What I learned today...

The early North American Indian made a great mistake by not having an Immigration Bureau.

-author unknown

Savagery and Civilization

"...the frontier is the outer edge of the wave - the meeting point between savagery and civilization".

-Frederick J. Turner

That's the line in "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" that grabbed my attention. The Indians vs. the good guys - them vs. us. But that is not really what Turner's writing is about. It is about why and how the frontier developed. It is a theory, but a well worn and well respected one.

However, in reading Patricia Limerick's "Adventures of the Frontier in the Twentieth Century", I find a more like-minded comrade. I have long been troubled over the way that many Americans feel the world is theirs for the taking, and that we are the chosen ones. I have been appalled by the treatment of American Indians and by treatment of immigrants, legal or otherwise - especially during the "wild-West" period in history. Limerick really hits it on the head when she indicates "But the idea of the frontier permits the United States to make an appeal to innocence and exceptionalism". Why is it that when Americans invade and conquer, it is for democracy and "a better life" when if another nations or people do this, they are a threat and should be stopped? I think Limerick states very clearly that the word "frontier" is not always the great adventure it's cracked up to be.

Limerick goes on to explain that with all of the faults of the term "frontier" as used in our current mindset, it is still an adhesive that binds us as a nation of explorers and entrepreneurs. She explains that with all of its faults, the "frontier" is still seen as an all-American way of life and something that we are proud of. Finally, Limerick makes the wise statement that if our understanding of the term ever changes, it may change the way this nation sees itself - for the better.

I, myself, would like a happy medium between the glamourized "wild West" and the reality of a harsh and often-cruel environment. Certainly there were good reasons to expand to the West, and there were surely better ways to do it, but the painting "American Progress" tends to highlight many of the injustices that were dished out along the way. I would like to see the American history written to show those injustices and the cruelty so that future generations can better understand what we did right - and what we did wrong.

I apologize if this writing tends towards "ranting", but I feel very strongly about how we Americans perceive ourselves and how we are regarded by the rest of the world community. For us to recognize our part (and our government's part) in the making of the "wild West", it would go miles towards a better understanding for our future generations of how to get along with our neighbors at home and worldwide.

"The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development." This is one of Frederick Turner's statements regarding the American West's settlement. Was it really "free land"?

Getting Started

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."

- Mark Twain

Having a little trouble getting started, but will dive right in tomorrow. While I have enjoyed many documentaries and movies about the West, I have never studied it or even given it too much thought. Busy week at work and at home, so class gets some attention tomorrow and Friday! I always work best under pressure anyway...

I will tackle this, and I will control the blog!

If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.”

dmg Jack Handy quotes (American Writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1991-2003. Famous for his Deep Thoughts comedy sketches.) http://thinkexist.com

5 Things About Me

I have three children and three grandchildren

• I love to watch HBO series, like Sopranos or True Blood



• I live in an old, old Victorian house, circa 1865.



• My husband is a psychologist and a professor



• I have a goofy Boxer who slobbers and pants incessantly! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_(dog))