"Every gain had to be consolidated, every new district had to be cleared and settled, before the frontier could once more be pushed forward. In all this the Indian really (albeit unwittingly) aided the formation of American unity, by keeping the colonial nucleus relatively compact and preventing the white intruders from spreading out too thin, as might have occurred if the continent had been uninhabited. Furthermore, Indian opposition gave the colonists a common objective, imparted a sense of common loyalty, and put a continuous fighting edge on the colonial temper, which were all helpful in the evolution toward unity and nationhood."

📜 Lothrop Stoddard, Re-Forging America, 1927
📍Texas