APUSH Unit 4 Key Concepts
Antislavery efforts increased in the North, while in the South, although the majority of Southerners owned no slaves, most leaders argued that slavery was part of the Southern way of life.
John Calhoun's "positive good" arguments = -Proslavery whites defended slavery as a positive good -Argued that it was part of the Southern way of life because it was supported by the authority of the Bible and Aristotle and master-slave relationships resembled a family -Said it was good for the Africans, who were lifted from the backwardness of the jungle and clothed with a Christian civilization -Also said that being a slave was better than being a northern wage factory worker
A strongly anti-Catholic nativist movement arose that was aimed at limiting new immigrants' political power and cultural influence.
Know-Nothing movement (1840s and 1850s) = -Nativist political party (aka American party) that emerged in response to an influx of immigrants, particularly Irish Catholics -Americans thought that the immigrants would establish the Catholic Church at the expense of Protestantism and introduce "popish idols" -Agitated for rigid restrictions on immigration and naturalization (limiting political power because you can't vote unless you're a citizen)
Advocates of annexing western lands argued that Manifest Destiny and the superiority of American institutions compelled the United States to expand its borders westward to the Pacific Ocean.
Manifest Destiny = -Belief that the US was destined by God to spread its "empire of liberty" across North America -Served as justification for mid-19th century expansionism -Expansionist Democrats were swayed by Manifest Destiny and they wanted to reannex Texas and reoccupy Oregon (example of US expanding its borders westward) -Compelled Polk to dispatch John Slidell to buy California from Mexico
The desire for access to natural and mineral resources and the hope of many settlers for economic opportunities or religious refuge led to an increased migration to and settlement in the West.
Mormon settlements in Utah (1847) = -Mormons faced deep hostility from their non-Mormon neighbors in New York so they migrated west and settled in Utah -Leader of LDS church was murdered so Mormons hoped for opportunities of religious refuge in the West, they wanted to escape further persecution -Many Mormons moved to Utah which increased migration/settlement in the West
Abolitionist and antislavery movements gradually achieved emancipation in the North, contributing to the growth of the free African American population, even as many state governments restricted African Americans' rights. Antislavery efforts in the South were largely limited to unsuccessful slave rebellions.
Nat Turner's rebellion = -Virginia slave revolt that resulted in the deaths of whites and raised fears among white southerners of further uprisings -Example of antislavery effort in the south that was unsuccessful -Retaliation was swift and bloody, and the rebellion was soon extinguished
Entrepreneurs helped to create a market revolution in production and commerce, in which market relationships between producers and consumers came to prevail as the manufacture of goods became more organized.
Samuel Morse and the telegraph = -Invention that tightened the strings of an increasingly complex business world -Transmit messages from a long distance by a wire -Put distant people into almost instant communication with one another -Revolutionized trade/finance because producers/consumers could communicate beforehand (relationship between producers and consumers)
The rise of democratic and individualistic beliefs, a response to rationalism, and changes to society caused by the market revolution, along with greater social and geographical mobility, contributed to a Second Great Awakening among Protestants that influenced moral and social reforms and inspired utopian and other religious movements.
Seneca Falls Convention (1848) = -Gathering of feminist activists in Seneca Falls, New York, where Stanton read her "Declaration of Sentiments", stating that "all men and women are created equal" -2nd Great Awakening inspired social reforms for women -This meeting launched the modern women's rights movement
A women's rights movement sought to create greater equality and opportunities for women, expressing its ideals at the Seneca Falls Convention.
Seneca Falls Convention = -Gathering of feminist activists -Stanton read her "Declaration of Sentiments" which stated that "all men and women are created equal" (expressing ideas of equality) -Seneca Falls meeting launched the modern women's rights movement -Demanded the ballot/right to vote for females (greater oppurtunities)
Increasing Southern cotton production and the related growth of Northern manufacturing, banking, and shipping industries promoted the development of national and international commercial ties.
"King Cotton" = -Indicate the economic dominance of the Southern cotton industry, and that the North needed the South's cotton (trading of it led to national ties) -Raising of cotton became highly profitable with the cotton gin and the South was tied hand and foot to the throne of King Cotton -Southern cotton poured into northern factories, grew northern clothing manufacturing (relationship between southern cotton production and northern manufacturing)
Defenders of slavery based their arguments on racial doctrines, the view that slavery was a positive social good, and the belief that slavery and states' rights were protected by the Constitution.
"Positive good" thesis = -Proslavery whites defended slavery as a positive good -Thought slavery was supported by the authority of the Bible and Aristotle, and thought that the Constitution's evident protection of slavery should be respected -Said it was good for the Africans, who were lifted from the backwardness of the jungle and clothed with a Christian civilization (racial doctrines?) -Also said that being a slave was better than being a northern wage factory worker
Americans formed new voluntary organizations that aimed to change individual behaviors and improve society through temperance and other reform efforts.
American Temperance Society = -Part of a growing effort to limit alcohol consumption (improving society because it created dangers) -Aimed to change individual behaviors by imploring drinkers to signing a temperance pledge -Also organized children's clubs known as the "Cold Water Army"
U.S. interest in expanding trade led to economic, diplomatic, and cultural initiatives to create more ties with Asia.
Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan (1852-1854) = -Warships were dispatched to Japan commanded by Commodore Perry -Persuaded the Japanese to sign the landmark Treaty of Kanagawa, which provided for proper treatment of shipwrecked sailors, American coaling rights in Japan, and the establishment of ambassador relations -Ended Japan's economic isolation (example of diplomatic initiative to create ties with Asia)
As over-cultivation depleted arable land in the Southeast, slaveholders began relocating their plantations to more fertile lands west of the Appalachians, where the institution of slavery continued to grow.
Cotton gin and growth of upland (short-staple) cotton = -Eli Whitney's invention that sped up the process of harvesting cotton, made cultivation more profitable -High demand for cotton increased the importance of slavery in the South -Slave-driving planters cleared for acres for cotton and pushed the Cotton Kingdom westward as the land got destroyed because of over-cultivation
Enslaved blacks and free African Americans created communities and strategies to protect their dignity and family structures, and they joined political efforts aimed at changing their status.
Covert resistance (work slowdowns, sabotage, and runaways) = -Slavery was degrading to slaves and deprived them of their dignity -Slaves came up with ways to resist such as slowing down their work, sabotaging equipment, and running away (protecting their dignity by resisting slavery) -Many ran away in search of a separated family member (protecting family structures)
Gender and family roles changed in response to the market revolution, particularly with the growth of definitions of domestic ideals that emphasized the separation of public and private spheres.
Cult of domesticity = -Common cultural creed that respected the domestic role of women, gave women greater authority to shape home life but limited opportunities outside the domestic sphere (separation of public/private spheres) -When women got married, they left their jobs (from the market revolution) to become wives and mothers, close knit and loving families -Married women held lots of moral power, made decisions that altered the character of the family
Liberal social ideas from abroad and Romantic beliefs in human perfectibility influenced literature, art, philosophy, and architecture.
Federal style of architecture = -The US tried to imitate European models and followed Greek and Roman lines (example liberal social ideas from abroad influencing architecture) -Thomas Jefferson brought a classical design to his house, Monticello -Jefferson's rotunda at the University of Virginia is a fine example of classical architecture in America
The North's expanding manufacturing economy relied on free labor in contrast to the Southern economy's dependence on slave labor. Some Northerners did not object to slavery on principle but claimed that slavery would undermine the free labor market. As a result, a free-soil movement arose that portrayed the expansion of slavery as incompatible with free labor.
Free Soil Party (1848-1852) = -Antislavery party in the 1848 and 1852 elections that opposed the extension of slavery into the territories, arguing that the presence of slavery would limit opportunities of free laborers -Northerners were attracted to the party not so much because they condemned slavery for enslaving blacks, but for destroying the chances of free white workers to rise up to self-employment (example of northerners not objecting to principle of slavery, arguing slaves weakening free labor market) -Argued that only with free soil in the West could a traditional American commitment to upward mobility could flourish (part of the free-soil movement that portrayed slavery and free labor incompatible) -To avoid ruinous competition with unpaid labor, they believed that slavery should be kept out of the West
Southern business leaders continued to rely on the production and export of traditional agricultural staples, contributing to the growth of a distinctive Southern regional identity.
Growth of the internal slave trade = -The south's reliance on their agricultural staple cotton led to the growth of the slave trade -The cotton gin helped with cotton production, increased the importance of slavery in the South -Cotton produced lots of money to buy more slaves/land which leads to an increase in slavery -Increased slave population through smuggling/reproduction -Causes south to rely on cash crops/trade which leads to the growth of the south's identity
Westward migration was boosted during and after the Civil War by the passage of new legislation promoting Western transportation and economic development.
Homestead Act (1862) = -A federal law that sold settlers land if they lived on it for 5 years and improved it by, for example, building a house on it -Act helped make land accessible to many westward-moving settlers -Land being given away to encourage a rapid filling of empty spaces (boosting westward migration) and to provide a stimulus to the family farm (promoting economic development)
Increasing numbers of Americans, especially women and men working in factories, no longer relied on semi-subsistence agriculture; instead they supported themselves producing goods for distant markets.
Industrial Revolution = -Shift toward mass production and mechanization that included the creation of the modern factory system -Women started moving from work at home to work at factories with men, leaving semi-subsistence agriculture at home -Factory jobs promised greater economic independence (less reliance on agriculture) -They could buy manufactured products of the new market economy
Innovations including textile machinery, steam engines, interchangeable parts, the telegraph, and agricultural inventions increased the efficiency of production methods.
Interchangeable parts = -Identical components that can be used in place of one another in manufacturing -Enabled production of large numbers of identical parts quickly and at a low cost (example of increased efficiency) -Rifle makers could make rifles using different parts, now if your rifle broke you could buy the new part instead of replacing the whole thing
Large numbers of international migrants moved to industrializing northern cities, while many Americans moved west of the Appalachians, developing thriving new communities along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Irish immigration = -The Irish suffered from a potato famine so they moved to America -Ireland's great export has been population (example of large numbers of migrants) -The Irish moved to larger seaboard/coastal cities, such as Boston and New York (which rapidly became the largest Irish city in the world) -These cities were also industrialized and had factories, canals, and railroads to work in
Substantial numbers of international migrants continued to arrive in the United States from Europe and Asia, mainly from Ireland and Germany, often settling in ethnic communities where they could preserve elements of their languages and customs.
Parochial schools = -Catholic immigrant Irish/Germans wanted to protect their children from Protestant indoctrination in the public schools (example of preserving elements of customs) -Began to construct an entirely separate Catholic educational system, revealed the strength of their religious commitment -Influx of Irish and Germans made Catholics become a powerful religious group
Plans to further unify the U.S. economy, such as the American System, generated debates over whether such policies would benefit agriculture or industry, potentially favoring different sections of the country.
Protective tariffs of 1816 and 1824 = -Created primarily to shield New England manufacturers from the inflow on British goods -Southerners, as heavy consumers of manufactured goods with little manufacturing of their own, called it the tariff of abominations -They believed that the "Yankee tariff" discriminated against them -They sold their cotton in an unprotected world market and were forced to buy expensive manufactured goods from the north/middle state producers who were heavily protected by tariffs (debate that the tariff favored the north)
Legislation and judicial systems supported the development of roads, canals, and railroads, which extended and enlarged markets and helped foster regional interdependence. Transportation networks linked the North and Midwest more closely than either was linked to the South.
Regional specialization and interdependence = -Each region now specialized in a particular type of economic activity because of the transportation revolution (series of transportation innovations like railroads) which would carry the goods -The South raised cotton for export to New England; the West grew grain and livestock to feed factory workers in the East; the East made machines and textiles for the South and West -Regions depended on each other for goods (regional interdependence)
The growth of manufacturing drove a significant increase in prosperity and standards of living for some; this led to the emergence of a larger middle class and a small but wealthy business elite but also to a large and growing population of laboring poor.
Social hierarchy = -Revolutionary advances in manufacturing widened the gulf between the rich and the poor -Millionaires used to be rare, but by the eve of the Civil War, there were several examples of massive financial success (small wealthy business elite) -Cities bred the greatest extremes of economic inequality, unskilled workers worked menial jobs and came in large numbers, known as "drifters" (large and growing population of laboring poor)
A new national culture emerged that combined American elements, European influences, and regional cultural sensibilities.
Transcendental writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau = -One of the driving forces of the growth of literature was transcendentalism -Emerson became famous because his works contained ideals that reflected those of an expanding America (combining American elements/regional culture) -His address "The American Scholar" declared intellectual independence from Europe (European influences) and urged American scholars to develop their own traditions (American elements) -Thoreau's writings contained American individualist elements which had a strong influence in idealistic thought
African American and white abolitionists, although a minority in the North, mounted a highly visible campaign against slavery, presenting moral arguments against the institution, assisting slaves' escapes, and sometimes expressing a willingness to use violence to achieve their goals.
Underground Railroad = -Informal network of volunteers that helped runaway slaves escape from the South and reach Canada -Black and white abolitionists (conductors) led runaway slaves (passengers), assisted slaves' escapes to the free-soil sanctuary of Canada -Example of a campaign against slavery
The U.S. added large territories in the West through victory in the Mexican-American War and diplomatic negotiations, raising questions about the status of slavery, American Indians, and Mexicans in the newly acquired lands.
Wilmot Proviso (1846) = -Amendment that wanted to prohibit slavery from territories acquired from Mexico -Created tensions between North and South over the issue of slavery (example of questions being raised about whether slavery should be allowed or not) -Symbolized the issue of slavery in the territories
