Democracy and Reform: 1815-1848
Vigorous Foreign Policy
Adams-Oniz “Transatlantic” Treaty, 1819: Spain cedes Florida
Monroe Doctrine, 1823: US to defend Latin America from further colonization
Population Trends
Birthrates among the highest in the world
Immigration: Irish and Germans
Urban growth
Western migration facilitated by Indians
Industrial Revolution
War had helped our industrial development
Banks provided capital for investments
Immigration a source of labor for the factories
Interchangeable parts sped up the process of manufacturing products and increased profits
New inventions helped transform the East, West, and South
Northeast: Textile mills
West: steel plow and mechanical reaper increase crop yields
South: steam boats to transport king cotton
Steam power and canals led to a Transportation Revolution; farm goods and consumer goods shipped around the country
Market Revolution spurred by new household economy
Slavery
Cotton gin gives new life to a dying institution. Demand for slaves increases since the prohibition of slave importation
Second Great Awakening
Democratizing protestant Christianity; salvation is for rich and poor. Women will provide a leadership to churches
New Religions are formed
Seventh Day Adventists (Millerites)
Mormons are led by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young
Slave issue will divide protestant churches: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian
Transcendentalism: a dominant force in the northeast
Truth can be found in the natural world. Self reliance a quality to be cultivated
Christians are to transform the world by reforming flawed institutions
Reform Movements
Most active in the Northeast and were middle class led. Women played prominent roles. Women were the repository of Republican virtues honesty and discipline
Abolition: to end slavery. It began with the American Colonization Society (formed to send slaves back to Africa since they would never know equal treatment). It caused the South to defend the institution and grow distrustful of the Northeast
Suffrage: women campaigned for equal rights and likened their treatment to slavery. In 1848 women and men met at Seneca Falls to draft a document about women’s rights
Temperance; end alcohol consumption. Drunken behavior was affecting worker productivity so reformers sought to control workers, crime and violence
Utopian Communities
Attempt to create model societies, they fail by falling victim to laziness, selfishness, and infighting
Manifest Destiny
The United States is destined to occupy most of the continent, stretching from the AtlanticCoast to the PacificCoast
Mexican-American War, 1846-1848
Cause:Mexico and the United States clashed in disputed border region of Texas. Mexico refused to sell the Southwest. It is generally believed that President Polk predetermined that war was necessary for territorial aims
War: unevenly matched and extremely bloody, Mexico fought bravely, winning perhaps just one battle
Results: in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded about half of her territory to the US for 15 million dollars