Question
In the mid-1800s, Manifest Destiny—the belief that the U.S. was culturally superior and destined to expand its land and influence—led the country to expand its borders to the west. By 1890, Americans had settled enough western lands for the U.S. Census Bureau to declare that there was no longer a western frontier. In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner expressed concern about the end of the frontier. Read an excerpt from Turner's essay. Then answer the question below.
This perennial rebirth . . . this expansion westward with its new opportunities . . . [defines] American character . . . . So long as free land exists, the opportunity for a competency exists, and economic power secures political power . . . .
Since the days when the fleet of Columbus sailed into the waters of the New World, America has been another name for opportunity . . . . the American energy will continually demand a wider field for its exercise. But never again will such gifts of free land offer themselves . . . .
And now, four centuries from the discovery of America, at the end of a hundred years of life under the Constitution, the frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.
perennial
:
continual
Based on the excerpt, why would Turner be concerned that there was no longer a western frontier for the U.S. to explore?
This perennial rebirth . . . this expansion westward with its new opportunities . . . [defines] American character . . . . So long as free land exists, the opportunity for a competency exists, and economic power secures political power . . . .
Since the days when the fleet of Columbus sailed into the waters of the New World, America has been another name for opportunity . . . . the American energy will continually demand a wider field for its exercise. But never again will such gifts of free land offer themselves . . . .
And now, four centuries from the discovery of America, at the end of a hundred years of life under the Constitution, the frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.
perennial
:
continual
Based on the excerpt, why would Turner be concerned that there was no longer a western frontier for the U.S. to explore?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Frederick Jackson Turner expressed concern about the closing of the western frontier because he believed that the frontier was central to the development of American character and identity. In his view, the westward expansion represented continual opportunities for economic growth and the pursuit of personal prosperity. The availability of "free land" fostered a sense of individualism and encouraged American energy and ambition.
With the end of the frontier, Turner worried that this unique source of opportunity, which had shaped the values and psyche of the nation, was lost. He suggested that, without the prospect of expansion and new frontiers to explore, Americans would struggle to find new avenues for growth and fulfillment. This ending marked not only a geographical closure but also a symbolic and historical endpoint to a vital phase of American history. Turner foresaw potential challenges in maintaining the dynamism and innovative spirit that defined American society when the frontier no longer provided a stage for those qualities to flourish.
With the end of the frontier, Turner worried that this unique source of opportunity, which had shaped the values and psyche of the nation, was lost. He suggested that, without the prospect of expansion and new frontiers to explore, Americans would struggle to find new avenues for growth and fulfillment. This ending marked not only a geographical closure but also a symbolic and historical endpoint to a vital phase of American history. Turner foresaw potential challenges in maintaining the dynamism and innovative spirit that defined American society when the frontier no longer provided a stage for those qualities to flourish.