Turner argued that the frontier promoted democracy because it:
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Correct answer: Required local self-government and discouraged hierarchy
Life on the frontier was equalizing because survival depended on individual effort rather than family status or wealth. This environment fostered a brand of 'frontier democracy' characterized by a distrust of centralized authority and a preference for local control.
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More Turner's Frontier Thesis questions
- 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:
- Which of the following was a major criticism of Turner's thesis by later 'New Western Historians'?
- How did Turner describe the impact of the frontier on the power of the federal government?