Rereading Frederick Jackson Turner

Description

“The best assembly of Turner’s essays now available. Faragher’s introductory and concluding commentaries add considerably to the import of the book.”—Stephen Aron, University of California, Los Angeles “Still ranks as the most influential piece of writing on American history.”—Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer, A Notable Book of 1994 “Faragher’s invaluable afterword . . . provides a judicious introduction to the issues that divide the revisionist New Western Historians from Turner and his disciples.”—Michael Kammen, FanFare Frederick Jackson Turner is often considered to be the most influential American historian of the century, and his views continue to shape the controversial field of Western American history. In this book, John Mack Faragher introduces and comments on ten of Turner’s most significant essays, concluding with a comment on the recent debate over Turner’s legacy and his effect on Americans’ understanding of their national character. Contents Introduction. “A Nation Thrown Back Upon Itself”: Frederick Jackson Turner And The Frontier One. The Significance of History (1891) Two. The Significance of the Frontier in American History (1893) Three. The Problem of the West (1896) Four. Contributions of the West to American Democracy (1903) Five. Pioneer Ideals and the State University (191O) Six. Social Forces in American History (1910) Seven. The West and American Ideals (1914) Eight. Middle Western Pioneer Democracy (1918) Nine. Sections and Nation (1922) Ten. The Significance of the Section in American History (1925) Afterword. The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: A Guide to Further Reading Notes