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  • Published: 7 August 2008
  • ISBN: 9780141963310
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 128

The Significance of the Frontier in American History



'The wilderness masters the colonist. It finds him a European in dress, industries, tools, modes of travel, and thought. It takes him from the railroad car and puts him in the birch canoe. It strips off the garments of civilization and arrays him in the hunting shirt and the mocassin' Frederick Jackson Turner

This hugely influential work marked a turning point in US history and culture, arguing that the nation’s expansion into the Great West was directly linked to its unique spirit: a rugged individualism forged at the juncture between civilization and wilderness, which – for better or worse – lies at the heart of American identity today.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives – and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

  • Published: 7 August 2008
  • ISBN: 9780141963310
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 128