Life on the Frontier

The frontier experience played an important role in American history – as people came to new places, wilderness was transformed into settlements and the face of the land changed. Many historians proved that the frontier experience played a significant role in the formation of American character and attributed to the frontier such features of American character as egalitarianism, toughness, inventiveness, and self-reliance.

The new settlers mostly moved west in search of gold or free land, in organized groups, often in wagon trains that could protect them against local Indians. During the long journey travelers drew up constitutions and elected leaders. As government could not provide much help, the frontier people had to take care of themselves – men protected the train with guns and in times of danger everyone worked together.

When wagon trains arrived at the place of destination, the frontier families faced new difficulties, now of living in the new land, often with no medical service or governmental protection. Besides there were typical problems those families faced:

• Loneliness. People left their relatives in the east, so separation from the family and loneliness were the most common immigrant experiences. The pioneer family was also a dislocated family, cut off from home and friendly environment.

• Health problems and death rate. Poor health care caused frequent epidemics of such diseases as dysentery, typhoid and cholera; numerous accidents raised the death rate. Women often died in childbirth and at least one-fifth of infants died before five. Young mothers were advised not to get attached to their children because the risk of death was very high. Also hardships of the frontier life generated emotional tensions and instabilities that led to insanities.

• Divorce. In the 19^th century, new states and territories had the highest divorce rate in the nation. Women could look for a new match if they were unsatisfied with their husbands. There were enough men and the frontier women were encouraged to "try again".

Difficulties of the pioneer life are reflected in the expression "to go west", that means "to get lost or damaged". However, the hardships of frontier life could not stop the influx of people with a pioneering spirit, who had enough courage to make major changes in their lives. This pioneering spirit is still alive in the nation – change is viewed by Americans as positive, and about 42 million Americans change residence every year.

Cultural Focus: The Second Great Awakening

Westward movement and expansion coupled with the rise of evangelical sects and denominations that quickly spread over the frontier land. Hundreds of priests and laymen spread the doctrine of evangelical Christianity through the countryside and carried the message of salvation to the rootless and largely uneducated frontier people.

Preachers and evangelists appealed to the mentality of the frontier folk, who felt free to decide which denomination to choose. An awakener could come to the frontier settlement or to a town asking: "Are you saved? Are you sure that your church membership guarantees you God's favor? What if your minister is passive? Do you know Jesus as your personal saviour?" Very often these awakeners were more successful than traditional denominations.

The rise of new sects reflected important processes in American society – they were "democratizing" American religion, making it available to all rather than to a preselected and educated elite.

The Awakening gave rise to a new form of religious service – camp meeting. These frontier revivals held outdoors were sometimes attended by thousands of people (often belonging to different denominations) and usually lasted from three days to a week. The revivalists proclaimed that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was near and that the time for repent ance had come. They stressed that salvation was open to all and rejected the doctrine of predestination that was characteristic to early colonial Protestantism.

One of the most successful frontier denominations was Methodists, who by the 1840s, had already more than one million members. Methodists appealed to the frontier folk by saying that religion was primarily the matter of the heart rather than the head and by rejecting the "settled" ministry. Instead, young Methodists preachers moved on horseback from place to place and preached in houses, open fields, or other places where listeners could gather.

Though revivalists changed many customs, they also promoted law, order and sense of morality in the frontier. The basic unit of the Methodists discipline on the frontier was the "class" – a small group of a dozen or so members, who met weekly to provide mutual encouragement of religion and morality. During "class" meetings Methodists chastised one another for drunkenness, fighting, gossiping, and even slippery business practices.

In the 1820s, another of the new denominations – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) was founded by Joseph Smith. Unlike other revivalists, who based their teachings on the Bible, Smith positioned America at the center of Christian history – he claimed that Jesus Christ had appeared and performed miracles in the New World.

The Mormons started moving west to build a new model city. Their first place of destination was Illinois, where they built a city of Nauvoo, with a magnificent temple. In 1843, Smith reported that he had received a revelation sanctioning the practice of having many wives or polygamy. He also suggested that Mormonism would be to Christianity what Christianity had been to Judaism – a higher form of religion.

In 1844, Smith was murdered in jail, but the Mormon religion survived. New Mormon leader Brigham Young led the Mormons from Nauvoo to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah, where they established an independent republic, the State of Desert. The Mormons, who were industrious and cooperative, soon transformed the valley into a rich oasis. Till today the Mormons dominate the Utah government making their state a specific cultural region.

Another denomination that set apart from American society – the Shakers – was started by Mother Ann Lee, the illiterate daughter of an English blacksmith. She believed that the end of the world was imminent, and at the Second Coming Jesus would take a form of a woman, herself.

As the two last examples suggest, the Great Awakening brought to life many sects and denominations, some even staying apart from the mainstream American culture. However, they all contributed to religious pluralism that characterizes today's America and the spirit of compromise that promotes peaceful coexistence of various sects and religions.