Wisconsin History Day By Day

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"The Turner Thesis Concerning the Role of the Frontier in American History" by George Rogers Taylor

"Wisconsin Witness to Frederick Jackson Turner" by the Wisconsin Historical Society

Vocabulary:

pioneer

influence

frontier

significance

impact

Interesting Fact:

Three years before Turner's thesis, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the line of the frontier had all but disappeared in America's west.

Study Questions:

What is Turner's definition of the frontier?

According to Turner, what are the significances of the frontier?

In what year did Turner give his famous speech? What event happened 400 years prior to his speech?

U.S. historical events that occurred on November 14:

1851: "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville is published.

1889: Nellie Bly, a New York World reporter, travels around the world in 72 days.

1900: Composer Aaron Copland was born.

November 14

November 14, 1861: Frederick Jackson Turner, historian, was born in Portage. He was professor of history at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard. Turner did pioneer work in the history of the West emphasizing the influence of the frontier. His "Significance of the Frontier in American History" had a profound impact on the study and teaching of history.

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