Frederick Turner Essay

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Turner Essay Since the American frontier had been closed up, many complications began arising. Frederick Jackson Turner, one of the most influential Americans of the time period wrote a work, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” which stated his opinion of the topic. Turner thought the frontier was the main reason for the success in America. Once closed, America lost many important resources it’s once had. Then, after McKinley declared war upon the Spanish in 1889, America could use imperialism to gain land and power in the world. America declared war on Spain in April 1889, not to gain land, but to assist Cuba in gaining its independence. Only later into the war, it realized how it can benefit through imperialism. The newly acquired land increased America’s resources and gave them new countries to trade with and worked as an advantage for the U.S. military as well. Turner believed that the idea of the frontier shaped the American being and their characteristics. He talks about how the frontier drove American history and that is why America is how it is today. Turner proves how expansion to the American West changed peoples' views on their culture. Due to the gain of new lands, this aided the problem of the closing frontier, and helped America become a rising world power. Teddy Roosevelt gave out a command to invade the Philippine islands if war had risen with Spain. With the help of Aguinaldo, a Pilipino who assisted America in attaining the Philippines, America freed the islands from the clutches of the Spanish. However, Aguinaldo later opposed America for Pilipino independence. Keeping the islands would create a colonial atmosphere for the Filipinos. America believed freeing the country would benefit the U.S. Even though America lost the frontier, they had gained new lands from Spain. America began the war without imperialistic motives,

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