17563. AMERICA’S FRONTIER PAST. This paper considers the merits of the “frontier thesis” – the argument that America’s frontier past contributed to the unique character of the American people – and examines some of the major effects of the frontier past on the development of the American character. Concludes that while Turner’s “frontier thesis” can be rightly faulted as geographically inaccurate, culturally biased and potentially racist, the notion that the nation’s frontier past helps to explain the American character retains validity. KEYWORDS: frontier legacy American character frontier mentality frontier thesis controversy. Written 2005. MLA Style. 7 pages, 11 footnotes, 5 bibliographic sources. 1,673 words.