The first settlers who arrived in the Americas on the east coast in the early 17th century acted and thought like Europeans. They adapted to the new uncultivated land in certain ways and moved westward, causing the American frontier to be the source of the most rapid and effective Americanization. Frederick Jackson Turner says that the unique American identity was created at the joining between the civilization of settlement and the savage wilderness. The dynamic of both of these conditions made the citizens able to tame the wild and gain strength and individuality. As generations kept moving westward, they became more American, more democratic, and increasingly intolerant of hierarchy. It became a new product that was uniquely American. He states that the most important aspect of the American frontier was that it promoted democracy due to its promotion of individualism. Frederick Jackson Turner's conclusion regarding the West rang true in the sense that Americans were able to move out westward and make better lives for themselves, enabling them to grow and develop as individuals. His conclusion is problematic because Manifest Destiny played a huge role in western settlement, leading to immense cultural and racial conflict. Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis implies that Americans were able to move out westward and make better lives for themselves. In "An Ex-Slave Recalls His Migration Across the Prairie , a former slave, the lowest possible status one can hold in society, named Bill Simms travels to Kansas along the buffalo trail. He finds work on a farm and is able to make a substantial amount of money. He then marries and has three children, and is able to send his girls to school. All of his girls grew up successful and educated. This source is an excellent example of Jackson's thesis in that someone who truly had nothing as a slave was able to make a comfortable life for himself. Another example of a way in which people make bett