With an open frontier came a vast amount of land to be inhabited, all with different opportunities and resources to capitalize on. Very different from most of the land that America currently had, the west created many new businesses that had never existed before. People who moved to the west needed money to live there, and the new resources found there stimulated the economy as well as kept their towns relevant in the market. These new resources boosted America’s market. They presented new materials to be used and a larger supply of assets that were already in demand. These new experiences were the original appeal that the west had, but when there was no more land to expand to, these cities would lose their appeal and internal issues would arise.
When the frontier closed, towns fell and cities rose. When the frontier closed, only a small number of towns managed to stay afloat — those who managed to survive flourished the economy with their new resources. New cities created their own place in the economy, usually specializing in something that makes them so popular. The mass of newer, popular cities squeezed their way into the economy and boosted it. The internal aspect of Jackson’s Frontier Thesis can be seen in the cutthroat battle to the top in western cities — with no opportunities for expansion, cities had to battle their way to the top. When the frontier closed, economic success became a driving force and staying afloat became a more serious issue. In turn, these battles became evidence that the frontier kept cities away from each other’s throats, and without it they were stuck in a constant struggle to the top. These economic conflicts support the idea that problems would arise without a scapegoat once the west closed up.
