The log cabin: from the pioneers' hardship of life to the fulfilment of the American dream. A brief sketch of the history of the American people through one symbol: the log cabin.

Abstract

It may be the Appalachian icon which is a log cabin on a hillside with wood-smoke rising from a stone chimney. This is part of American culture associated with President Abraham Lincoln and the frontiersman Davy Crockett. Many questions arise with regard to the log cabin such as what is so American about the log cabin, what is the significance of the log cabin in the American culture, the origin of the log cabin, how did it turn out to be the symbol of the Nation and finally, how and why has it been used since the 60s?