frontierism means support for a frontier; especially, the argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that a settler colonial exceptionalism, under the guise of American democracy, was formed by appropriation of the rugged American frontier. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 78 out of 100.
Why “frontierism” is a great word
The belief that the experience of a frontier, particularly the American West, was essential in forging a distinctive national character and democratic society. From frontier (from Old French *fronter*, from Latin *frons* ("forehead, front")) + the suffix -ism (denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy). Unlike "expansionism" (which denotes a policy of aggressive territorial growth) or "exceptionalism" (a broader claim of national uniqueness), frontierism is a specific historical thesis about the transformative crucible of the borderlands. It is the axe-blaze on a new-cut lodgepole, the sun-bleached wagon wheel settling into prairie grass, and the stubborn silhouette of a lone homestead against an immense sky—a belief that in the crucible of hardship, a people and their politics were permanently, and favorably, annealed.
Etymology
From frontier + -ism.
noun
- Support for a frontier; especially, the argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that a settler colonial exceptionalism, under the guise of American democracy, was formed by appropriation of the rugged American frontier.