APUSH Review Qs 10-12

Where did most immigrants to America come from and why?

Although immigrants came from all over Europe, the majority of them came from Germany and Ireland. Germans came because their industrial revolution had caused widespread poverty and the liberal revolution collapsed. Irish immigrants came primarily because of the potato famine and the unpopularity of English rule.

What was the difference between antislavery and abolitionism?

Antislavery was the movement that attempted to limit the growth of slavery and prevent it from moving to the newer states and territories. Abolitionism was the movement that wished to see the complete and total end of slavery everywhere in the United States.

In what ways did the slaves resist?

Besides the obvious outright revolts against their masters, most slaves often chose more subtle ways to resist. Such as; running away to the North or to Canada using such things like the underground railroad, another way is they refused to work hard, stealing from their masters, losing or breaking tools, or just not performing certain tasks correctly.

What reform was Dorothea Dix a part of? Describe this reform.

Dorothea Dix was a social reformer of Massachusetts and fought for the movement of properly treating the mentally ill. Originally they had just been placed in prisons alongside criminals. Dix saw inhumanity in this and spoke to the Massachusetts legislature of the nasty things these mentally ill people had to endure. There was then the creation of "asylums" in order to stop the abuses of the old system. While asylums were for the insane is was also for criminals who could be properly structure in a special institution. Asylums were to reform and better the inmates that lived within.

What were main reasons for the American population growth between 1820 and 1840?

During this time, the birth rate was high enough to make the population grow rapidly. Also, the mortality rate was lower because there were fewer public health issues such as raging epidemics. One of the biggest reasons was immigration to America from Europe. In the beginning of the 1830s, immigration from Europe increased because not only were there no longer European wars to inhibit immigration, but there were also poor economic conditions in Europe compared to the increasingly better ones in America.

What all went into the struggles of African American families especially slaves?

For one slaves saw an average of 10 family members be taken away from them and moved to a different plantations in their life. This alone would be very painstaking. Secondly there were no real laws about marriage for slaves making it difficult to marry. Also the fact that most couples lived on near by plantations not the same plantations. This caused many mothers to be single parents taking a toll on the African American family life. Also some slave masters did not approve of relationships between slaves making it risky and even dangerous. Yet another difficulty was not as many young children survived as white children did due do the conditions they live in. For African Americans being a true family was harder than it was for most whites. However, they adapted to this by creating large family bonds with those who weren't directly related to them. When a slave would be taken from his/her family a family at their new plantation would often "adopt" them.

Who was Henry David Thoreau, what did he do, and what was he remembered by?

He was a Concord transcendentalist who preached that individuals should work for self-realization by resisting pressures to conform to society's expectations. He attempted to "free himself" in this way and wrote in his book Walden (1854) his experiences of building a small cabin in the Concord woods where he lived alone for two years in order to live as simply as possible. Thoreau believed that living simply was better than living according to the rapidly modernizing world around him. His beliefs were embodied when he resisted to pay a poll tax in 1846 instead of financially supporting a government that supported slavery. His 1849 essay, "Resistance to Civil Government," explained that an individual's personal moral standards had the first claim on his or her actions, and a government that violated those moral standards had no legitimate authority, called "civil disobedience" or "passive resistance" - public refusal to obey unjust laws.

How did Slaves Resist Slavery?

In rare cases the slaves would riot, the most "successful" of these riots being the Turner Rebellion. During this rebellion Turner and other slaves went through the town and slaughtered whites, mainly women and children. Some slaves opted to escape to the North. One of these slaves was Harriet Tubman, who not only escaped but helped hundreds of other slaves escape through the underground railroad. Still other resisted more subtly by faking stupidity and damaging tools. These forms of resisting show just how much slaves really resented being slaves.

Although the Old Northwest (Modern Midwest) was known for shipping its crops to other countries, the Northeast, though dominated by an industrial economy in the 1840's, still had an agricultural element to it. What did the Northeast continue to cultivate?

In response to the industrial boom in the Northeast, many farmers moved west to make new farms, where they could properly compete for prices, but the farmers that stayed adopted the task of supplying food to nearby cities, raising vegetables (called truck farming) and/or fruit and sold it to the local towns. In additions, Northeastern farmers produced a large amount of dairy, hay, and potatoes. This was really the final grasp at remaining rural in the Northeast, and this method of farming quickly decreased in popularity, and from this point on, the rural population of the Northeast continued to decline.

What is the Erie Canal and why was is important?

It is a canal built between the New cities of Albany and Buffalo, finished in 1825. The Canal was important because it allowed western farmers to ship crops for sale in the North and allowed Northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. It was the greatest project Americans have ever worked on until that point.

What was the Temperance crusade?

Mainly lead by Evangelical Protestantism the temperance movement was meant to reduce the consummation of alcohol. Many thought that drunkenness was a main cause of crime, disorder, poverty, and abuse. For most people living in the 1830's alcohol was even more of an issue than it is now. The movement greatly reduced the amount of alcohol consumed and gained many crowds supporting beliefs of the movement. Many of these followers were past alcoholics that changed their ways and urged other to do so also. As the power of the movement increased there were divisions of what should be banned in the prohibition.

What is Nativism and how did it affect immigrants?

Nativism was a racist view against immigrants coming to America. People claimed that they were stealing their jobs because of the low wages that they took. This caused immigrants to live in slum-like areas and work in poorer condition.

What two major religions/way of thinking sprung up in the Antebellum period (~1840-1860)?

TRENDSENDANTALISM - Focused more on the liberating of self , self-realization, and self-reliance .Valued emotions, instinct, and soul. The soul is attributed to having divinity, seemingly by uniting with the universe. Nature plays a huge role in their belief, as well as simple living. They were generally the founders of experimental "utopian communities" - Brooke Farm, New Harmony, and Oneida being the most notable. MORMONS - Several events lead to them establishing Salt Lake City, which remains, essentially, the main Mormon base. Rather than individual liberty, they place an emphasis on community structure and family. The Book of Mormon is their guide. They also believe in divinity of the soul. In this case, one is able to become God, as God was supposedly once man.

Why were the Irish the subject of much of the American disdain and nativist ideals that excluded foreigners?

The Irish were the largest contingency of foreign immigrants, and many of them came to America with nothing. They were considered to be the lowest of people because they lived in dirty shacks and no one wanted to hire them. The other immigrants like Germans, French, and others, came to America equipped with money and skills, ready to contribute to American society, whereas the Irish were all very poor and without any skills. The Irish also settled primarily in urban areas in the East, looking for work, whereas the Germans settled in the Northwest, and farmed and created work for themselves. This helped to create the illusion that the Irish did nothing the further American society. The only difference between the Irish and the rest of the immigrants is that they were poor, and therefore couldn't farm or make work for themselves, but relied on urban labor to provide them work. This is why the Irish were the main subject of American nativist racism and ideas.

What was the Seneca Falls Convention and why was it significant?

The Seneca Falls Convention was a convention to discuss women's rights. The result of the Seneca Falls Convention was the Declaration of Sentiments that stated that "all men and women are created equal". This called for men and women to have certain inalienable rights. The one right that was called for was the women's right to vote. This started the women's suffrage movement that continued until 1920. The document was later rejected because they believed that men and women should have different spheres in society.

Why was the South considered to have a "(semi)colonial economy"? How did they feel about this?

The South is said to have a colonial economy for a couple reasons. First, like the original colonies, they produced mostly raw goods, cotton in particular. This was then sent off to be made into finished good. (2/3 of the U.S.A.'s exports were cotton at the time). Second, they had to rely on other areas (the North, in this case) to make the finished good. Essentially all of their finished goods had to be imported, as they had little industrialization and poor transportation systems. This was something the South resented. They hated being so reliant on a people who they saw as uncultured and perhaps a bit uncivilized. With their culture of honor, they strove to be as little like the North as possible, and so disliked having to rely on it so heavily.

What was the "cult of domesticity" and how did it impact the Southern white women in the 1820s to 1850s?

The cult of domesticity was the idea that women were provided with material comfort and female virtues rose, but they were detached from the rest of the outside world as they work and perform chores at home. This affected the Southern white women because they ended up being greatly detached from the public, because the code of honor obliged women to obey their husbands, thus remaining quiet in society, and also they rarely left home because of the sparse houses in the South and since women had kids to look after and house chores to do at home.

How does the typical perception of the white farmers differ from the reality of southern farmers?

The stereotypical image of the southern farmers was agriculturally successful, aristocratic farmer with numerous slaves. However, such people made up less than half of the southern farmers. In reality, 75% of southern white farmers owned little to no slaves and lived on small farms. Such stereotypical image was created because despite their small number, the people with large farms and many slaves had strong influence and power unproportionate to their numbers.

Did America have a drinking problem in the early 19th century? Why was there a movement for the ban of alcohol? Why was this controversial?

They drank nearly 7 gallons, almost double what it is today. It appealed to the ideas of the protestants reformers that wanted to believe in the perfection in social order. This was controversial because many of the immigrants were from Germany and Ireland and they were not one to pass up alcohol consumption as well they were catholic and there religion had nothing against the drinking of alcohol.

How did rebellions such as the Prosser and Turner Rebellions actually hurt the majority of slaves?

While these rebellions were organized in opposition of slavery they actually made things worse for their fellow slaves. White people began to view all African Americans as rebellious, violent, and dangerous because of these rebellions, especially the Turner Rebellion. Laws concerning slavery became more strict and even free black men were seen as violent and forced to move from where they were living in the South.

Who was William Garrison and what were his revolutionary views?

William Garrison was the leading Abolitionist in antebellum America starting with his newspaper the "Liberator". His simple philosophy that revolutionized abolitionism was to view slavery from the black man's perspective, not the white slave owner's.

What were some of the reasons that native-born Americans welcomed new immigrants? What were some of the reasons Americans were unhappy about the immigrants?

With so many immigrants coming into the United States with nearly nothing, they would work for any wage at any job. This gave Americans a large supply of cheap labor. People with investments and other land spectators wanted these new immigrants to populate western regions to market land and goods. The political leaders in these states also wanted the immigrants to increase their population for greater political influence of the region. On the other hand, those who did not like the immigrants led to the rise of "nativism". These acts of nativism led to often forms of racism, contempt and prejudice. In general there were natives that just felt as though these new people were not fit to live alongside of them. Some people even claimed that these immigrants were stealing jobs from the native-born Americans.