Please carefully read Martin Ridge's article "The Life of an Idea: The Significance of Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis" (available on Blackboard). Make sure to consider it in the context of our discussions about westward expansion during the later half of the nineteenth-century.

Then, in a two page typed and well-organized/edited essay response, please address the following questions.

According to Martin Ridge, what was the Turner Thesis? What did Turner claim was the "principle function" of the frontier in American history and why? How did Turner's thesis change many Americans' understanding of American history?

* Make sure to consider the lectures before writing your paper.
* Your paper should be typed and double-spaced with normal margins.
* Your paper should be stapled before you come to class.
* Use a cover sheet to provide your name, course name, and class meeting time.
* Since you are using only one source no footnotes or bibliography are needed.
* You must turn in a physical copy of your paper on the day it is due. No emailed attachments will be accepted.