This passage provides nuance to James’s view of freedom. He doesn’t advocate for an unfettered, anything-goes freedom that’s not accountable to anyone else. Frontier settlers, in fact, are an example of
excessive freedom, in his opinion. He thinks frontier conditions lead to a more primitive, uncouth, and unproductive lifestyle. The intensity of his prejudice is striking, but it underscores how much James prizes hard work as an American trait—he doesn’t believe frontiersmen work hard enough, therefore they’re bad Americans. When he speaks of conversion, James, who’s not very religious in a conventional sense, refers more to “civilizing” people than to changing their religion.