safety valve theory apush quotation

Governments were unusually democratic for the time. Town Hall Meetings in the New England colonies allowed the community to come together and form legislation. Meanwhile, the VirginiaHouse of Burgesses was (at least in theory) a representative legislative body.

This conflict intertwines with another APUSH theme of America in the World (WOR) but, just to note, the eventual War of 1812was extremely important for our national identity. It is sometimes referred to as the Second War for Independenceand, afterwards, America would never again have to fight for our independence and sovereignty.

Turner also saw the West as a hotbed forprogressive reforms and as a safety valve-- a place of endless opportunity and hope. With the closing of the frontier,Turner argued that America would soon seek imperial goals in new frontiers outside of our own territory. Let’s just say that he wasn’t exactly wrong on that one.

The same concerns over national security that led us into World War I eventually pulled the nation into World War II as well. When Japan bombed Hawaii’s Pearl Harbornaval base on December 7, 1941, America once again saw the great need to defend its safety and honor.

This cause also drew America into two official wars: the Korean Warand the Vietnam War.Many Americans protested this involvement. They questioned why we should risk our safety and the safety of our troops fighting a war that was not ours to fight.

The mining and cattle frontiers created colorful chapters in western history.  Farmers carried out the final phase of settlement, lured by free homesteads, railroads, and irrigation.  The census declared the end of the frontier in 1890, concluding a formative phase of American history. The frontier was less of a “safety valve” than many believed, but the growth of cities actually made the West the most urbanized region of the United States by the 1890s.

Lassez-Faire Capitalism-An economic theory by Adam Smith that proposed government should be hands off with the economy. It also says the the economy will even out by itself through the process of supply and demand.

Social Darwinism-led by Herbert Spencer, some people believed that Darwin theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest would be applied to the marketplace. He believed that concentrating wealth in the hands of the "fit" will benefit everyone.

Turner- Argued that the frontier was significant in; (1) shaping the American character; (2) defining the American spirit; (3) fostering democracy, and (4) providing a safety valve for economic distress in urban, industrial centers

Response-The response to segregation usually came from confrontations of blacks to whites. An African American Ida B. Wells, campaigned against lynching the Jim Crow Laws. Others like Booker Washington, a black university graduate and a scientist opened a school for agriculture and argued that economic power is better than winning political ballot. His theory earned the support of many whites including Andrew Carnegie and Theodore Roosevelt. Later on. black advocates criticized him as accepting discrimination while other praised him for promoting self- reliance.

Turner Thesis late 19th century, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier was the key factor in the development of American democracy and institutions; he maintained that the frontier served as a "safety valve" during periods fo economic crisis

Charles Darwin 19th century, an English naturalist whose theory for the foundation of humankind laid the path for evolution, proposed natural selection