![]() ![]() For the first settlers, the West began at the edge of Massachusetts Bay or Chesapeake Bay. The newly civilized land now bordered on the frontier.įrom the first settlements at Jamestown in 1607, the process of frontiering was repeated for three hundred years until the entire continent was settled. The land became "civilized" as pioneers forced Indians to move farther west, and the small settlements grew into thriving towns. As each group of pioneers carved out their spot on the frontier, communities soon developed around them. As whites spread westward from the Atlantic coast, the boundary of the frontier also moved farther west. Defining the frontierīy definition, the American frontier meant the vast unclaimed land west of white civilization. Each of these tasks made up the process of "frontiering." Despite the difficulties of frontiering-forging into unknown territory, battling hostile enemies, braving harsh weather, suffering countless dangers and possibly death in order to build a new life-pioneers displayed an untiring optimism that things would go their way. ![]() Gathered and hunted the bounties of the new land or cleared fields for crops, and set about establishing the rules for their new life on the frontier. After trekking hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles, the pioneers built their homes and other necessary buildings, Forging their own way or following others' dusty tracks, pioneers braved Indian attacks and unknown environments to find a satisfactory plot of land. Whole families or groups of people gathered to venture out into the unknown with a wagon train of supplies. Pioneers carried their belongings until they found a spot worth claiming. To venture into the wilderness took daring and courage. But in America, a hardy immigrant could determine his or her own destiny on the unknown frontier. In Europe, a serf (a laborer who works the land and is owned by the lord who owns the land) could never think of leaving his allotted plot of land to rise from poverty, nor could a shopkeeper's son ever hope to run his own store before his father's death. The frontier was the wilderness just outside the civilized towns it offered people an opportunity to strike out and succeed on their own. ![]() Since shortly after the first colonies were founded on the Atlantic coast, the frontier has beckoned to settlers. The frontier has long held a special place in the hearts and minds of Americans. ![]()
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