The Meaning of Democracy in an Era of Economic and Territorial Expansion (1800-1848) Flashcards
Presidential Election of 1800
Identify:
- Election tactics used
John Adams (Federalist) against Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican). Jefferson seemed to win, but an error in the electoral college resulted in a tie with Aaron Burr. Hamilton pushed the Federalists to vote for Jefferson, as the decision of who was president was thrown to the Federalist House of Representatives.
Jefferson was depicted as someone who would carry out a reign of terror, as in France. They also speculated he had a relationship with a slave woman, which is generally accepted to be true.
Adams was depicted as a would-be king.
Sally Hemings
Slave woman of Jefferson who may have had his child. DNA evidence supports this, but some historians dispute it.
Aaron Burr
Vice-presidential candidate in the election of 1800, who tied with Jefferson due to a mistake in the electoral college voting among the Democratic-Republicans.
Revolution of 1800
Jefferson’s labelling of power transfer from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans. He believed his administration would return the US to its founding roots.
Era of Good Feelings
Identify:
-Cause
1815-1825, where the Democratic-Republicans were the only major party. This occurred after the rapid decline of the Federalist Party after the election of 1800, since agricultural areas grew faster than the commercial centers. They also lost support after opposing the War of 1812, which was popular.
James Monroe
Easily won the election of 1816 due to the heavily weakened Federalist Party. Four years later, his victory was even easier. He resembled the presidents of the 18th century, wearing the fashion of that time. He brought back the practice of bringing men of different ideological beliefs into his cabinet, which Washington did. Some policies, such as “internal improvements”, resembled Federalist playbooks.
Twelfth Amendment
Changed the procedure of the electoral college so that the vote for president was separate from the vote for VP. Previously, each elector cast two votes, but there was no distinction.
Influence of Federalist Party After Collapse
The nation began to adopt manufacturing, like Hamilton had hoped. Henry Clay’s “American System” also kept alive most of Hamilton’s program. Federalist agendas also lived on in the Supreme Court.
Marshall Court
Supreme Court era under the tenure of John Marshall. It issued a series of decisions that extended the power of the federal government over state laws while establishing the primacy of the judiciary in interpreting the meaning of the Constitution.
Marbury v. Madison
Most important decision of the Marshall Court. It established the principle of judicial review.
Before the new Adam’s judges could be commissioned, Jefferson had taken office. Jefferson ordered his secretary of state, James Madison, to not deliver them, so Jefferson could appoint his own judges.
Judicial Act of 1801
Expanded the Judiciary in the last days of the Adams administration. Adams filled these sits, solidifying Federalist power in the Supreme Court.
William Marbury
One of the judges appointed by Adams, but not commissioned by the time Jefferson took office. The Marshall Court ruled that he was not entitled to his seat, because his basis for his argument, the Judiciary Act of 1789, was ruled to be unconstitutional. This established judicial review as the main function of the Supreme Court.
McCulloch v. Maryland
One of the landmark decisions of the Marshall Court that strengthened federal power. It prohibited Maryland from taxing the Second Bank of the US, a federal institution.
Gibbons v. Ogden
One of the landmark decisions of the Marshall Court that strengthened federal power. It invalidated a monopoly on ferry transportation between New York and New Jersey that had been issued by New York. The Court ruled that only the federal government could regulate interstate trade.
Cohens v. Virginia
One of the landmark decisions of the Marshall Court that strengthened federal power. It affirmed the right of the Supreme Court to receive appeals from state courts. It involved the Cohen brothers being prohibited from selling lottery tickets in Virginia. The Court upheld Virginia’s right to forbid the sale of these tickets.
Worcester vs. Georgia
Court held that any dealings with Indigenous nations had to be carried out by the federal government, not the state government. It struck down a statute that forbade non-American Indigenous from entering American Indigenous territory without first obtaining a license from a state. The Court upheld the autonomy of American Indigenous groups, especially the Cherokees.
Louisiana Purchase
French territory that had been ceded to Spain at the end of the French and Indian War, but regained in 1801. It was sold by Napoleon Bonaparte in order to fund the war with Great Britain. The price was set at 15 million.
Thomas Jefferson on the Louisiana Purchase
Initially reluctant, since the constitution did not allow for the acquisition of additional land. However, if he waited for Congress to pass an amendment, Napoleon may have rescinded his offer. Therefore, he violated his principle of strict constructionism and presented the offer to Congress, which assented and appropriated the funds.
Strict Constructionist
The ideal of Jefferson. It asserted that the government’s power was limited to what was explicitly allowed by the Constitution.
Louisiana Territory
Great Plains, Port of New Orleans. This doubled the territory of the US.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Increased understanding of the region included in the Louisiana purchase. This stablished the presence of the US in the West.
Slavery in the North vs. South
The North had begun to industrialize, eliminating the need for slavery. On the other hand, the south had strengthened the cultivation of cotton, which required a large number of workers. As such, slavery grew in the South.
American System
Series of proposals to promote economical growth following the War of 1812. It proposed high tariffs and chartering the Second Bank of the United States. Both proposals were seen through by the end of the Monroe Administration. He also promoted internal improvements.
Henry Clay
Leading member of the House of Representatives who put forward the American System.
Second Bank of the United States
Part of the American System. Chartered to stabilize the economy and make credit more available.
Reasons for the Isolation of the South
The South became increasingly isolated from the North and the Midwest. Roads and railroads of the American System typically bypassed the South, and migration connected the North and the Midwest. These separated the North and the South culturally, and eventually, politically.
Internal Improvements
Part of Henry Clay’s American System. It created better transportation, but isolated the North from the South.
Missouri Compromise
Arose when Maine applied to the Union as a slave state, which would upset the balance of 11 free and 11 slave states. In the end, a compromise was reached; Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, while Maine would be admitted as a free state. The Compromise also divided the remaining territory of the Louisiana Purchase at the 36 30 line; above the line, slavery was not permitted (except Missouri), while below the line, it was permitted.
Representative John Quincy Adams
Tried to bring up resolutions for anti-slavery. In response, southern politicians successfully pushed forward resolutions that automatically tabled such resolutions, preventing them from being read or debated.
Gag Rules
Resolutions that prevented antislavery resolutions from being read or debated in the House of Representatives.
Congress in the Antebellum Period
The North held more power in the House, since the House was population based. On the other hand, the South held more power in the Senate.
Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli
Controlled trade in the Mediterranean, which became known as the Barbary Coast.
Barbary Coast
Mediterranean coast controlled by 4 nations who demanded large payments from trading nations as tribute. Pirates seized and plundered nations that did not comply. Washington and Adams agreed to their terms, but Jefferson refused after Tripoli increased the tribute.
First Barbary War
1801-1805. Started after Jefferson refused to play the steep increase in tribute to Tripoli. He sent warships to the region to protect American interests, which was a popular move. However, there was no decisive victory. The peace treaty had Tripoli release hostages in exchange for 60K and promised to stop raiding American ships. However, critics viewed the payment as a form of tribute, and in the coming years, Barbary pirates continued to raid American ships.
However, the war did show America’s profile ion the world stage and demonstrated the cohesion of American forces fighting far from home.
Second Barbary War
- Brought the end of America paying tribute to the Barbary states.
Impressment
The practice of the British of seizing ship and forcing the American seamen to serve in the British Navy. 6,000 men were affected by this.
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
1807 incident where the British HMS Leopard fired on the American USS Chesapeake. Three Americans were killed and four were abducted. This highlighted the tensions between the US and Britain.
Peaceful Coercion
Tactic used by Jefferson and Madison in an effort to get Great Britain to stop interfering with American shipping.
Embargo Act
- Passed during the Jefferson administration. It cut off US trade to all foreign ports in at attempt to pressure the belligerent nations to agree to leave US ships alone. However, the main effect was crippling the mercantile sector. It proved to be very unpopular, especially in New England, whose economy depended on trade.
Non-Intercourse Act
- Passed in the waning days of the Jefferson administration, it replaced the Embargo Act. It opened trades with all nations except Great Britain and France. Since Great Britain and France were America’s largest trading partners, this act was still very unpopular.
Macon’s Bill No 2.
Passed in 1810 in an attempt to revive trade. It stipulated that if either Great Britain or France agreed to respect America’s rights as a neutral nation at sea, the US would prohibit trade with said nation’s enemy. Napoleon agreed, so the US cut off trade with Britain. However, Napoleon did not honor the commitment, and France continued to seize American ships. The cutting off of trade with Britain worsened relations and pushed the nations closer to war.
Congress on the War of 1812
Divided on sectional lines. New England and some Middle Atlantic states voted against it, while the South and Midwest voted for it. The vote was passed just as Britain was making assurances that it would stop interfering with American shipping.
Fort Dearborn and Fort Detroit (War of 1812)
Early British victories.
Partisan Divide On the War of 1812.
Opposed by the Federalists. Madison still won his re-election during the midst of the war.
York (War of 1812)
Key American victory in 1813, where York (modern day Toronto) was burnt.
Battle of the Thames
Battle in Canada where the Americans defeated British and American Indigenous groups, killing the Indigenous leader Tecumseh.
Washington DC (War of 1812)
Burnt by the British, with the White House and the Capitol building being burned.
Andrew Jackson at New Orleans
Major victory, but was insignificant in the long run; neither the British nor Jackson had realized that the US had already signed a peace treaty, formally ending the war.
Hartford Convention
Called for several amendments to the Constitution that intended to set limits on both the power of the federal government and the influence of the Democratic-Republicans. It would have required a 2/3 vote in Congress for future declarations, and another would have removed the 3/5th clause.
The convention was held in December 1814 by Federalists who opposed the War of 1812, as they were typically wealthy New England merchants who saw their trade with Great Britain disappear.
Treaty of Ghent
1814 treaty that ended the War of 1812. The British had grown tired of war after fighting Napoleon for more than a decade and the US for 2 years. The US realized it could not achieve a decisive victory. The treaty restored territory to where it was before, as well as recognizing the boundary between the US and Canada to be what it was before the war. The treaty did not mention specific grievances the US had against the British, such as aid to American Indigenous, interference with American shipping, and impressment.
Old China Trade
Identify:
- Cultural differences between the Chinese and the Americans.
Lucrative trade with China following the American Revolution, although it was not officially sanctioned by the US government.
Americans saw trade as a basic right and a means to expand national and personal wealth. On the other hand, the Chinese looked down at commerce. China saw trade as something that existed at the largess of the emperor in return for tribute paid by states that acknowledged the superior trade of China.
Maritime Fur Trade
American Indigenous fur was traded to China, as China had high demand for it.
Treaty of Wanghia
Ended the unofficial Old China Trade. In the treaty, China extended the same trading privileges to the US as it had to Great Britain.
Monroe’s Foreign Policy
Monroe displayed America’s new confidence on the international stage. He was alarmed by the threats of the Holy Alliance of Russia, Prussia, and Austria to restore Spain’s lost American colonies. He also opposed a decree by the Russian Czar that claimed all of the Pacific Northwest above the 51st parallel. Both problems worked themselves out.
Holy Alliance of Russia, Prussia, and Austria
Threatened to restore Spain’s lost American Colonies.
Monroe Doctrine
Aimed to limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere, in response to the Holy Alliance of Russia, Prussia, and Austria and the claims of the Russian Czar. While America could not enforce this, it was an important statement of intent.
Cornerstones of America’s Isolationist Foreign Policy
Monroe Doctrine and Washington’s Farewell Address.
Adams-Onis Treaty
Identify:
- Importance in the slavery issue
US gained Florida in 1819 with this treaty, negotiated by John Quincy Adams, who was secretary of state under Monroe. It accepted Spain’s claims to Texas and settled the boundary between Louisiana (became a state in 1812) and Spanish territory.
Florida had become a concern for the US because it was a common destination for escaped slaves.
Aroostook War
1838-39 dispute between Americans and Canadians over the border between Maine and Canada. No lives were lost, despite it being called a war.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Roughly split disputed territory to establish a firm boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, and also settled a controversy over the border between Minnesota territory and Canada.
The Caroline Incident
1837 incident where the British burned the American vessel Caroline, which was being used by anti-British Canadian rebels to transfer supplies. In response, New York officials arrested a Canadian sheriff and threatened to execute him for participating in the murder of an American crew member. In the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, this was resolved, with both sides admitting wrongdoing.
Dispute Over Pacific Northwest
Disputed territory between the US and Great Britain. They agreed to a joint occupation of the Oregon Country. Eventually, President James Polk compromised with Britain, establishing a border at the 49th parallel, which remains the current border.
Fifty-Four Forty Or Fight
Rallying call of those who wanted the US to annex Oregon Country in its whole.
Wildcat Banks
Came into existence in the early 1800’s. It issued currency in excess of the value of assets held by the bank. They were known to provide easy access to credit. While the banks put money into circulation and promoted economic expansion, but also created economic instability.
Panic of 1819
Economic crash caused by wildcat banks. After the crash, there was a remarkable growth of the economy.
Corporate Charters
In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, these were granted to groups mainly on a temporary basis and mainly for a public-oriented purpose. However, in the 1830’s and 40’s, states rewrote the charters to allow for the charters of businesses.
Limited Liability
Investors could only lose the amount they had invested, and were not liable for any debts beyond their investments.
Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward
Defined the charter of Dartmouth College had received during the colonial period as a contract. When New Hampshire attempted to rescind the charter and make it a state college, the Court ruled that the original charter was valid and must stand.
Fletcher v. Peck
Upheld a corrupt land deal between the state of Georgia and private individuals. The Court ruled that the deal, in effect a contract, might not have been in public interest, but a contract must be upheld.
John Deere’s Steel Plow
Led to greater efficiency in grain production in 1847.
Cyrus McCormack’s Automatic Reaper
Developed in 1831 which pushed agricultural efficiency.
The Thresher
Increased agricultural efficiency.
Interchangeable Parts of Eli Whitney
Parts of specific items were made to exact specifications and could be rapidly assembled.
The Clermont (Robert Fulton)
First functional steamboat, which rapidly became popular.
Erie Canal
One of the Internal Improvements, completed in 1825. It was a canal that connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, connecting NYC to the interior. The cost of moving a ton of freight from Buffalo to NYC dropped by approx. 90%.
The Erie Canal, like many internal improvements, were built by private entities supported by subsidies from federal and state governments.
National Road (Cumberland Road)
Most important road of the Internal Improvements, completed in 1853.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Laid the first railroad tracks in 1829.
Waltham-Lowell System
Brought all stages of textile production under one roof, with employees living in company housing. It spread to other industries.
King Cotton
58% of American exports were cotton, and 75% of the world’s cotton was exported by the US.
Irish Potato Famine
Many came to America (approx 1 million). They settled mostly in port cities such as NYC and Boston.
Revolution in 1848
Many Germans escaped to America after this failed rebellion.
German Triangle
Many Germans settled in Cincinnati, St Louis, and Milwaukee.
Migration After the War of 1812
More than 4 million Americans crossed the Appalachian Mountains between 1800-40 to settle in the West. New communities grew quickly. Southern Planters moved to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and later Texas.
Cotton Kingdom
Many small-scale farmers wished to recreate this in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. They wanted slave labor and less expensive lands further west.
Market Revolution
Average income increased and standard of living improved in the early nineteenth century. It provided a degree ojf social mobility.
Free-Labor Ideology
Held that in the US, it was possible for wage earners to own land and become independent of others. It upheld the dignity of work and led northerners to see themselves as superior to the southerners.
Factory Girls Association
Mill workers in Lowell, Massachusetts staged two strikes in the late 1830’s.
Commonwealth vs. Hunt
1842 decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that set the precedent of declaring unions to be lawful as long as they used legal means.
National Typographical Union and Stone Cutters
Skilled workers’ union that had a greater success than laborers’ unions.
Republican Motherhood
Gave way to a less public-minded conception of a middle-class woman’s place. Commentators in the first half of the 19th century saw women as intellectually inferior and meant to maintain the house.
Cult of Domesticity
Insisted that women keep a proper Christian home, away from male politics, business, and competition. This ideal pushed women away from public life.
Feme Covert
Wives had no independent legal or political standing.
Eliminating Property Qualifications
After the Era of Good Feelings, most states removed property qualifications so all free white males could vote.
Daniel Webster
Led conservatives against eliminating property qualifications, arguing that “power naturally and necessarily follows property”. The Federalists were able to block some egalitarian reforms.
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention
1820-21, where eliminating property qualifications became a key issue.
People’s Convention
1841 convention hosted by reformers on Rhode Island that wrote a more democratic state constitution, since Rhode Island still had property qualifications. They held an unauthorized referendum, which overwhelmingly passed. They were declared a rebellion and put down by President John Tyler.
Thomas Dorr
Governor appointed by the People’s Convention. He was briefly imprisoned following the failure of Dorr’s Rebellion.
Alexis de Tocqueville
Visited the US in 1831. He was a French writer who studied the American prison system and wrote Democracy in America using his observations.
Gustave de Beaumont
French prison reformer who visited the US with Alexis de Tocqueville.
Democracy in America
Published in two volumes by Tocqueville in 1835 and 40. He noted that democracy in the US meant more than access to voting and described the democratic ethos of American culture.
Age of Jacksonian Democracy
Used to describe the two term presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837).
Election of 1824
Jackson and his supporters were bitter over this election, since none of the 4 candidates competing had reached the required number of electoral votes to become president. Despite Jackson having the most electoral votes, the House of Representatives declared John Quincy Adams to be president. It is widely believed that House Speaker Henry Clay convinced representatives to tilt the election toward Adams.
Corrupt Bargain
Henry Clay is widely believed to have swayed the House of Representatives to elect Adams, who in turn named Clay secretary of state. Jackson’s supporters labelled this as a corrupt bargain.
Election of 1828:
Identify:
- Depiction of Jackson and Adams by opposing party
- Significance to democracy in the US as a whole
Jackson was depicted as ill-tempered, while Adams was depicted as out of touch and elitist. Jackson’s populist appeal helped him win the election.
Historians consider the Election of 1828 to be the first modern election, since most states had reduced or removed property qualifications, resulting in the candidates having to campaign more aggressively and tailor their appeal to reach a broader audience. Character and personality was also a greater issue in this election.
Tariff Act of 1828
Revised tariff rates on a variety of imports. It dramatically raised tariff rates on many items and led to a reduction in trade between the US and Europe. It hit South Carolina especially hard, who depended on cotton exports.
Tariff of Abominations
Used by the critics of the Tariff Act of 1828 to describe it.
John C. Calhoun
Had been Jackson’s VP until he resigned in 1832. He asserted the right of states to nullify federal legislation in response to the Tariff Act of 1828.
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina claimed it had the right to nullify federal law in response to the Tariff Act of 1828 (it did not have this right). It held a Constitutional Convention and attempted to nullify the Tariff Act of 1828 and 32 (which had lowered the tariff rates).
Force Bill
1833 bill forced through Congress by Jackson during the Nullification Crisis. It authorized military force against South Carolina for committing treason. At the same time, Congress revised tariff rates again. Both bills, passed on the same day, ended the crisis through compromise.
Destruction of the Second Bank of the United States
Jackson criticized the bank to have placed too much power on the small elite. His political opponents thought that his animosity toward the bank would hand them political victory, believing that if Jackson vetoed the rechartering of the bank, his re-election chances would be diminished. He vetoed the bill and won re-election. Encouraged by his success, he moved federal deposits to state banks in Democratic-leaning states to kill the bank faster.
Veto Message
Jackson’s veto of the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States. Its forceful and uncompromising rhetoric went well with voters and he won re-election.
Specie Circular
1835 order prompted by Jackson’s suspicion of banks that mandated that government held land must be sold only for hard currency, not paper currency. It resulted in falling land prices and shortage of government funds.
Panic of 1837
The Second Bank of the US and the Specie Circular resulted in this 5 year period of economic crisis, the worst up to that point. It brought many internal improvement projects to a halt, and hundreds of banks and businesses failed, leading to high employment.
Martin Van Buren on the Panic of 1837
Did little to address the economic crisis, leading to his loss in the election of 1840 to Whig candidate William Henry Harrison.
Whig Party
Opponents to Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party founded the Whig Party in 1833.
Voter Bases of Whig Party vs. Democratic Party
Difficult to tell, since Northerners and Southerners could be found in both parties. Irish and German Catholics tended to support Democrats, while evangelical Protestants were more likely to support the Whigs.
Democratic Party (Jacksonian Era)
Jackson’s Party. It was more populist;, arguing that high tariffs would fatten urban commercial interests.
Treaty of Fort Wayne
1809 treaty negotiated between Indigenous leaders and the then governor of the Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison. The Indigenous agreed to cede 3 million acres for a nominal fee. However, the most important regional leader, Tecumseh, was not present.
Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa “The Prophet”
Brothers who were organizing a spiritual and political front, attempting to unite all Indigenous nations east of the Mississippi River. Tecumseh, because he was on this trip, was not present during the Treaty of Fort Wayne, despite being the most important regional native leader at the time.
Battle of Tippiecanoe
1811, ousted members of the Tecumseh’s confederation and was perceived as an American victory.
War Hawks
Identify:
- 2 prominent members
Western congressmen who were convinced that Britain was encouraging and funding Tecumseh’s confederations.
Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun led the War Hawks, and pushed for military action against the British. They even hoped to push into Canada. This was one of the causes of the War of 1812.
Five Civilized Tribes
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Seminole. As far back as the Jeffersonian era, these tribes were allowed to live on southern territory. This policy was ended by the Removal Act of 1830.
Removal Act of 1830
Jackson’s act that forced Indigenous off of their lands to areas of the US bey9ond the Mississippi. It mainly applied to the Five Civilized Tribes, but also applied to some tribes in New England and New York.
Andrew Jackson on Worcester v. Georgia
“John Marshall has made his decision. Now led him enforce it”
John Ross
Cherokee chief who adopted a policy of passive resistance to remain on their land.
Trail of Tears
- Federal troops were sent to enforce Georgia’s removal policy, and 18K Indigenous were expelled to Oklahoma Territory. Approximately 1/4 of the people died on the journey.
First Seminole War
Began during the War of 1812 and continued to 1820. It was caused by white raids on Florida followed by counterraids by the Seminole.
Second Seminole War
1835 to 1842. Arose from pressure on the Seminole to relocate to the West. Native warriors fought US troops to a standstill in the Everglades. Many remained defiant even after the capture of their leader.
Chief Osceola
Captured in the Second Seminole War. He was a Seminole leader.
Indian Intercourse Act of 1834
Established Indian Territory. Many groups resisted relocation to here. Once in the territory, conflict arose between those indigenous to the area and those relocated there. Eventually, the territory was reduced in size and eventually folded into Oklahoma Territory in 1907.
Moby Dick (Herman Melville), Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman), The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne), The House of Seven Gables (Nathaniel Hawthorne), Walden (Henry David Thoreau).
American literature wrote in the 1850’s, the peak of American literature. These books were uniquely American, grappling with religious and existential questions raised by the legacy of the Puritans and focusing on the contradictions of America’s experiment in building a democratic nation in the New World.
Romanticism
Reaction to industrialization and to the market revolution. It harkened back to simpler, more authentic past, or at least to their perception of this idealized past.
Hudson River School
Flourished in the 1820’s and 1870’s. It was inspired by European romanticism, and many focused on the glory of nature, such as the Hudson River and the Erie Canal.
Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Frederic Church
Best represented the Hudson River School.
Sir Walter Scott
His novels captivated Americans in the early 1800’s. He had classical historical settings and larger than life heroic figures, epitomizing romanticism.
James Fenimore Cooper
Most successful American romantic writing.
Leatherstocking Tales
Cooper’s book that captured the danger and fascination of the frontier experience.
Washington Irving
Captured the spirit of romanticism in literature. His humorous short stories portrayed a fanciful version of America.
Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Short stories of Washington Irving.
Diedrich Knickerbocker
Fictional historian invented by Washington Irving to tell a whimsical history of old New Amsterdam as well as to satirize the politics of then-contemporary New York City.
Burned-over District
Used to describe growing population centers in the Erie Canal because of the intensity of the religious revival there.
Charles Grandison Finney
Second Awakening minister that told his audiences that a person could determine his/her eternal life.
Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
Founded by Joseph Smith in New York in 1830. They were met with hostility due to their unorthodox practices and believes, such as not believing in the holy trinity. Their most controversial practice was polygamy, but this was renounced in 1890. In 1844, Smith was killed by an anti-Mormon mob.
Brigham Young
Led the majority of Mormons to Utah after the death of Joseph Smith.
Transcendentalism
Spiritual and intellectual movement critical of the materialist direction of the US in the nineteenth century.
Henry David Thoreau
Wrote about the importance of nature in find meaning.
Walden; or, Life in the Woods
By Walden Pond in 1854. This book was a chronicle of his experience living in relative isolation at Walden Pond.
Resistance to Civil Government
1849 essay by Thoreau, more commonly known as Civil Disobedience. This is where the term comes from.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Important figure in Transcendentalism. He wrote “on self-reliance”.
Utopian Communities
Experiments in communal living, usually in rural settings. They shared the transcendentalist aversion of materialism.
Brook Farm
Established outside Boston in 1841. It was a utopian community, and was based on the idea that all residents would equally partake in leisure and labor.
George Ripley
Transcendentalist leader of Brook Farm.
Charles Fourier and Robert Owen
Inspired utopian communities. Fourier was a French socialist, and Owen was a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist.
New Harmony Community
Indiana utopian community founded by Robert Owen in 1825 around the principles of total equality.
Handsome Lake
Started a set of spiritual practices called the Longhouse Religion following the defeat and dispossession of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Longhouse Religion
Started by Handsome Lake. It drew on traditional native and Quaker motifs. He denounced the factionalism that hindered Indigenous resistance, and spoke out against alcohol and the breakdown of family. He was met with resistance from both Christian missionaries and native traditionalists, but still offered many Indigenous with a sense of hope in the face of setbacks.
Temperance Movement
Aimed to limit or even ban the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. This was the largest reform movement in the first half of the 19th century. Many focused on self control, but others sought to use the power of government. Like prohibition, the temperance movement was popular with women.
Lyman Beecher’s Six Sermons on the Nature, Occasions, Signs, Evils, and Remedy of Intemperance
1827 text that guided the temperance movement, and was successful in gaining recruits.
American Temperance Society
Claimed it had 1.5M members by 1835. Alcohol consumption had dropped by half from 1830-40.
Prohibition in the 19th Century
Maine had become a dry state, followed by twelve other states. By the 1870’s, most of the dry states had repealed their prohibition laws.
Dorothea Dix
Efforts led to the creation of the first generation of psychiatric asylums. She also aimed to reform prisons.
Penitentiaries
Meant to reform and rehabilitate inmates, rather than punish.
Horace Mann
Advocated for free public education in the 1840’s.
Abolitionism in the Antebellum Period
Minority opinion among northern whites, but the reform spirit of the Second Great Awakening inspired it.
William Lloyd Garrison
A white abolitionist who published The Liberator in 1831. He became a key figure in the movement for the immediate and uncompensated abolition of slavery. Unlike previous anti-slavery figures, he did not believe that slavery should be ended with the deaths of current slaves, or believe in colonizing Africa.
American Colonization Society
Founded in 1817 with the goal of transporting African Americans to Africa. They purchased land that became Liberia. Between 1820 and the Civil War, about 12K went to Africa. However, most were not interested in leaving America.
Liberty Party
Formed in 1840 by abolitionists. It claimed that the Constitution was antislavery, and that the US should live up to those ideals. This went against Garrison, who believed the constitution itself was problematic.
White Supremacy in the South (1800-1850)
Became a central southern white culture, especially as abolitionism became more popular in the North.
Killing of Elijah Lovejoy
Killed by a proslavery mob in 1837. He was an abolitionist newspaper publisher.
Female Moral Reform Society
Formed by middle class NYC women in 1834. It urged women not to engage in prostitution. It published lists of names of men who frequented prostitutes.
Grimké Sisters
Daughters of prominent South Carolina slave owner, who later in life converted to Quakerism and to the abolitionist cause.
World Anti-Slavery Convention
Blocked Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott from attending due to their gender. As a result, they began to think not only about slavery, but about the conditions of women.
Seneca Falls Convention
Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. This is considered the birth of the women’s rights movement.
Declaration of Sentiments
“All men and women are created equal”, put out by the Seneca Falls Convention.
Gabriel’s Rebellion
Virginia attempted rebellion in 1800. Gabriel, who was a blacksmith, was frequently hired out to Richmond employers. He envisioned the rebellion to include poor whites, making it more like a republican revolution. However, the rebellion was crushed before it began. The leaders, including Gabriel, were hanged.
Denmark Vasey
Tried for plotting a slave rebellion in 1822. He was a free black man who preached and used the Bible as a source of hope for freedom. He was charged for instigating a slave uprising. Some historians question whether a rebellion was in the works at all. Regardless, he and 35 others were hanged.
Nat Turner
Organized a slave rebellion in Southampton County in 1831. The revolt resulted in the death of 55 people. The revolt was put down by state and federal troops. More than a hundred African-Americans were executed, and more were attacked and killed by mobs. This was the largest rebellion in the nineteenth century, and lead to increased fear of slave rebellions in the South and the enactment of stricter laws surrounding the behavior of slaves.
David Walker’s Appel to the Coloured Citizens of the World
Pamphlet distributed by African-American David Walker in 1829. This called for people of African descent to resist slavery by any and every means. This angered Southerners, who declared it seditious and enacted penalties on those caught distributing it.
Frederick Douglass
Born into slavery and escaped to the North in 1838. He had learned to read and write, hiding it from his masters. He became a powerful figure in the antislavery movement. The first of his autobiographies, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, was a bestseller.
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Douglass’s speech in 1852 to the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. It criticized the US for not abiding by its founding principles. He asserted that it was preposterous to expect slaves to celebrate the birth of American freedom when they themselves were oppressed.
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Had beliefs that reflected experiences in Africa. It was founded by Richard Allen.
Br’er Rabbit Stories
Stories where the weak often got the better of the strong. It was used by slave communities.
George Fitzhugh
Defended slavery in the 1850’s, arguing that the free labor ideology was creating a heartless approach to the world.
Positive Good
Pro-slavery argument that argued that slaves were provided with skills, discipline, and civilization.
Pro-Slavery Arguments
Northern Wage slaves were not taken care of or fed and were fired when business was slow, therefore making it worse than slavery.
Curse of Ham
Pro-slavery argument that argued that Noah, angry at his son, Ham, cast out Ham’s son Canaan, with the words “a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers”. This story was central to the biblical defense of slavery.
Mudsill Defense of Slavery
Argued that for civilization to flourish, there must be a lower class of people to do menial work. In this case, this was slaves.
James Henry Hammond
South Carolina senator who popularized the mudsill defense of slavery.
Mexico-Texas Relationship
Mexico allowed some degree of self-government through the 1820’s, but Texan settlers routinely flouted Mexican Law. Specifically, they practiced slavery when it was banned in Mexico.
Stephan Austin
Led settlers to Texas due to the abundance of affordable land that could be used for cotton cultivation. Mexico was eager to attract settlers to provide a buffer from Indigenous attacks.
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
President of Mexico who sought to bring the Texans into line with Mexican law and custum.
Tejanos
Spanish-speaking Texan rebels, who did not like being ruled from Mexico City.
The Alamo in San Antonio
Former mission where Texan rebels had taken refuge. Almost 200 died defending this, a major initial setback for the Texans.
General Sam Houston
Regrouped the rebels and won independence from Mexico, establishing the independent Republic of Texas in 1836.
Lone Star Republic
Nickname for the Republic of Texas.
Andrew Jackson on Texas
Despite many Texans wishing for annexation by the US, Jackson did not want to worsen sectional tensions by admitting a large slave state. Therefore, he blocked annexation.
Martin Van Buren and Henry Harrison on Texas
Avoided the issue.
President John Tyler on Texas
Wanted to annex Texas, but did not have enough political support. He did not have the backing of either the Whigs nor the Democrats.
James K. Polk (1844 election)
When nominated by the Democrats, John Tyler dropped out the presidential race.
