

7. Progress

16. “The Old Story” By
Charlie M. Russell
What is Russell suggesting about the Frontier?

17. A.T. Andreas’
History of Chicago
Founder: Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable