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1、11"TheSignificanceoftheFrontierinAmericanHistory"2FrederickJacksonTurnerInarecentbulletinofthesuperintendentofthecensusfor1890appearthesesignificantwords:"Uptoandincluding1880thecountryhadafrontierofsettlement,butatpresenttheunsettledareahasbeensobrokenintobyisolatedbodiesofsettlementthattherecan
2、hardlybesaidtobeafrontierline.Inthediscussionofitsextent,itswestwardmovements,etc.,itcannot,3therefore,anylongerhaveaplaceinthecensusreports."Thisbriefofficialstatementmarkstheclosingofagreathistoricmovement.UptoourowndayAmericanhistoryhasbeeninalargedegreethehistoryofthecolonizationoftheGreatWes
3、t.Theexistenceofanareaoffreeland,itscontinuousrecession,andtheadvanceofAmericansettlementwestward,explainAmericandevelopment.Behindinstitutions,behindconstitutionalformsandmodifications,liethevitalforcesthatcalltheseorgansintolife,andshapethemtomeetchangingconditions.Now,thepeculiarityofAmericani
4、nstitutionsis,thefactthattheyhavebeencompelledtoadaptthemselvestothechangesofanexpandingpeopletothechangesinvolvedincrossingacontinent,inwinningawilderness,andindevelopingateachareaofthisprogressoutoftheprimitiveeconomicandpoliticalconditionsofthefrontierintothecomplexityofcitylife.SaidCalhounin1
5、817,"Weare4great,andrapidlyIwasabouttosayfearfullygrowing!"Sosaying,hetouchedthedistinguishingfeatureofAmericanlife.Allpeoplesshowdevelopment:thegermtheoryofpoliticshasbeensufficientlyemphasized.Inthecaseofmostnations,however,thedevelopmenthasoccurredinalimitedarea,andifthenationhasexpanded,ithas
6、metothergrowingpeopleswhomithasconquered.ButinthecaseoftheUnitedStateswehaveadifferentphenomenon.LimitingourattentiontotheAtlanticcoast,wehavethefamiliarphenomenonoftheevolutionofinstitutionsinalimitedarea,suchastheriseofrepresentativegovernment;thedifferentiationofsimplecolonialgovernmentsintoco
7、mplexorgans;theprogressfromprimitiveindustrialsociety,withoutdivisionoflabor,uptomanufacturingcivilization.Butwehaveinadditiontothisarecurrenceoftheprocessofevolutionineachwesternareareachedintheprocessofexpansion.Thus
