“The Significance of the Frontier in American History” http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/empire/text1/turner.pdf
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Author: Paula M. Nelson
Nelson, P. M., (1990) “The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay”, The Annals of Iowa 50(5), 531-540. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/0003-4827.9454
Rights: Copyright © 1990 State Historical Society of Iowa. This article is posted here for personal use, not for redistribution.
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Published on 01 jul 1990, peer reviewed, in copyright. free to read and download, harvard-style citation.
Nelson, P. (1990) 'The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay', The Annals of Iowa . 50(5) :531-540. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.9454
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Nelson, P. The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay. The Annals of Iowa. 1990 7; 50(5) :531-540. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.9454
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Nelson, P. (1990, 7 1). The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay. The Annals of Iowa 50(5) :531-540. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.9454
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This essay is about the Oregon Trail’s influence on American gaming culture, focusing on the educational video game “The Oregon Trail.” It explores how the historic route, known for its role in 19th-century westward expansion, inspired a game that became a staple in classrooms. The game educated players about pioneer life, decision-making, and resource management, blending entertainment with learning. It highlights the game’s cultural impact, its evolution over time, and its role in shaping educational and historical simulation games. The essay underscores how “The Oregon Trail” remains relevant today, bridging the past with the present and influencing both education and popular culture.
How it works
The Oregon Trail, a historic route from Missouri to Oregon, is renowned for its role in American westward expansion during the 19th century. However, beyond its historical significance, the Oregon Trail has also left an indelible mark on modern American gaming culture. This essay explores the fascinating intersection of this iconic trail with the world of video games, particularly focusing on the beloved educational game “The Oregon Trail,” and how this digital incarnation has influenced generations of gamers and educators alike.
The journey along the Oregon Trail began in the early 1840s, driven by the promise of fertile land and a new beginning. Pioneers faced numerous challenges, from treacherous terrain to diseases, and their stories have become a cornerstone of American folklore. This rich tapestry of adventure and hardship provided a perfect backdrop for the development of one of the most influential educational video games in history: “The Oregon Trail.”
In the 1970s, a group of young educators in Minnesota sought to create an engaging way to teach students about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life. Their solution was “The Oregon Trail,” a computer game that allowed players to simulate the journey of settlers heading west. Released in 1971, the game quickly became a classroom staple, blending entertainment with education in a way that was revolutionary for its time.
“The Oregon Trail” game introduced players to the trials and tribulations faced by pioneers. Players managed resources, navigated obstacles, and made critical decisions to ensure their virtual wagon party’s survival. The game was not only an educational tool but also a cultural phenomenon, introducing generations of students to the challenges of frontier life. The game’s impact was profound, as it made history interactive and accessible, turning a dusty chapter of American history into a thrilling adventure.
The success of “The Oregon Trail” can be attributed to its innovative approach to education. By combining elements of strategy, role-playing, and historical simulation, the game created an immersive experience that encouraged critical thinking and problem-solving. Players learned about geography, history, and the human spirit’s resilience, all while engaging in a fun and challenging activity. This blend of education and entertainment, often referred to as “edutainment,” set a precedent for future educational games.
One of the key aspects of “The Oregon Trail” was its emphasis on decision-making and consequence. Players had to make choices about when to rest, how much food to ration, and whether to ford a river or take a safer route. These decisions had immediate and sometimes dire consequences, mirroring the real-life stakes faced by pioneers. This element of the game taught players about risk management, resource allocation, and the unpredictable nature of life on the trail.
The game’s cultural impact extended beyond the classroom. “The Oregon Trail” became a beloved part of American pop culture, referenced in television shows, movies, and other media. Its iconic phrases, such as “You have died of dysentery,” became part of the collective memory of those who played the game. This shared experience created a sense of nostalgia and connection among players, further cementing the game’s place in American cultural history.
As technology advanced, so did “The Oregon Trail.” The game underwent numerous updates and adaptations, moving from simple text-based graphics to more sophisticated visual and interactive elements. These iterations kept the game relevant for new generations of players, each version preserving the core elements that made the original so compelling while introducing new features and challenges.
The legacy of “The Oregon Trail” also influenced the broader gaming industry. Its success demonstrated the potential of video games as educational tools, paving the way for other educational games that combined learning with fun. Games like “Carmen Sandiego” and “Math Blaster” followed in its footsteps, using interactive gameplay to teach subjects ranging from geography to mathematics. This trend highlighted the effectiveness of games in engaging students and enhancing their learning experiences.
Moreover, “The Oregon Trail” inspired a new genre of games focused on historical simulation and management. Titles like “Civilization” and “SimCity” built on the foundation laid by “The Oregon Trail,” offering players complex worlds to explore and manage. These games continued the tradition of combining entertainment with education, proving that video games could be both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating.
In modern times, the influence of “The Oregon Trail” persists. The game has been reimagined for mobile devices, ensuring that its educational legacy continues to reach new audiences. Additionally, it has been the subject of academic studies and retrospectives, examining its impact on education, gaming, and culture. This enduring relevance speaks to the game’s innovative design and its ability to capture the imagination of players.
The story of the Oregon Trail, both as a historical route and as a digital game, reflects the broader narrative of American innovation and exploration. It highlights the enduring power of storytelling and the importance of adapting to new mediums to keep history alive. By merging the past with the present, “The Oregon Trail” game has created a unique bridge between generations, fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs of America’s pioneers.
In conclusion, the Oregon Trail’s legacy extends far beyond its historical significance. Through the lens of “The Oregon Trail” game, we see how this iconic path has influenced American gaming culture, education, and collective memory. The game stands as a testament to the power of interactive learning and the enduring appeal of the pioneer spirit, reminding us that even in the digital age, the stories of the past continue to shape our present and future.
Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture. (2024, Jun 28). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/
"Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture." PapersOwl.com , 28 Jun 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/
PapersOwl.com. (2024). Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/ [Accessed: 1 Jul. 2024]
"Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture." PapersOwl.com, Jun 28, 2024. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/
"Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture," PapersOwl.com , 28-Jun-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/. [Accessed: 1-Jul-2024]
PapersOwl.com. (2024). Pioneers, Pixels, and Pathways: The Oregon Trail in American Gaming Culture . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/pioneers-pixels-and-pathways-the-oregon-trail-in-american-gaming-culture/ [Accessed: 1-Jul-2024]
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I n April a New York fried-chicken shop went viral. It was not the food at Sansan Chicken East Village that captured the world’s imagination, but the service. Diners found an assistant from the Philippines running the till via video link.
The service is provided by Happy Cashier, which connects American firms with Filipino workers. Chi Zhang set up the business after his restaurant failed during the covid-19 pandemic. He says that overseas workers also answer phone calls and monitor security-camera footage—doing so at a fraction of the cost of locals.
Virtual cashiers are a visible part of a much bigger trend: the rise of service exports from the developing world. Exports of goods are familiar. Factories churn out widgets, which are shipped to customers around the world. Yet improved international connectivity has made various kinds of outsourcing and digital commerce much easier. As a result, service exports have jumped by 60% over the past decade, reaching $7.9trn (7.5% of global GDP ) in 2023. The market for physical merchandise is even bigger, at $24trn, but has grown far more slowly, staying flat as a share of GDP .
What does this mean for countries hoping to get rich? Speaking in 2005 Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, observed that, “since the industrial revolution, no country has become a major economy without becoming an industrial power.” But since 2005, the world has changed. Manufacturing is now more capital-intensive, making it easier for China to retain its role as the world’s factory. In the past few years, Western countries have embraced industrial policy and protectionism in an attempt to boost domestic manufacturing. Policymakers in emerging markets are arguing about how best to respond.
At present, services are mostly exported by rich countries, where white-collar professionals often work across borders. Although China surpassed America as an exporter of goods in 2009, Uncle Sam still exports two-and-a-half times more services than his rival. Britain, which has fallen to 14th place in the global rankings when it comes to goods exports, remains the world’s second-largest services exporter.
But developing economies are starting to make a mark in the more advanced types of services that can be sold overseas. Many countries export audiovisual, computer and telecommunication services. In Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine these run to more than 3% of GDP . India is the best-performing Asian country in this category; its exports fall just short of 3% of GDP . In an economy of India’s size, that means a sizeable industry. The country’s five largest IT firms have a joint market capitalisation of nearly $350bn. It is also home to 1,600 global capability centres—technology and research centres for multinational firms—that employ 3m people. All told, India’s service exports account for nearly 5% of the world’s, up from 3% a decade ago.
The less techy category of “business and trade-related services”, which covers things such as accounting and human resources, is another area of growth. Estonia and the Philippines top the table here, with such exports accounting for over 5% of their GDP . Like India, the latter offers low labour costs, as well as a large English-speaking population. In many countries workers also take casual gigs online. These are hard to measure, but two-thirds of the freelancers on English-speaking platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr are based in emerging economies.
Then there is tourism. Not every country can replicate Japan’s temples or Mexico’s beaches, but many are finding ways to entice visitors, such as with medical services. Dentistry, hip replacements and hair transplants are among the treatments on offer. Costa Rica, Croatia and Moldova export health services worth between 0.2% and 0.5% of their economic output. Armenia and Jordan manage 1% each. A few hours in Istanbul airport provides a display of the thriving industry, as men return home with their heads wrapped in plastic, fresh hair taking root underneath.
In the short term, it seems likely that service exports will keep growing. In 1992 Stan Shih, founder of Acer, a Taiwanese computer-maker, coined the term “smile curve” to describe how value added in the manufacturing process was rising faster in the first and third parts of making a product (design and distribution, respectively) than in the second stage (manufacturing). As manufacturing has become more competitive, the smile has deepened. Think of Apple, which designs and distributes iPhones, and collects the rents from its brand, but produces none of the devices itself. Its market capitalisation is more than $3trn, whereas Foxconn, which makes 70% of the firm’s iPhones, is worth just $91bn. Even more cheerful is the fact that the rise of remote work has made firms far more comfortable with outsourcing operations. After all, a remote employee is not that different from an outsourced one.
But will service exports raise living standards in the manner of manufacturing? As Dani Rodrik of Harvard University notes, industry has historically possessed advantages in three areas: it is more technologically intensive, produces internationally tradable goods and creates lots of jobs. Although services is closing the gap in the first two areas, manufacturing still offers more employment.
Start with technological growth. A factory in a poor country brings man and machine together, placing an unskilled worker at the tech frontier. Then, as the tech improves, the worker becomes still more productive. Tradable services cannot absorb unskilled workers in this manner. Yet as the World Bank has observed, since the 1990s labour-productivity growth in emerging economies outside of East Asia has risen at roughly the same rate in services as manufacturing—and services productivity has grown faster in emerging economies than rich ones. Moreover, artificial intelligence may soon provide service workers with another lift. Two experiments have found that AI tools help the least skilled knowledge workers catch up with more skilled ones when writing marketing copy and providing customer service.
Services are also closing the gap with manufacturing when it comes to tradability, albeit slowly. Before the internet, the ability to send products overseas was the main way in which goods differed from services. Trade allows exporters to reach much larger pools of demand and achieve economies of scale that would otherwise have been beyond them. Because goods trade has been stagnant as a share of global GDP since 2010, it has become more difficult for newcomers to compete. Services trade is booming, and thus more welcoming. But even at the growth rate of the past decade, it will take 15 years to reach half the value of trade in manufactured goods.
Job creation is an even thornier issue. Marc Lautier of the University of Rennes has calculated that, despite automation, the number of manufacturing jobs in 160 countries for which he has data has remained stable since 1991, accounting for 14% or so of total employment. The problem is that it has become more difficult for governments to attract these jobs. Manufacturing is not moving away from East Asian powerhouses at the same pace as it moved to them in the late 20th century, in part because modern factories require more capital and skill to build. Our analysis of labour-market data from 51 mostly emerging markets finds that only five—China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam—have 18% or more of their population employed in manufacturing, compared with 16 in 1990.
Growth in services offers only some consolation, because services do not tend to provide labour density. The World Bank notes that, since 1990, service jobs have risen from 40% to 50% of global employment, as workers left agriculture. But just 5-10% of emerging-market service jobs are in tradable, techy industries, compared with 15-20% in rich countries. India’s IT industry may garner $250bn in annual exports, worth nearly 8% of national GDP , which is on a par with manufactured exports. Yet it employs less than 10m people from a working-age population of around 1bn.
In the longer run, AI might cause problems. Models are best at well-defined tasks that do not need in-person context. That makes business services vulnerable. A report by Capital Economics, a consultancy, argues that AI could lead to the “slow demise” of India’s service exports, cutting growth by 0.3-0.4 percentage points a year over the next decade. The spread of communication tech has facilitated services outsourcing. Fresh technological change could, in time, be its undoing.
Despite the downsides of a services-oriented approach to development, especially when it comes to providing decent jobs in large numbers, developing economies simply have fewer choices today than they once did. Governments that want to boost growth will therefore have to focus on different things. Whereas they once had reason to ensure that workers could easily move from farms to factories, today they would be better off paying attention to human capital among future white-collar workers. Richard Baldwin of IMD Business School says that large, well-functioning cities will take on greater importance, too, because services often depend on agglomeration. Getting services right, especially those which can be sold overseas, is now a crucial condition for growth. ■
For more expert analysis of the biggest stories in economics, finance and markets, sign up to Money Talks , our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Virtual everything”
American stocks are consuming global markets, how chinese goods dodge american tariffs, mcdonald’s v burger king: what a price war means for inflation, is coal the new gold, the economics of the tennis v pickleball contest.
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That does not necessarily spell trouble
American consumers will be licking their lips. So will Federal Reserve officials
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"The Significance of the Frontier in American History" is a seminal essay by the American historian Frederick Jackson Turner which advanced the Frontier thesis of American history. Turner's thesis had a significant impact on how people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries understood American identity, character, and national growth.
Perhaps the most influential essay by an American historian, Frederick Jackson Turner's address to the American Historical Association on "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" defined for many Americans the relationship between the frontier and American culture and contemplated what might follow "the closing of the ...
Summary. Last Updated September 5, 2023. "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" was written by Frederick Jackson Turner, delivered as a conference paper at the annual meeting of ...
The most significant thing about the American frontier is, that it lies at the hither edge of free land. In the census reports it is treated as the margin of that settlement which has a density of two or more to the square mile. The term is an elastic one, and for our purposes does not need sharp definition.
The frontier individualism has from the beginning promoted democracy. The frontier states that came into the Union in the first quarter of a century of its existence came in with democratic suffrage provisions, [8] and had reactive effects of the highest importance upon the older states whose peoples were being attracted there. An extension of ...
He credits the frontier with fostering a sense of practicality. This essay is notable for expanding beyond the realm of academia to the world of politics. It establishes the ideas of renewal and ...
the significance of the section in american history: (1925) download; xml; afterword: the significance of the frontier in american historiography: a guide to further reading download; xml; notes download; xml
In his influential 1893 essay, American historian Frederick Jackson Turner examines the significance of the frontier in shaping American history, character, institutions, economy, politics, and culture. He presented this essay at the Chicago World's Fair, speaking to an audience newly aware that the Western frontier was gone, according to the ...
Analysis: "The Significance of the Frontier in American History". Turner's essay interweaves descriptive history and persuasive rhetoric to advance his central "Frontier Thesis": that the frontier was the primary shaping force behind America's political, economic, and cultural evolution. He structures his argument methodically ...
One of the themes of the paper is the idea that the frontier in America had closed as of 1890 (according to the census of that year). Another theme is the importance of the frontier to the ...
The resulting essay, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," offered a vivid evocation of life in the American West. Stripped of "the garments of civilization," settlers ...
In republishing these essays in collected form, it has seemed best to issue them as they were originally printed, with the exception of a few slight corrections of slips in the text and with the omission of occasional duplication of language in the different essays. ... The Significance of the Frontier in American History. In a recent bulletin ...
The publication of Turner's paper launched the study of the frontier as an academic field and helped crystallize popular thinking about the importance of the frontier in American life. Review Essay 533 A hundred years later, self-doubt and dissension dominate the academic study of the frontier.
Turner. In his paper The Significance of the Frontier in American History, Frederick Jackson Turner argues that the development of the American society was largely shaped by the exploration of the new lands and westward expansion. These processes were important for modifying the cultural legacies of the colonizers (Turner 1998).
derick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History. 1893This brief official statement marks the closing of a great historic movement. Up to our own day American h. story has been in a large degree the history of the colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, its continuous rece.
An Analysis of Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance of the Frontier in American History. By Joanna Dee Das, Joseph Tendler. Edition 1st Edition. First Published 2017. eBook Published 15 July 2017. ... Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 essay on the history of the United States remains one of the most famous and influential works in the ...
Turner is best known for his "Frontier Thesis," an idea put forth in the essay excerpted. This essay was presented to a special meeting of the American Historical Association during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In this essay, Turner argued that the frontier shaped key elements of the American experience.
Turner's essay on "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," delivered in Chicago in 1893, reoriented the study of American history toward the nation's westward migration and its consequences. For over a half century Turner's frontier thesis, along with his own and his students' emphasis on the history of sections of the U.S., new ...
The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay. ... Nelson, P. (1990) 'The Significance of the Frontier in American Historiography: a Review Essay', The Annals of Iowa. 50(5) :531-540. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.9454. Show: Vancouver Citation Style | APA Citation ...
Share Cite. Turner's "Frontier Thesis" stated that westward expansion was important to the American psyche in that conquering these uninhabited lands made United States's citizens more self ...
For US scholars, the very word frontier is irrevocably linked to the legacy of historian Frederick Jackson Turner (1861-1932), who, in his 1893 essay "The Significance of The Frontier in American History," cast the frontier as both a moving line of settlement and the well-spring of American individualism and democracy.
The significance of the frontier in American history by Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932. Publication date 1990 Topics Frontier and pioneer life -- United States, Frontier and pioneer life, United States -- History, United States Publisher New York : Continuum Collection internetarchivebooks; inlibrary; printdisabled
This essay about Diana, the Roman equivalent of Artemis, explores her significance as a symbol of wilderness, femininity, and divinity. It discusses the origins and meanings behind her name, her roles as the goddess of the hunt and protector of women and children, her worship in sacred groves, artistic representations, mythic narratives, and her lasting legacy in Roman culture and beyond.
Essay Example: The Oregon Trail, a historic route from Missouri to Oregon, is renowned for its role in American westward expansion during the 19th century. However, beyond its historical significance, the Oregon Trail has also left an indelible mark on modern American gaming culture. This essay
The cat. It's all about the cat. No matter what else happens in "A Quiet Place: Day One," no matter how sensational Lupita Nyong'o is — and she is — her character's feline buddy is ...
The significance of the frontier in American history by Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932. Publication date 1894 Topics Frontier and pioneer life Collection duke_libraries; americana Contributor Duke University Libraries Language English. p. 197-227 25 cm Notes. No copyright page found. No table-of-contents pages found.
A factory in a poor country brings man and machine together, placing an unskilled worker at the tech frontier. Then, as the tech improves, the worker becomes still more productive.