how the conversation began

In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner told us the frontier defined American life. The frontier was that which made the United States democratic and aggressive in character. In 1933, Arthur Schlesinger Sr. argued that in order to understand the democratic character of the United States one needed to look to the country’s industrial beginnings, or the city. Schlesinger’s arguments made him a pioneer in urban history.

Between the years Turner and Schlesinger made their very different arguments – specifically in 1896 - W.E.B. Du Bois studied Philadelphia’s African American community. He attributed the poverty and social ills African Americans experienced in this city to hardened racial attitudes and the era of slavery, and in doing so, also became a pioneer in urban history. He was also a pioneer in making race and class key ideas in the study of city life. Why is it worthwhile to insert Du Bois into the discussions that Turner and Schlesinger introduce? What made it possible for him to see American life differently from the other scholars? Further, is it possible to reconcile these men’s ideas with Nikki Taylor’s more recent study on the experiences of African Americans in 19th century Cincinnati, which addresses America’s frontier, urban life, freedom and slavery?