Hist 406 Midterm Primary Source Identification

Argued the frontier shaped American democracy, individualism, and innovation

• Speech by Frederick Jackson Turner 

• “Significance of the Frontier in American History”  

• Speech to the American Historical Association in 1893 

• Based on the 1890 Census declaring the closing of the frontier 

• Introduced the Frontier Thesis, linking U.S. democracy and culture to westward expansion 

• Shifted historical focus from the East Coast to the frontier as the key to American identity 

• Argued frontier life shaped American democracy, individualism, and innovation. 

• Suggested that the closing of the frontier marked the end of an era and raised concerns about the future 

• Influenced U.S. expansion policies and historical interpretations, though later criticized for ignoring Native perspectives 

Exposed lynching as racial terror and criticized legal failures

• “Lynch Law in America”; written by Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1900) 

• Published in The Arena in 1900, exposing the real motives behind lynching 

• Debunked the myth that lynching was primarily a response to assaults on white women 

• Documented lynchings as public spectacles, often encouraged by community leaders and the media 

• Challenged the “unwritten law” used to justify racial violence 

• Revealed that many lynching victims were innocent or never accused of assault 

• Criticized how legal systems failed Black Americans, allowing racial terror to persist 

• Influenced early civil rights activism, laying groundwork for future anti-lynching campaigns 

Criminalized dissent, suppressed free speech, and targeting anti-war activists

• The Sedition Act of 1918; signed into law by President Woodrow and passed by Congress 

• Passed in May 1918, amending the Espionage Act of 1917 to future restrict war-time dissent 

• Criminalized false statements, disloyal speech, or interference with the war effort 

• Severe penalties: Up to $10,000 in fines and 20 years in prison 

• Prohibited anti-government, and anti-military, or anti-flag speech 

• Banned criticism of U.S. war efforts or actions that might aid enemies 

• Gave the postmaster general authority to black mail violating the Act 

• Used to suppress anti-war activists, socialists, and dissenters, including Eugene V. Debs 

• Led to mass arrests and censorship, sparking debates over free speech vs. National security 

• Repealed in 1920, but influenced later laws restricting civil liberties 

Defended white, Protestant supremacy, reflecting 1920s nativist and racist views

• Hiram Evans on “The Klan’s Fight for Americanism” (1926) 

• Written by Hiram W. Evans, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan 

• Published in 1926 in the North American Review  

• Outlines the Klan’s ideology of “Native, White, Protestant Supremacy” 

• Americanism & Patriotism: Advocated for “America for Americans,” rejecting immigrants and non-Protestants 

• White Supremacy: claimed racial conflict was inevitable and whites must maintain control 

• Protestant Supremacy: viewed Catholicism as a threat to American ideals 

• Citizenship & Governance: encouraged political engagement while asserting the Klan’s role in promoting “good government”  

• Reflected the nativist, anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, and racist sentiments of the 1920s 

• Helped justify discrimination and exclusion in politics and society 

• Part of the Second Klan’s rise to mainstream acceptance, particularly in middle-class America 

Called for wealth redistribution to combat economic inequality during the Depression

• During the great depression; Huey P. Long, Louisiana’s populist senator and former governor, promoted radical wealth redistribution to combat economic inequality 

• Though critics labeled him a demagogue, his “Share Our wealth” movement gained national support before his 1925 assassination 

• Economic inequality: attacked the extreme wealth gap, arguing that no one should be excessively rich while millions starved 

• Wealth redistribution: proposed capping fortunes at $5-$50 million and ensuring every family had at least $5,000 for a home and necessities 

• Minimum income: advocated for a guaranteed family income of $2,000-$2,500 

• Work & education: called for reduced work hours, universal education, and pensions for the elderly 

• Long's vision sought to eliminate poverty and create economic fairness, but his ambitious reforms never materialized