United States History - HonorsChapter 7:Nationalism and Economic GrowthChapter 8: Regional SocietiesChapter 9: Working for Reform
Rise of Nationalism• Pride in being American skyrocketed after the War of 1812• The election of James Monroe in 1817 solidified this sense of
nationalism• Monroe helped to contribute greatly to American nationalism and
strength▫ Florida: fought against Seminole Indians in the Spanish territory to
protect American settlers Nearly led to a war with Spain Worked the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819 that gave the US present day
Florida▫ Monroe Doctrine: promise to protect nations in the Western
Hemisphere in December 1823 US would allow European nations to keep present colonies Would not allow for interference in independent nations or any attempt
at regaining lost colonies• However, the economy would be a hindrance to American
strength in the early 1800s, but not for long
Early 1800s Economy• The war strengthened industry, but weakened the banking system, and
revealed the poor transportation system of the United States • Proposals were made to strengthen the economy, known as the American
system▫ National bank to provide sound currency ▫ Tariffs to protect American industries (Tariff of 1816 passed)▫ Build a national transportation system
National Road: built over the Appalachian Mtns. at the Cumberland Gap to move goods to the West
Erie Canal: 363 miles long,built to connect Lake Erie with the Hudson River, completed in 1825, drastically cutting time and money needed to ship goods
• With the improved transportation came new technology▫ More canals were built; Steamboats were used to ship the goods▫ The first railroads were built starting in the 1830s▫ Led to a Market and Industrial Revolution, where goods were mass produced
cheaply Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, also developed a system of interchangeable
parts However, the Bank of the US demanded payment for loans and a payments made in
gold and silver, causing the Panic of 1819, causing a depression that lasted for years
Issues with the Government • As new territories and states were added to the Union, slavery
became a very hot button issue▫ Missouri petitioned in 1819 to become a state
Split over whether it should be a slave or free state▫ Missouri Compromise (1820)
Missouri admitted as a slave state Outlawed slavery north of 36°30′ north latitude (MO southern border)
• Election of 1824▫ Close election between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams
(Jackson won the popular vote)▫ Adams given presidency by a “corrupt bargain”
Congressman Henry Clay helped the House to choose Adams Upon winning, Adams made Clay his Secretary of State Jackson accused Adams of helping fix the election
▫ Jackson vowed revenge, setting the stage for the election of 1828▫ Adams was a very ineffective president, unwilling to compromise with
Congress, leading to failure of many of his proposals
Election of 1828• Jackson easily won election in 1828, under a new political party, the
Democratic Party▫ Won support from the “common man”▫ Reputation as a brutal murderers for his actions against Native Americans ▫ Known for his great support of the “spoils system”, giving government jobs
to friends and supporters• Many very notable actions during his presidency
▫ Trail of Tears: forced removal of tribes from the South to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) based on the Indian Removal Act of 1830
▫ Refused to renew the charter of the Bank of the United States in 1836 Small banks issued their own money Led directly to the Panic of 1837 and the ensuing economic depression
▫ Sternly dealt with southern states that refused to follow national laws in the Nullification Crisis of 1832
• His handpicked successor, Martin Van Buren, was elected in 1836▫ Lost support after the Panic of 1837 set in▫ Led to the rise of a new political party, the Whig Party
Nominated William Henry Harrison in 1840, who won the election Died one month after election, giving way to John Tyler
Antebellum Northern Life• The Market and Industrial Revolutions created distinct rich, middle
and poor classes in the North• Factories sprang up throughout the North
▫ The factory system, workers running machines, was born out of the Lowell, MA textile mills
▫ Inventions like the mechanical reaper (Cyrus McCormick) and steel plow (John Deere) made farming easier and more profitable
• Immigrants from throughout Europe moved to the North for the abundance of jobs▫ Most prominent were Irish and German
Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s German economic and land conditions Many other groups settled in the Midwest, farming the land
• Led to a rise in anti-immigrant groups, or nativists▫ Creation of the American Party in 1849 on an anti-immigration platform▫ Also known as the “Know Nothings” for the highly secretive activities
Antebellum Southern Life • In the South, cotton was king
▫ Made possible by Eli Whitney’s cotton gin and slavery▫ Shipped cotton to northern mills and foreign markets
• Distinct class society of wealthy plantation owners, small yeoman farmers, and the extreme poor farming class▫ Heavy influence from religion▫ Cities less influential, but similar to cities of the North
• Slavery very important to southern life and culture▫ Treated, often times, very harshly▫ Relied on family, religion, and music to survive▫ Rebellions did occur, often unsuccessfully
Prosser Rebellion of 1800 (VA) Vesey Rebellion of 1822 (SC) Nat Turner Revolt of 1831 (VA) Underground Railroad, route of escape for slaves to the North, gained
prominence in the 1830s, led by people like Harriet Tubman Safehouses, hosted by “conductors” helped slaves slowly move northward from
slavery
Antebellum Religion• A second Great Awakening took place in the United States in the
early to mid 1800s▫ Renewed passion for religion in the United States▫ New denominations created, with traveling preachers spreading their
sermons Utopian communities, such as the Shakers, were created, but the Shakers
disappeared when they could not recruit new members (did not believe in having children or marrying)
Mormons: created in New York in 1830 by Joseph Smith Moved to Illinois to escape persecution Moved again to Utah, by Brigham Young, to live in peace, over the Mormon
Trail▫ Transcendentalism: belief of rising above materialism through
religion, becoming better people Did not believe in predestination; people could become perfect Influenced by writers like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Created the utopian community Brook Farm in 1841 near Boston, ended in
1846
Societal Reform • Many issues plagued American society of the US that
brought attention for reform▫Alcohol: temperance movement to outlaw alcohol▫Women’s rights: call for greater freedom, roles outside
the home, voting rights, etc.▫Education: led by Horace Mann, creation of a better
public education system, primary, secondary, and post secondary
▫Prisons and asylums: Dorothea Dix reported the atrocities of institutions, calling for reforming living and treatment conditions of those institutionalized
• However, the biggest issue of the antebellum period was slavery
Abolitionism• Many people throughout the nation, but mainly in the
North, called for an end to slavery• Many proposals were made to address the issue
▫ Colonization: form a colony in Africa for freed slaves▫ Peaceful protest to end slavery▫ Use of violence to encourage revolts
• Literature had a heavy influence in the movement▫ William Lloyd Garrison’s newspaper The Liberator, started
in 1830▫ Former slaves like Sojourner Truth travels and Frederick
Douglass autobiography and newspaper The North Star• The issue would continue to plague the nation and
partly lead to the Civil War
Women’s Rights• Piggybacking the abolitionist movement was the
call for women’s rights• Seneca Falls Convention, 1848
▫Held in Seneca Falls, NY▫Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony▫Called for a Declaration of Sentiments, which
included voting rights• Did not achieve much in regards to immediate
rights, but was the basis of future women’s rights movements that led to voting and other rights