Turner's thesis significantly challenged the previously dominant 'Germ Theory' of American history, which held that:
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Correct answer: American institutions were inherited from Germanic/Teutonic tribes
Before Turner, historians largely believed American democracy was simply an evolution of ancient European/Germanic traditions. Turner shifted the focus from 'heredity' to 'environment,' arguing the land itself made Americans who they were.
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More Turner's Frontier Thesis questions
- 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?
- The 'safety valve' theory was particularly important during which period of U.S. history?
- Turner suggested that the frontier helped create a 'composite nationality' by: