Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis

In Frederick Jackson Turners Frontier Thesis, he defines the frontier as a meeting point between savagery and civilization and wilderness that shapes people. After migrating to the frontier, the colonists are finally able to overcome it and make it their own and creates an opportunity for settlers to start fresh or stay put. Americanization occurred at the frontier when settlers began transforming it into their own version of their homelands. This concept would eventually lead to the settlement further West, as people were encourage to move through with the promise of better futures. America has always been associated with the notion of being the land of the free which created a feeling of confidence in whatever ventures may lie ahead. When
the frontier closed in 1890 it marked the end of expansion, as it was proven by the census that the density of two people per square mile had increased, showing that the nation was now well-established and settled.
The ideas of West, Kasson, and Turner were useful in interpreting the West and all of its glory since an accurate timeline was provided with the events that helped create and shape the West. Having these reliable sources allow for a precise analysis of the West and require little outside knowledge as they were all informative and thorough. Although the wars with the Indians were not a high point in American history, it was a necessary event to develop a country that could come together as one nation and prove its power to the rest of the world.