The Frontier
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Frederick Jackson Turner makes the claim, in his essay The Significance of the Frontier in American History, that the ômost important effect of the frontier has been in the promotion of democracy here and in Europeö (546). One of democracyÆs most characteristic features includes restraint on government. Turner maintains that it is this lack of control, even aversion to control, which manifested itself in the Western frontier. From TurnerÆs perspective, the wilderness has a deconstructing impact on more complex societies like those that existed on the Atlantic seaboard and in Europe. Instead, the primitive conditions and focus of the family unit in frontier environments creates an attitude that remains opposed to control and complex institutions designed to enforce it. As Turner argues, ôComplex society is precipitated by the wilderness into a kind of primitive organization based on the family. The tendency is antisocial. it produces antipathy to control, and particularly to any direct controlö (546).Government, educational, and religious institutions in the more complex societies in the East were largely absent in the formation of the frontier of the West. However, the individual liberty that manifested itself in the American Revolution was able to rebirth itself in the communities that arose in the largely unregulated frontier. Individualism may have characterized the call for revolution in the Colonies, but the harsh demands and lifestyle in the vast
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ety offer a valuable contribution to the nation as a whole. Our beliefs in freedom of expression and religious tolerance, for instance, were illustrated after the attacks of September 11, when the President urged tolerance and compassion for Muslims in the U.S. who value freedom and do not wish American destruction. Such advances as the Civil Rights Movement, the WomenÆs Movement, and the extension of citizenship to political refugees supports the multiculturalism perspective. However, despite these advances and freedom, equality, and democracy being part and parcel of American ideals, many groups continue to suffer in contemporary society due to perspectivism.
Perspectivism is evident in a number of ways. There is a growing gap between the rich and poor in U.S. society. Welfare reforms have pushed many single mothers off of welfare and into work, though they remain among the poorest households in America. Wealthy elites continue to disperse resources and make policies that favor the rich at the expense of and instead of aiding the poor. The conflict theory of social problems explains this condition, because groups with different levels of power and political influence must vie for the same resource pool. Homosexuals con
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Approximate Word count = 2864
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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