Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian in the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin until 1910, and then at Harvard. He trained many PhDs who came to occupy prominent places in the history profession. He promoted interdisciplinary and quantitative methods, often with a focus on the Midwest. He is best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History", whose ideas formed the Frontier Thesis. He argued that the moving western frontier shaped American democracy and the American character from the colonial era until 1890. He is also known for his theories of geographical sectionalism. In recent years western history has seen pitched arguments over his Frontier Thesis, with the only point of agreement being his enormous impact on historical scholarship and the American mind.
Read more about Frederick Jackson Turner: Early Life, Education, and Career, Influence, Marriage, Family, and Death
Famous quotes containing the words frederick, jackson and/or turner:
“Science is the knowledge of many, orderly and methodically
digested and arranged, so as to become attainable by one. The
knowledge of reasons and their conclusions constitutes abstract, that of causes and their effects, and of the laws of nature, natural science.”
—John Frederick William Herschel (1792–1871)
“Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.”
—Mahalia Jackson (1911–1972)
“We inherit plots.... There are only two or three in the world, five or six at most. We ride them like treadmills.”
—Janette Turner Hospital (b. 1942)