Frontier Thesis

The American Frontier was built by people who were strong enough to forge through
uncharted land in the search for prosperity. This harsh lifestyle shaped a very distinct personality
of those on their westward mission. As their movement began to halt, the frontiersmen settled
into new land. Some of those people made the American Southwest their new home. The
Southwest originally contained to very strong cultural groups--Native Americans and Mexicans.
As history progressed the melding and clashing of cultures created the spirit of the Southwest.
Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 Americans began pushing the frontier further
west. When the idea of manifest destiny arose many more people migrated west they hoped to
find independence and better futures. The entire idea of Manifest Destiny is an entitled American
idea. Why were Americans destined to expand and settle new lands? (I am sure the Native
Americans would like some answers.) As Americans dispersed further throughout the country,
the border between Mexico and the United States was becoming a volatile. Though the American
and Mexican Government tried to negotiate with one another, war inevitably broke out between
the two nations.But, because of military supremacy America advanced on, while some settled in
the land later bought in the Gadsden Purchase. As people settled in what became the American
Southwest, they began forming a culture distinctly different from the reset of the nation. People
who settled in the southwest did not find gold, or the American Dream waiting for them when
they arrived, so they began working hard to sustain themselves.
People forming the Southwest created agrarian societies, which was a sharp contrast to
the comparatively highly industrialized east. Not only did these people start farms, but they also
were able to have ranches because of the considerable amount of space. The west held its own
ideas. People were far more isolated than in their original states, which caused a definite

Frontier Thesis
difference in the pace of life for these Americans. Values shifted as lifestyle changes occurred in
the southwest.
Culturally, there were large concentrations of Native Americans in the Southwest.
Unfortunately their lifestyles were dramatically altered by American settlement, but the impact
of their traditions and lifestyles still live on today in the Southwest. Following the Gadsden
purchase, many Mexican citizens found the land they lived on all of their lives to suddenly not be
theirs in the same way. Many Mexicans stayed within the newly formed American border, and
others came by choice. After such extreme tumult, people who were on opposite sides of battle
lines found themselves as neighbors in the diverse burgeoning territory. Evidence of the impact
that Mexican culture had on the southwest is still demonstrated by the high prevalence of
Catholicism in southwestern states, among other influences.
As the frontier diminished, the effects of the wild spirit it endorsed remained. The bold
attitude, and strong fortitude held by those strong enough to make their way west helped to
create an area with strong appreciation for nature, and an intensified spirituality. The American
Southwest grew into its own distinct culture because of pressures from their physical and social
environment. The violent nature of how the southwest border was procured is juxtaposed by the
slow, calm pace of life. Though forged chaotically, the Southwest Frontier set the values that are
still seen today in southwestern states in America.