US History - Section 1 The impact of the ending of the fontier

In the early 1890’s how many developments suggested that the Weter Fronter was now closed ?

2

What was the 1890 US Census Bureau declaration ?

• Declared that the West was now fully settled and that there was no longer the frontier

What did the 1890 US Census Bureau declaration show about the US ?

There was no longer undeveloped land available for the first time ever

Who was F.W. Turner and what did he have ?

• Academic historian who’s 1893 conference paper ‘The significance of the frontier in American History’ had a wide influence both at the time and has been debated ever since

What did F.W Turner argue (2) ?

• The availability of free land acted as a safety valve against social disharmony

• The difficulty of settlement led to self - reliance and independence among Americans

What were the negatives of the both cases in the ending of the frontier ?

• There was much land within the USA which was still unoccupied and vast resources were still to be developed

What was the consequence of life on the frontier being harsh ?

• Many settlers returned East

• Nature of the settlement changed over time and within different regions

What did the Civil War mean for the Vast Cattle ranches ?

Cattle’s roamed over huge unfenced areas before being driven to railheads by cowboys on long drives

What did the extension of railroads mean for the long drives and cowboys ?

• Long drives were less necessary while harsh winter in 1885 and 1887 killed as many as 90 % of the cattle

How did the industry recover from the harsh winter conditions and what did they need, what was the consequence ?

• Recovered by importing new breeds

• They needed more care - ranches became smaller and enclosed by barbed wire

What did the Great Plains become and what did the large - scale farms have ?

• Area of farm growing wheat and other crops using machines such as reapers and threshing machines

• Some large - scale farms were able to afford new technologies and methods were appearing

What was the myth of the frontier and what did these myths make people be ?

• USA needed new areas to settle and civilise

• Myth that Americans were restless people who were always seeking a new challenge

• These myths made people dynamic

Ho was the myth of the frontier perpetuated ?

• Popular entertainment about the West with ‘Wild West’ shows and rodeos which showed cowboys riding and roping skills, novels and films

What did the ‘Wild West’ films celebrate ?

• Wars against the Native Americans ans the fight against lawlessness (bringing ‘civilisation’ into the wild areas)

What issue did the closing of the western frontier lead to ?

• Coincided wth growth of ideas of imperialism within the USA

• If Internal Frontiers no longer existed then external ones did - Americans looked for new frontiers in partially and undeveloped countries