Theories of the American Frontier

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Turner's theory of social evolution, which states that the development of America took place in six distinct stages, which Turner applies to Wisconsin as an example. This paper, then, outlines the development of California as a whole and discuss the events in the development of Southern California that diverge from Turner's model.The author reports that rather than experiencing an agricultural period according to Turner's "timeline," California, especially Southern California, went right to the establishment of manufacturing and industry.

From the Paper:

"Granted, the expansion and development of California, especially as it pertained to the movements from west to east or from south to north (as in the case of Mexican expansion), was not exclusively American development per se. There was exploration and conquest on the part of the British, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and the French. However, this supports the contention that Turner's thesis was not an accurate model for California. Turner's primary focus was on the expansion of Western European peoples (in particular, those peoples of Germanic stock) from east to west. California was a state whose development was strongly influenced by Spanish, Mexican, French, and even Chinese cultures."

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