An Analysis of American History by Frederick Jackson Turner

AMERICAN HISTORY
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An Analysis of American History by Frederick Jackson Turner
Turner’s "Frontier Thesis" presents a clear description of American history. In his argument, Turner explains that description of the history of America is similar to a description of the history of colonization of the Great West. The development of America is well explainable with the progression of the American settlement westwards. In his argument, Turner analyzes the first nations merely as key stake holders in struggle of English settlement and insignificant in the colonial history. In fact, this is one argument that has raised a lot of criticism among scholars. Similarly, Turner’s other argument that has faced criticism is his take on the insignificance of the fur trade.[Turner, Frederick Jackson The Frontier in American History (New York, UBC Publisher, 1921), 12] [Turner, 15]
According to Limerick, the fur trade served as a key influence for the commercial enmity of the new colonies of the New England, France, and Indians. Though Turner exemplifies the frontier as being merely western and English, this, according to Limerick, disregards the frontier faced by colonialists of the French origin on their borders. Moreover, it disregards the frontiers of the English colonies such as in Massachusetts.[Nelson, Limerick, Petricia, Turnerians All: The Dream of a Helpful History in an Intelligent World (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995), 700] [Limerick, 700]
Turner lays off the assumptions that First Nations were substantial in the ancient American history. The description presented concerning the First Nations makes use of imprecise terms such as "savagery" and "Indian country". This enriches his argument of the fact that settlers were occupying the "free land". In "free", Turner refers to the fact that the land was free when the Pilgrims and Puritans who had settled there in the 1620s and 1630s. By 1637, Massachusetts had affianced in a scuffle with the non-existent natives of the land.[Turner, Frederick Jackson The Frontier in American History (New York, UBC Publisher, 1921), 39] [Turner, Frederick Jackson The Frontier in American History (New York, UBC Publisher, 1921), 46] [Turner, 42]
Turner also argues that France and England perceived the Indians as the chief Courier of military supremacy during the 18th century. This led to formation of alliances with a succession of colonial wars leading to the American Revolution. An alliance of the French with the Abenakis was used as a tool for triggering overwhelming attacks in New England. The French, also had many supporters in the Ohio and the Great Lake which made them drive the English settlement back thus a reverse of the downturn of the frontier. France was also troubled by the First Nations, particularly the Iroquois Alliance. France had engaged in a number of wars with the Iroquois and Indian associates. Therefore, in 1700s, France established peace with the Iroquois as a strategy of getting ready for a war with England.[Turner, 222] [Turner, 300] [Turner, 301] [Turner, 333]
Argument by Patricia Nelson Limerick on Turner’s "Frontier" Thesis
In...