How has the Frontier Shaped American History?

Introduction 

In America, a mass of free land that was unsettled existed in the West. With each generation, the frontier boundary line was continuously moved further into the west in the demarcation of this region. The belt of the territory was sparsely occupied by a vast number of persons inclusive of ranchmen, Indian Traders, hunters, backwoodsmen, and miners, among others ( Hayes, 2017 ). As the frontier was pushed towards the west, the people who moved along were forced to adapt to the political nature, social relations, and economic shifts that came with the advancement. However, the environment of the American frontier was strong and this led to replacing the European tradition thus resulting in self-sufficiency in America. The following is a discussion to present the impact that the Frontier had in Shaping American History through its political, social, racial and economic concepts. 

Political Institutions 

The Midwest was characterized by the development of the political and social aspects. Political leadership was transpired towards guiding the general practice of the people in the frontier and to ensure there was order in the continued movement in the West. Due to the integration of different people in the frontier, however, political stability was not assured and people often found disputes arising due to land issues. The people often found leaders who rose to political level leadership and would provide guidance towards practicing democracy in the immigration process and especially among the Europeans. 

Evidence of the war emanating between Mexico and Texas owing to the dispute on the latter being independent shows of the political nature in the frontier. America and Europe had their political input towards the dispute and thus resulted in signing a treaty that would see the different states enjoy the benefits of lacking any war. Political pressure from Germany was one of the instigators that led to the growth of Texas especially after the immigration of Germans into the state. This meant that the state was expected to provide necessary guidance towards investments in farming and other practices. As a result, therefore, Texas was seen to attract more people due to the political nature that was evident in the state. 

After the civil wars, the frontier shaped political practices by having territorial governance in the various nations. Legislatures were developed in guiding practices among the people and would thus minimize events such as corruption, advance business practices and develop reforms towards protecting the local citizens against any forms of disputes from different tribes in the migration process. Furthermore, political appointments were made to ensure there was a form of leadership in the developed states that would help to govern the growth of these towns and ensure a successful transition into urban lifestyles ( Milward, 2017 ). The interventions, therefore, resulted in the development of political structures in all the states in America and hence a system of governance was coined. 

Social Relations 

Social associations were triggered by the move into the West and hence resulting in a democratic approach towards life and related events. According to Lewis, (2017) , the westerners were proud of their movement and leadership that led to equality among the people. Based on arguments presented by Fredrick Jackson Turner, the western state was the first of its kind to provide the women with a right to voting; an aspect indicating proper integration of diverse perspectives in the society. The approach is an indication that social aspects involved in the association between people from different nations were appreciated in the frontier period. Furthermore, socialization was imminent due to the need for business persons to actively interact with the people and thereby developing the American Culture of good etiquette and proper collaboration. 

Family is another social aspect that was seen to evidently develop in the era of the frontier in America. Farmers, for instance, understood the need to work hard in the process of meeting the family needs, especially if they had more than three children. According to Burns, (2017) , many children required farmers to engage in more farming practices to ensure they have enough clothing and proper meals. Socialization was enhanced by the need to identifying life partners that would help the farmers to meet their needs. For instance, as argued by Shannon, (2017) , the persons understood the need to having hard-working wives that would help to rear the children, feed them, manage house chores and feed the hired hands, among other roles. Family independence was fostered by a rural upbringing in the frontier, with the children allowed to break loose from the hierarchy of age and gender. This resulted in the children grow with a sense of social responsibility, self-reliant, adaptable and independent in the era. As a result, these kids would associate properly with other personnel and hence developing proper social lifestyles that guide their interactivity up to date. 

Ideas about Race 

The journey towards advancing west was coupled with issues pertaining to racial segregation and hostile cultures. Immigrations emanated from Europe and built communities having similar ethnic and religious backgrounds. According to Lewis, (2017) , the segregation was primarily aimed towards enhancing the lifestyles and security of the people in the immigration process. However, African Americans had a different movement. They moved west in smaller groups of either soldier, farm hands, cooks, cowboys, and outlaws. In their migration process, the African Americans interacted with the Indian tribes and sellers along their path who named them Buffalo Soldiers as a nickname due to their use of horses and donkeys within the Army. According to Burns, (2017) , the buffalo soldiers were among the all-black 9 th and 10 th Cavalry regiment and also in the 24 th and 25 th Infantry Regiments of the Army in the United States. Therefore, as the African Americans interacted with the Indians and other personnel in the journey to the West, racial segregation continued to deteriorate and ideas about diversity were coined. Developments in the economy also instigated the idea of diversity that reduced racial issues among the people. Interactions emanating between persons from different regions who were pushed westwards by the frontier resulted in the better association among the people. 

In 1863, Mexico had refused to recognize the Independence of Texas as a city, but both Europe and the United States had agreed. Upon joining the United States in 1845, Texas was threatened into war and disputes rose when 16 American soldiers were killed by the Mexican army. The issue, according to LaFeber, & Woloch, (2015) , the United States managed to understand the differences in political and cultural values emanating between their nation and Mexico, thereby disregarding their racial constraints and forming a Treaty in 1848. This meant that cases of racial segregation would reduce and war between the nations would cease. 

Economic Change 

Cities were the primary instigators of development in the frontier. The growth of transportation hubs, communication centers, and financial services, entertainment, services, and merchandise providers served the purpose of improving the overall economy of America and resulted in the general growth of the nation. According to Milward, (2017) , developments in these cities ensure that there were economic activities transpiring within the frontier. This led to the growth of the cities and increased business related activities, thereby instigating the economic development in the nation. 

Diverse western practices also caused an improvement in the overall economy of the nation. The goal of the land policy that was coined between 1790 and 1829 was to have better growth opportunities in the west by ensuring skilled workers were obtained from the East, farming practices enhanced and land distributed properly. This would ensure that there was enough money to pay off the national debt and clear the legal titles that would hence create a diverse economy in the West ( Beard, 2017 ). This would increase settlement in the region and hence minimize the risk of backward movement. Growth in population towards the west meant that America would benefit from the availability of the market people offered and thus economic activities would grow exponentially. 

Mining activities coupled with other economic practices resulted in the development of the nation’s economy. It is clear that the gold rush radically transformed the economy in California due to a number of factors. According to Beard, (2017) , an array of professionals inclusive of merchants, doctors, attorneys, and metal specialists emerged in the state to verify the mining process of gold and other resources. This meant that there was growth in services offered by the various professionals in the town and hence improved economy in the nation. Furthermore, due to the high value of Gold, it's mining in the country meant that the sales of the product would result in a high amount of earnings that would foster proper developments. Also, since the gold resource was scarce and was becoming harder to obtain, its price would continuously rise and hence causing an improved economy in the nation. The mining practices had disrupted the environment and this meant there was a need for planning towards the development of cities and towns, thus ensuring business practices would continue within the frontier. 

Conclusion 

The purpose of this essay was to explore the impact that the American frontier had in shaping the nation through different aspects such as the race, economy, and political concepts. It is evident from the study that the frontier shaped the history of the nation and guided the culture of the country. Political parties owing to the need of having a system of governance were formed and they helped to guide practices in the developing cities such as Texas and California. Social engagements were necessary for ensuring that family needs were met and the children grew in an independent manner. Ideas about racial diversity were practiced and this led to better association among the traders for better economic practices. Due to mining, construction and influx of people into the West, the economy was exponentially growing and this led to the proper development of the nation. Therefore, the Frontier has a positive impact on the History of America. 

References 

Beard, C. (2017).  An economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States . Routledge.

Burns, R. I. (2017). The significance of the frontier in the Middle Ages. In  The Medieval Frontiers of Latin Christendom (pp. 53-76). Routledge.

Hayes, C. J. (2017). The American Frontier—Frontier of What?. In  The Medieval Frontiers of Latin Christendom  (pp. 19-36). Routledge.

LaFeber, W., & Woloch, N. (2015).  The American Century: A History of the United States Since the 1890s . Routledge.

Lewis, A. R. (2017). The closing of the medieval frontier, 1250–1350. In  The Medieval Frontiers of Latin Christendom (pp. 181-189). Routledge.

Miller, A. L., Berlo, J. C., Wolf, B. J., & Roberts, J. L. (2018).  American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity .

Milward, A. (2017).  The frontier of national sovereignty: history and theory 1945-1992 . Routledge.

Shannon, F. A. (2017).  The Farmer's Last Frontier: Agriculture, 1860-97: Agriculture, 1860-97 . Routledge.