Frontier Culture & Values:
The vastness of the American frontier
Influences from the American frontier permeating through culture and society can be narrowed down and described by the Turner thesis and the backcountry focus in Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer.
The Turner Thesis:
- Created by famous American historian Frederick Jackson Turner
- Describes the creation and development of the American characteristics of being democratic, aggressive, and innovative having stemmed from the American frontier experience
Turner's Point Of View:
Discovery party on the Navajo Mountain
This idea is usually known as the thesis, the belief that the story of the American West as a story of progress.
"The advance of the frontier has meant a steady movement away from the influence of Europe, a steady growth of independence on American lines"
"The advance of the frontier has meant a steady movement away from the influence of Europe, a steady growth of independence on American lines"
- Positive view on the conquering of the West
- Marginalizes the Native Americans
- Concentrated of the accomplishments of Americans
This is an example of a thesis being the generally accepted view, as also in the case of Jesse James with his Robin Hood image and his outlaw reality.
Albion's Seed:
"Every man at nature's table has a right to elbow room."
Leading advocate for natural liberty,
Patrick Henry pressed for
minimal government involvement
in people's lives
Patrick Henry pressed for
minimal government involvement
in people's lives
Historian David Fischer proposed that the four parts of American culture came from the four British folkways through the process of immigration.
Backcountry Freedom Ways (one of the four):
Backcountry Freedom Ways (one of the four):
- From the backcountry of Britain
- Embraced the idea of "natural freedom"
- The people valued their personal freedom
- Disliked a strong government and justice
- Jesse James grew up in this culture
| fischer-albionsseed.pdf |
Conclusion: The Turner interpretation of the West and the culture influence proposed by Fischer in Albion's Seed have described the culture of the South and the glamorization of the West, both which connect's to Jesse James's image and popularity as a hero to the South and why they embraced him.
Back to thesis
