The Frontier in American History

A series of essays examines how frontier expansion fundamentally influenced American economic, political, and social development, arguing that recurring settlement of new western regions produced repeated restarts of social evolution, shaped institutions, democratic ideals, and regional character. It surveys different western provinces—the Old West, Middle West, the Ohio and Mississippi valleys—and treats issues such as the official frontier of Massachusetts Bay, pioneer values, state universities, and social forces. The author links the 1890 census conclusion of a continuous frontier to changing national conditions and considers how the end of free land affected American identity and institutions.