Chapter 8: Creating a Republican Culture Flashcards
“neomercatilist”
An economic policy in the early 19th century that emphasized government intervention to promote domestic industries and protect national economic interests.
Panic of 1819
A severe financial crisis and economic depression that occurred in the United States, marked by bank failures, bankruptcies, and unemployment.
Commonwealth System
A system of state support for economic development and infrastructure projects, particularly in the northeastern United States.
sentimentalism
A cultural and literary movement in the early 19th century that emphasized emotion, morality, and human sympathy.
companionate marriages
Marriages based on love, affection, and shared interests, rather than purely economic or practical considerations.
demographic transition
A process in which a society transitions from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a result of industrialization and modernization.
republican motherhood
A concept in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that women played a vital role in educating their children to be responsible citizens of a republic.
manumission
The act of freeing enslaved individuals or granting them their freedom.
herrenvolk republic
A term used to describe the United States in the 19th century, emphasizing that it was a republic of white men and perpetuating racial hierarchies.
American Colonization Society
An organization founded in 1816 that advocated for the colonization of free African Americans in Africa, leading to the establishment of Liberia.
Missouri Compromise
A compromise in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining a balance of power between slave and free states.
established church
A state-sanctioned or state-supported church with special privileges, often associated with colonial America and the Anglican Church.
voluntarism
The principle that religious organizations should be voluntary associations, rather than state-supported institutions.
“unchurched”
A term used to describe individuals or regions with low levels of religious affiliation or church attendance
Second Great Awakening
A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that led to the spread of evangelical Christianity and social reform efforts in the United States.
On what grounds does Paine argue for American independence? Where do you see the
influence of Enlightenment thinking in this argument?
-Paine argues for American independence on the grounds of natural rights and self-determination
-Paine criticizes the hereditary monarchy and the idea of a distant, tyrannical government ruling over the American colonies.
-The idea that government should serve the people and protect their rights, as articulated by Paine, is a core Enlightenment principle that can be traced back to thinkers like Montesquieu and Voltaire
Trace the key events in both Britain and America from 1763 to 1776 that forged the Patriot
movement. Why did those in Parliament believe that the arguments of the rebellious
colonists were not justified? How did the Patriots gain the widespread support of the
colonists?
-Ended the French and Indian War, but left Britain with a massive debt and the need to manage newly acquired territories in North America
-Sugar Act: Imposed taxes on sugar and other goods, leading to colonial protests over “taxation without representation.”
-Stamp Act: Imposed a direct tax on various documents and printed materials, sparking widespread resistance in the colonies through the Stamp Act Congress and boycotts.
Townshend Acts: Imposed import taxes on items like tea, paper, and glass, leading to protests and a heightened sense of opposition.
Boston Massacre: British soldiers fired into a crowd in Boston, killing several colonists and intensifying anti-British sentiment.
Tea Act and Boston Tea Party: Colonists, led by the Sons of Liberty, protested the Tea Act by boarding British ships and dumping tea into Boston Harbor.
-Many in Parliament believed that the colonists were subjects of the British Empire and should be subject to imperial law and taxation.
-“common sense”
How was rhetoric about slavery and freedom employed by the American colonists during the
years between 1763 and 1776? How did white colonists apply such rhetoric to themselves?
How did it affect the experiences of African-American slaves?
-The rhetoric of freedom, while resonant with Enlightenment principles, was often not applied to enslaved African Americans by white colonists. Slavery was deeply ingrained in colonial society, and the institution continued to thrive.
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What accounted for British military superiority in the first years of the war? How did the
Americans sustain their military effort between 1776 and 1778?
-British had better military and navy
- British had more funding
- Americans used guerilla warfare
- Americans cut off British supply lines
What were the causes of Shays’s Rebellion, and what does this tell us about postwar America?
- taxes were high
- ## postwar America has the same issue as prewar America
Why did the Western Indian Confederacy fail in its effort to limit white settlement west of the
The Appalachians?
- Many Native Americans became sick from the diseases carried into the New World, so by this point the populations were small
- limited technology (compared to settlers)
- were exclued from politics, treaties they signed were ignored
According to the nationalists, what were the central problems of the Articles of Confederation?
How did the delegates to the Philadelphia convention address them?
-Articles of Confederation had a weak central government
- Articles of Confederation did not have enough money to keep the government running
- Constitution made a stronger central government
- added checks and balanced
- made it adaptable
How did the Philadelphia convention resolve three contentious political issues: the
representation of large and small states, slavery, and state sovereignty?
- The Virginia plan and New Jersey plan were two plans of different ways to decide how many votes in Congress each state get, the Great compromise means that there are two in the senate for each state and a number in the house proportional to poplulation
- 3/5 compromise was about slavery, counting each slave as 3/5 of a person
- decided to make the Federal laws trump the state laws, but state laws could question the constitutionality of federal laws
Why did the Federalist and first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton insist on
creating a permanent national debt and a national bank? What was he hoping to accomplish?
Why did his Republican opponents disavow his approach to the U.S. economy? What was
Hamilton’s legacy?
-Hamilton believed that a national debt, if properly managed, could help stabilize the American economy. By consolidating the debts of the states and the federal government into a single, manageable entity, he sought to create a more predictable and secure financial system.
-prioritized American manufacturing
- Hamilton believed that a national bank, such as the First Bank of the United States, would provide a stable currency, facilitate trade, and encourage economic growth by providing loans to businesses and entrepreneurs.
- Hamilton’s economic policies, particularly his support for a national debt and a national bank, fueled political divisions and the formation of the Federalist and Republican parties. These divisions persisted in American politics and continue to influence economic and fiscal debates.
