In reading history, people often form attitudes which affect their future actions. Historians thus have the opportunity to persuade and influence a wide audience. Frederick Jackson Turner was particularly persuasive, largely because of his eloquent style. This study of Turner's rhetoric reveals the ways in which he influenced a broad spectrum of Americans and the means by which he did so. Letters to Turner, to his family, and other primary source material are analyzed and his oratorical career is also described in detail from his high school experiences to his univ. activities. The influence of Robert M. La Follette is treated in some detail. Examples of Turner's oratory includes: "The Power of the Press."

The Frontier in American History is a collection of works related to the history of American colonization of Wild West. Turner expresses his views on how the idea of the frontier shaped the American being and characteristics. He writes how the frontier drove American history and why America is what it is today. Turner reflects on the past to illustrate his point by noting human fascination with the frontier and how expansion to the American West changed people's views on their culture. _x000D_ Contents:_x000D_ The Significance of the Frontier in American History_x000D_ The First Official Frontier of the Massachusetts Bay_x000D_ The Old West_x000D_ The Middle West_x000D_ The Ohio Valley in American History_x000D_ The Significance of the Mississippi Valley in American History_x000D_ The Problem of the West_x000D_ Dominant Forces in Western Life_x000D_ Contributions of the West to American Democracy_x000D_ Pioneer Ideals and the State University_x000D_ The West and American Ideals_x000D_ Social Forces in American History_x000D_ Middle Western Pioneer Democracy

Cognizant of revisionist historians' reproach of Turner's philosophy set forth in his seminal 1893 essay, The Significance of the Frontier in American History, as promoting an exploitationist myth of the West, Bogue (history, U. of Wisconsin-Madison) weighs this eminent historian's legacy in the c

In the 46 years between 1886 and 1932, Frederick Jackson Turner left his indelible stamp on the theory, practice, and profession of American history. These three essays - "The Significance of History", "The Frontier Thesis" and "The Sectional Thesis" - demonstrate Turner's erudition, eloquence and foresight.