Essay Database

Fredrick Jackson Turner developed the thesis that the American West created and reinforced the American ideals of: equality, democracy, opportunity, and individualism. I disagree with Turner’s thesis and feel that the American West created just the opposite. It created a period of inopportunity and inequality especially between the rich and the poor classes of the time period. There are many things to show that Turner’s thesis was off beam. The Homestead Act was …

…a whim without any punishment. Indians were forced to leave their lands, move onto reservations, and flee their homelands. In essence, Native Americans were treated more like animals than people. Clearly, the above information shows how the American West created unequal lifestyles between the different classes in the period of 1865-1900. Some may feel that Turner’s thesis is valid, while I disagree and the supporting facts above show how it is an unsound document.