In the context of conquering "the land" from East to West, I think the articles sentiments are spot on. The conclusion that Americans would settle long term is

In the context of conquering "the land" from East to West, I think the articles sentiments are spot on. The conclusion that Americans would settle long term is open to debate. The frontier discussed in the article is a physical one, conquered by hard labor and sweat. And while Americans did succeed and enjoy (physically) lighter days now, the author failed to predict we'd find a new frontier, a digital one. The hard labor is now done in the mind, even if we spend too much time binging Rick & Morty.