On Turner's Trail 100 Years of Writing Western History / Wilbur R. Jacobs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jacobs, Wilbur R.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Estados Unidos (Oeste)--Historiografía.

Estados Unidos (Oeste).

Turner, Frederick Jackson--Influencia.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (342 p.) : il. ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

University Press of Kansas 1994

Kansas : University Press, 1994.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Should Frederick Jackson Turner be revered as “the father of western history” or reviled as a misguided advocate of a frontier spirit and rugged individualism that denied cultural diversity and produced widespread environmental destruction? Dividing into campus over the issue, western historians place him everywhere from one end of the spectrum to the other.In this provocative new interpretation of Turner’s life, work, and legacy, Wilbur Jacobs challenges the views of traditionalists and views of traditionalists and revisionists alike. From extensive research in the Turner archives, a nationwide search for additional Turner correspondence, interviews with historians, and a lifetime of collecting Turner anecdotes, Jacobs chronicles Turner’s professional (and sometimes personal) bequest through 100 years of Western historical writing.Jacobs adds his voice to the heated debate by mixing a sophisticated critique of historical writing with stories of professional intrigue—the fights to protect Turner’s legacy, limit access to the Turner archives, and control the Western history Association. He traces the intellectual development of Turner’s frontier theory; explores the intense rivalry between two major Turnerian disciples, Frederick Merk and Ray A. Billington, as they vied for control of Turner’s legacy; and analyzes the efforts of new western historians who seek to erase Turner and Billington from the landscape of what is now called the history of the “West.”Balanced in his assessments, Jacobs treats Turner and his disciples with a sympathetic yet critical eye. He points out Turner’s limitations in dealing with environmental, racialethnic, and urban themes as well as the shortcomings of Merk, Billington, and other Turnerians. At the same time, however, Jacobs illuminates the major contributions of their work.Despite their intense differences, Jacobs argues, all western historians remain inextricably linked by Turner’s legacy.

Contents:

Cover

Frontispiece

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Part One. The Trailhead

1. Turner's Essay of 1893

2. Turner's Apprenticeship

3. The Making of a Historian

Part Two. Clearing the Trails in Frontier History

4. Developing a Ruling Theory

5. Explaining Colonial American History

6. Explaining Agricultural History

Part Three. World Frontiers and Sections

7. The Twentieth Century

8. Turner and the Threats of the Twentieth Century

9. Turner's Shadow on World Frontiers

Part Four. Hardening the Trail

10. The "Realwestern" History

11. The Emergence of Frederick Merk

12. Reverse Environmentalism and Other Teaching Themes

13. Merk Takes the Flag

14. The Billington Era

Part Five. New Trails and New Challenges by the New Westerners

15. The Challenge of Richard White to the Turnerian Legacy

16. Turnerian Echoes in William Cronon's Nature's Metropolis

17. After a Century

Epilogue

Appendix A. Turner's Lecture on Washington and Lincoln in 1896

Appendix B. Turner as a Teacher

Testimonials from His Former Students

Notes

Bibliographical Note

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780700631025

070063102X

OCLC:

1252623522