Why was the frontier important in American history?
The environment of the frontier was so strong that it created a tradition of self-sufficiency that is distinctly American and promoted a composite American nationality. People from many countries moved west, resulting in a melting pot of cultures and a multicultural American identity.
What were some of the reasons settlers chose to live in the West?
What were some of the reasons settlers chose to move to the west? To escape the law, get rich, or start a new life. What were some obstacles or hardships faced by settlers traveling west? Native Americans, bad weather, lack of food, and illness.
How did manifest destiny affect Native Americans?
To these white settlers, the Indian tribes were standing in the way of progress and of America’s manifest destiny. Americans declared that it was their duty, their manifest destiny, which compelled them to seize, settle, and cultivate the land.
What attracted settlers to the West?
Pioneer settlers were sometimes pulled west because they wanted to make a better living. Others received letters from friends or family members who had moved west. These letters often told about a good life on the frontier. The biggest factor that pulled pioneers west was the opportunity to buy land.
What challenges did settlers face in the West?
As settlers and homesteaders moved westward to improve the land given to them through the Homestead Act, they faced a difficult and often insurmountable challenge. The land was difficult to farm, there were few building materials, and harsh weather, insects, and inexperience led to frequent setbacks.
What does the woman represent in the American Progress painting?
By creating the heavenly woman in the center, who bears the innovative telegraph wire in her left hand, Gast introduces the main argument of the painting: the idea that it was the heavenly duty of Americans to expand the country all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This idea surely resonated with people at the time.
What significance does Turner give to the frontier in shaping American history?
By articulating the end of the American frontier and calling for new frontier abroad, Turner laid the intellectual groundwork for a new kind of U.S. foreign policy—one that led the United Stated into Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam during the Spanish-American War.
How did ranchers change the West?
Miners, ranchers, and farmers remade the land- scape of the West as they adapted to their new surroundings. The geography of the West was further changed by the development and expansion of a large and successful railroad industry that moved the West’s natural resources to eastern markets.