According to Turner, why did the 'mountain man' and 'fur trader' represent the earliest stage of the frontier?
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Correct answer: They lived among Native peoples and acted as the vanguard of expansion
The fur trader was the 'pathfinder' who identified routes and resources. They often integrated into Native cultures, representing the first tentative step of European influence into the 'savagery' of the wilderness.
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More Turner's Frontier Thesis questions
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