From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. Ever since this nations inception, the idea of an open and ever-expanding frontier has been central to American identity. Symbolising a future of endless promise, it was the foundation of the United States belief in itself as an exceptional nation - democratic, individualistic, forward-looking. Today, though, America hasa new symbol the border wall. In The End of the Myth, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin explores the meaning of the frontier throughout the full sweep of U.S. history - from the American Revolution to the War of 1898, the New Deal to the election of 2016. For