2. Conquering and Settling the West
• Historian Frederick Jackson
Turner declared that the
vanishing western frontier played
a huge role in making the USA
unique
• What shaped the American
character: need to survive in
wilderness, against others,
practicality, individualism, and
democracy.
• Turner viewed the development
as accelerated version of
humanity’s natural progression
from hunter-gatherers to farmers
and city dwellers.
• Land of opportunity evolving
region
3. Conquering… (cont’d)
• Between Civil War and turn of century: Americans headed
west to territory between the Mississippi River and Pacific
Ocean, establishing farms, ranches, mines and towns.
• Hunger for wealth and land led Americans to graze Indian
villages and caused havoc
• Indian were confined to reservations in attempt to reduce
confrontation and violence.
• Unfortunately Americans took over the Indians and they
were unable to return to their original way of life.
• At the same time, Canada was moving into Indian lands and
suppressed their rebellions.
• Canada feared more of a possible US take over of what they
took over rather than Indian uprisings.
