According to the Frontier Thesis, the frontier acted as a 'safety valve' for American society by:
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Correct answer: Relieving Eastern tensions by offering the dissatisfied a fresh start
The safety valve theory suggested that the availability of free or cheap land in the West prevented class conflict and labor unrest in Eastern cities. If life became too difficult or crowded in the East, people could simply move West to seek new opportunities.
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More Turner's Frontier Thesis questions
- What specific event prompted Frederick Jackson Turner to write 'The Significance of the Frontier in American History'?
- Turner argued that the frontier promoted democracy because it:
- Which characteristic did Turner describe as a result of the 'Americanization' process on the frontier?
- Turner's thesis significantly challenged the previously dominant 'Germ Theory' of American history, which held that:
- According to Turner, the 'closing' of the frontier would likely lead to:
- In the Frontier Thesis, the frontier is defined less as a static boundary and more as: