Political Party Procession
What was Slater's Mill?
Slater's Mill was one of the first textile mills in the northern United States. With the use of "mill girls" and child workers, mills like Slater's became the backbone of northern industrialization.
What was the American Anti-Slavery Society?
The predominant abolitionist society, the American Anti-Slavery Society included members like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. The society promoted abolition via pamphlets and newspapers.
What was Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny was an idea and ideology of the United States in the mid-1800s. The idea was that the US was preordained by God to spread to the pacific coast, no matter who was in the way. Coined by John O'Sullivan
What was the Compromise of 1850 and how did it intensify sectionalism in the US?
The Compromise of 1850 promoted popular sovereignty in the territories gained in the Mexican Session, as well as the establishment of Texas and California as slave and free states respectively.
Who was John Brown? What two events was he involved in during the 1850s? How did those events influence the coming of the Civil War?
John Brown was a radical abolitionist who played a prominent role in both "bleeding Kansas" and his own raid on Harper's Ferry. In Kansas, Brown and his sons murdered several slave owners trying to vote for popular sovereignty. He raided Harper's Ferry, but was captured and executed. His raids both created fear in the south of radical abolition and in the north a feeling of the wars coming.
What was the American Colonization Society?
The American Colonization society was a society built on the idea that African Americans should return back to Africa, their native homeland. While not a popular idea, some African Americans did make the journey, founding the state of Liberia.
What was the Cotton Gin?
The Cotton Gin, invented by northerner Eli Whitney, was the invention that kick-started the growth of slavery in the southern United States. The cotton gin made slavery profitable and promoted the growth of antebellum society.
What was the Mexican American War and what were its consequences?
The Mexican-American War was a conflict between independent Mexico and the United States primarily over Texas. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, including the Mexican Cession and recognition of Texas' statehood.
What was a “good death” in the 19th-century US? How did conditions during the Civil War challenge these notions? How did soldiers try to respond?
A "good death" was dying a christian death surrounded by your family and other close friends. The Civil war challenged this by having soldiers dying in the battlefield and in the hospital via disease. Soldiers challenged this by having group chaplains who would preform services for both the dead and living.
What was the Dred Scott decision and why was it so important?
The Dred Scott Decision was a decision in the Supreme Court, stating that enslaved people were not citizens and that they were considered property which can not be taken away without due process. This set the precedent that congress had no jurisdiction on slave owner property rights and fully dismantled the Missouri Compromise.
What was nullification?
Nullification was the doctrine and idea that a state could "nullify" a federal law if it contradicted or challenged a state's economy or government.
Who was Nat Turner?
Nat Turner was an enslaved person who received visions and believed he was a prophet. He led a slave revolt against his master and killed 55 whites. He was later captured and killed, but gave his confession days before.
What was the Indian Removal Act?
The Indian Removal Act was put into place to remove Native Americans primarily in the southeast. The Natives were moved to the Indian territory, modern day Oklahoma, in what was called the Trail of Tears.
What was the Second Great Awakening? How did it influence American society?
The Second Great Awakening was a second revival of religious thought in the US, placing more of the challenge on the individual person rather than just God. This would create a birth of moral thought heading into movements like abolition, temperance, and women's rights.
Why did southern states see Lincoln’s election as the last straw and what did they do about it?
For the south, Lincoln was a Republican, which effectively meant an abolitionist in their eyes. When Lincoln was elected, southern states started seceding leading into Ft. Sumter and the Civil War beginning.
What were the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions?
The Kentucky and Virginia resolutions were an earlier document that disavowed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The doctrine of Nullification used these resolutions to justify their refusal of the new tariff.
Who was David Walker?
David Walker was an African American abolitionist author, known for his work "An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World". In the book, walker calls for black unity and promotes an uprising of the enslaved class.
What was the War of 1812?
The War of 1812 was a conflict between the US and the United Kingdom, often called the Second Revolution. Ending in a draw, the War resulted in the US fully independent from British influence, and created stardom for Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.
What was the Seneca Falls Convention? What document did its attendees produce? What did they demand? Why are their demands important?
The Seneca Falls Convention was a gathering of women's rights activists in upstate New York, featuring figures like Frederick Douglass. They created the Declaration of Sentiments, which promoted increased access to divorce, right to vote, and equal education and property rights.
What was the new democracy of the Jacksonian Period? Who benefited most from it and why was that important?
What was the Third Party System?
The Third Party System was the state of affairs where the Republican party, predominantly of "free-soilers" and abolitionists with a base in the north, and the old Democrat party, formed of southern planters and farmers.
What was the "positive good" defense and how did "moral suasion" play into it?
The "positive good" defense was the idea that African Americans can not function in American society, and that slavery was a good institution and similar to a family unit. Moral Suasion was the opposite of "positive good", using morals to ,instead of justify slavery, prove that slavery is a great wrong despite any economic gain.
What was the Second Party System?
The Second Party system consisted of the Democrats, led predominantly by Andrew Jackson and his breed of politicians, and the Whigs, led predominantly by Henry Clay and other proponents of the American System and non-Jacksonian politics. The system characterizes the growth of the first political campaigns.
What is a tariff? Why did tariffs become so controversial in the 19th century?
Tariffs are a tax on imported goods, meant to increase domestic goods purchases instead of using overseas markets. These really put a burden on southern farmers, leading to the nullification crisis.
Thinking of your readings for discussion (doc 7-10 in the Reader), why did Andrew Jackson favor Indian removal and how did he justify it?
Andrew Jackson saw the white mans expansion in the west as inevitable and the Natives in the way. He believed that the Natives were not compatible with American democracy and his view on the American way of life.