Fronteir Exceptionalism

What is exceptionalism? As defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is it: 1) the condition of being exceptional or unique; and 2) the theory or belief that something, especially a nation, doesn't conform to a pattern or a norm. Some historians credit the terms origins to Alex de Tocqueville, the 19th century French historian. Since colonial times, Americans felt of themselves as the preeminent example of a social and morally advanced society. John Winthrop's 'City on a Hill' illustrated the Puritan religious tones for these ideals. After the Revolution, a combination of secular and sacred ideologies formed that saw the United States as providentially selected to be a 'divine stage' for liberty and a new world order. But don't all peoples of a nation feel an exceptional pride in their nation? Why did/do American's feel that way?

I believe one of the most fundamentally important facets that contributed to the American exceptionalism spirit this time was the frontier. The frontier, whether a place or process, certainly shaped American thought from a ragtag colonial cluster to a hegemon with muscular muster. I disagree with many Turnerian protйgйs, however, in that the process of settling the frontier was not a series of successes. The new 'reappraisal' of western history shows that not all courses of action taken resulted in progress. Patricia Limerick discusses this well in her essay entitled What on Earth is New Western History? In this essay she tries to quell old myths that are celebrated by those who would like to hold on with a blind eye to false stories. But these interpretations of the west are just as vitally important as the Indian and cowboy mystique. The concept of America and what an American is was fashioned from the combination of myth versus reality. Most of my paper will be examining these topics from Limerick, Ridge and Richard White's When Frederick Jackson Turner and Buffalo Bill Cody Both Played Chicago in 1893.

Turner and Cody told the story of the west in two starkly different angles, and with two different approaches. Turner's narrative was one that told of large, empty expanse of free land that was there for the taking, and was basically free from violence. Cody's Wild West showed an adventure of conquest and persecution at the hands of the Indians, a 'correct representation of life on the plains'.(47) But when the two are taken into account together, the biases of each bring to light the complexities that shadowed their explanation for their perspective.

The similarities they shared varied, but both declared the frontier over in the late 19th century. They agreed that the current notion of lawless wilderness had indeed been invaded by law and order. They credit this to the strength of character of the pioneer, whose relentless spirit overcame so much in the face of adversity. But Turner and Cody approached this from separate directions. Turner's theme emphasized the conquest of nature and made the incursions with the Indians incidental, whereas Cody was more compelled to describe the 'conquest of the savages' rather than nature. (49)

Cody's images convey open-mindedness by American pioneers. He alludes to an idealistic attitude where the pioneers hope to be peaceful conquerors of the land and live harmoniously with his fellow man, the Indian. But the Redskins are violent, and they will fight till the bloody death to keep the white man out. To emphasize this, Americans celebrated images of bloody massacres at the hands of the Indians. The great military battles in remembrance are those of the Alamo and the Battle of Little Big horn, both of which drew together Americanism and the unwavering pursuit of progress - two vital themes that molded the United States together as a people and a nation. (53)

The western experience was anything but a straight line. Turner's idea that the taming of the frontier as a process is essentially the best ideology he formulated. It became a constant struggle between man and nature, man versus man, and man versus himself. It required the pioneer to rise above the hardships that challenged him everyday. It is my assertion that these circumstances transformed the citizen into the American. Their everyday life was a fight for survival, because they had so much turmoil to cope