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frontier modeled American purpose, if not the American character. The idea of Manifest Destiny helped to justify the American rush West as well as to justify past (and present) history, including the wars. The idea of the frontier is a mixture of myth, legend, and truth which endures as part of the American mind and the American vision of the world. Even in this day and age, Americans often define any great task they take on as another frontier.

Although American civilization took over and replaced the frontier a century ago, the heritage of the frontier is still very much alive and still stirs the imaginations of the Americans, because it has been particularly important force in shaping their national values – individual freedom, self-reliance, rugged individualism, equality of opportunity, competition, material wealth and hard work.

In the frontier both land and life were more rugged and primitive than in the more settled regions. People living there were free of many society’s rules – there were few laws and few established social and political institutions to confine people. In the U.S.A., where freedom from outside social control is so highly valued, the frontier has been idealized and it still serves as a basis for the nostalgic view of the purity of the early America. The frontiersmen denied many of society’s comfort and conveniences. They had to be selfreliant which encouraged a spirit of inventiveness. They had to construct their own houses, hunt, tend their own gardens, and struggle to provide most of their daily essentials of living. Challenges in the frontier demanded new solutions, the ability to invent new farm tools, to make clothing, candles, soap and many other items needed for daily life. The willingness to experiment and invent led to another American trait, a “can-do” spirit, a sense of optimism that every problem has a solution. Americans like to believe that a difficult problem can be solved immediately - an impossible one may take a little longer. They take pride in meeting challenges and overcoming difficult obstacles. This can-do spirit has traditionally given Americans a sense of optimism about themselves and their country. When times are hard, political leaders like to remind Americans of their Frontier heritage and the tough determination of their pioneer ancestors.

The idealized image of a selfreliant frontiersman is that of a hero with “rugged individualism,” a hero, physically tough and rugged by the conditions of frontier life, skilled with guns, needing no help from others, and “going his own way.” Before the Civil War of the

1860s, the main struggle was one of a man against the wilderness. Daniel Boone is probably the best-known hero of this era. He explored the wilderness country of Kentucky in the 1760s and 1780s. On one trip he stayed in the wilderness for two years, successfully matching his strength and skills against the dangers of untamed nature and hostile Indians. Boone was captured by Indians, who were so impressed with his physical strength and

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skills that they made him a member of their tribe. Later he succeeded in making a daring escape. Boone’s heroic strength is seen primarily in his ability to master the harsh challenges of the wilderness. Although he had to fight against Indians from time to time, he is admired mainly as a survivor and conqueror of the wilderness, not a fighter.

MACHO AND FIGHTER

The second type of heroic rigged individualist is drawn from the 1860s until the 1890s. America entered a new realmthe realm of physical force. The wilderness had been conquered, the struggle now was man against man. Cattlemen and cowboys fought against farmers, outlaws, Indians, and each other for control of the remaining western lands. The tradition of law and order were not yet well established, and physical violence was frequent. It is not surprising that the hero of that period is a fighter. He is admired for his ability to beat other men in fist fights, or to win in a gunfight. He is strong enough to defeat two or three ordinary men at on time. He is typically a defender of good against evil, the principle source of his heroism being his physical prowess. The Wild West hero has had more impact on the American idea of heroism than the hero of the early wilderness frontier. It is the Wild West hero who has inspired countless western movies and created an American “macho” type. This Wild West hero has helped to shape the American idea of male strength demonstrated through physical violence and prowess rather than intelligence and moral sensitivity. This classic macho hero, the cowboy, still dominates American entertainment – tough and destined to win.

The myth of the rugged “Marlboro Man” remains vital today in song, story, and even advertising. It has permeated a variety of foreign cultures.

The rugged individualist image, highly criticized though, because the hero always uses physical violence to settle his problems, has had some unfortunate effects on contemporary American society. Today dozens of millions of Americans still own gun and believe this to be the best way to protect their homes and families from robbers and other dangerous people. Guns are very easy to obtain in the U.S.A. In most of the 50 states a man or woman who has not been found guilty of a crime can buy a gun at s store almost as easily as he or she can buy food, clothing, or any other item. Many crime prevention experts believe that the widespread ownership of guns does more to increase crime and violence than it does to ensure the safety of citizens. Nevertheless, the frontier tradition of individual freedom carried to the extreme, has blocked attempts of government to place strict control on the sale of guns to private citizens. Even the U.S. Constitution grants citizens the right to keep a bear arms. It indicates the strong influence of the frontier tradition in the formation of the United States. Though most of

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Americans favor stricter government controls on the sale of guns, millions of those who oppose such controls feel strong enough about the issue that they have created strong political pressure groups - the gun lobbies, such as the NRANational Rifle Association - to prevent any gun control legislation. Its members are mostly people who own guns for hunting and personal protection. NRA receives a good deal of money from business corporationsgun manufacturers. The NRA strongly opposes almost all government restriction on the sales of both handguns and rifles.

Readers of US newspapers and magazines debate gun control after the massacre in Virginia Tech in April, 2007 where several students and staff were gunned by a Korean student. Here are some of their notes:

“While US leaders and legislators debate and fight over the gun-control issue in Congress, a gun-free zone, America’s bright young people are being murdered all around them. Many more Americans are killed every year in the US with guns than were killed on 9/11. Is it still an issue whether there should be gun control? Americans will not lose their rights if there is gun control; rather, they will gain peace of mind knowing that they will not be gunned down in what should be one of the safest places in the world – the classroom of a prestigious university.”

“In this day and age, when there are so many whose life’s mission is to kill Americans, it probably isn’t a good idea to outlaw guns from our population. But let’s say we do decide to regulate guns. Who then decides who will have guns and who won’t – the government? How about which guns to regulate? Some are the more efficient guns for human protection and, sadly, aggression. Guess my point? Liberal democrats are those who lead the way for the removal of all forms of self-protection from the people, but then they are quick to criticize the current administration for excessive power. This very disturbed man likely received a lot of information needed to buy his weapons from the Internet. Would we be talking about Internet regulation as well? I believe we need to concentrate on the real problem: violent TV shows, movies and games that poison the young minds of this nation, and the media whose over-coverage of these incidents glorifies those who commit them, making them into celebrities.”

“Every day there’s a massacre of innocent children in the USA. We should try to understand why this happens. The main reason they kill so many innocent people is simply their easy access to weapons. What will it take to get Americans to see clearly that, as long as they remain the biggest producer of firearms with some of the laxest rules and controls for buying and owning them, this kind of horrific situation will continue to occur? Who sold a gun to that young man? Did he have to say what he was

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going to do with it? Did anyone vouch for his character? Did he have to belong to a firearm club to buy it? When the young man bought this gun it was to use it. Granted that American history and the Constitution have always cherished self-defense, but as long as the American attitude to firearms remains stuck in adolescence and refuses to grow up to that of an adult, more adolescents will kill and be killed.”

Questions for Discussion

1. How did frontier determine American history? 2. Did frontier mold American character? 3. What helped white men to turn the land into a giant fortune? 4.Why did frontier encourage inventiveness and a can-do spirit? 5. What conditions in your country encourage people to develop these qualities? 6. How did white men justify their conquest of the continent? 5. What other traits did challenges in the frontier demand? 6. What is the idealized image of a self-reliant frontier? 7. What impact has the Wild West hero had on the American idea of heroism? 8. Where did the idea of the “rugged individualism” come from? 9. How has the rugged individualist image influenced the contemporary American society? 9. Why has the image of the rugged individualist hero been criticized? 10. Do many people in your country own guns? 11. What kind of gun control laws are there in your country? Is it easy in your country to obtain a gun? 12. How do you feel about guns? Is it necessary/possible to regulate guns?

Comment on these statements:

“Actions speak louder than words.”

“Raise Yourself up by Your Own Bootstraps.” “The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease.”

“The ownership of guns does more to increase crime and violence than it does to ensure the safety of citizens.”