Unit 5: Antebellum America, 1815-1845

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Dr. Murray

AP U.S. History, 2008-09

Unit 5: Antebellum America, 1815-1845

Major Issues

In what ways did developments in transportation bring about economic and social change in the United States in the period 1820 to 1860? What other factors contributed to economic growth? How significant to the nation's future was the development of "a market economy of national scope"?

What was the significance of the Lowell experiment? What does the experiment's design suggest about the ambivalence that many Americans felt toward industrialization?

Around the time of the American Revolution, many Americans (including many southerners) spoke enthusiastically of putting slavery on the path to ultimate extinction. Yet by the 1830s, the slave system was expanding rapidly, and very few white southerners spoke out in favor of abolition. Indeed, the South was more devoted to slavery than ever before, and more united in its defense. What had happened?

Many historians would argue that relatively few whites in the South benefited economically from the institution of slavery. Yet the overwhelming majority of white southerners enthusiastically supported it. How do you explain this apparent anomaly?

How did politics and the political culture become more democratic during the antebellum period? How did the presidential election of 1828 reflect these changes?

Was Andrew Jackson a staunch nationalist, a typical states’ rights southerner, or both? How were Jackson's values and outlook reflected in the controversies surrounding Indian removal, the Bank, the tariff, internal improvements, and nullification?

How did the beliefs and policies of the Whigs differ from those of the Democrats?

To what extent were the various reform movements and utopian experiments of the antebellum period a direct outgrowth of the beliefs and practices of the Second Great Awakening?

How did American culture respond to the extraordinary pace of change in the antebellum period? To what extent were these responses characterized by optimism? To what extent were they driven by fear?

Nationalism, Expansion, and the Celebration of Nature (Text, Chapter 9, 171-77)

Why were transportation improvements so essential to economic development? Why were roads of limited value in helping Western farmers? How did steamboats improve the U.S.’s natural system of river transportation? What gap in the system of river transportation were canals intended to fill? What benefits resulted from the building of the Erie Canal? Why did the canal-building boom come to an end in the late 1830’s and 1840’s? What factors contributed to the impressive growth of agricultural output between 1800 and 1840? Why were transportation improvements so important? Why did the South’s cotton production soar during this period? How did the development of new systems of credit and marketing contribute to economic growth? Why was the credit system so unstable? What were the consequences of its instability?

How was the production of clothing changing in the period between 1800 and 1840? What was happening to the artisan system of production during this time? What is the significance of Lowell, Massachusetts? Why did the designers of the mills at Lowell turn to a workforce of young, single women? What had happened to the designers’ vision by the 1840s? What impact did Lowell and other mill towns have upon the economy of New England? Why is it misleading to refer to the changes in this period as an “industrial revolution”? According to the text, what really occurred? How did the economic changes of this period create new political issues?

"Hudson RiverSchool," The Grove Dictionary of Art

What was the "dual focus" of the painters of the early Hudson RiverSchool, such as Thomas Cole? After Cole's death in 1848, how did this focus change, under the leadership of Asher Durand? At this point, what emerged as the school's "aesthetic"? By the 1850s and 60s, who were the leading figures in the Hudson RiverSchool?

J. F. Kasson, "Civilizing the Machine," American Record, Vol. I, 198-204 only

Why were many Americans in the early nineteenth century both “fascinated” and “repelled” by the English factory system? How did American industrialists propose to avoid the adverse social developments that characterized the English factory towns? In addition to ensuring that American industry would not follow the English model, what other advantages were there to the American approach to industrial development? What specifically American problems did American industrialists such as Lowell hope to address? Why did Lowell decide to have a rotating work force of young, single women? How would his mill help to preserve republican values? In your opinion, were the mill owners motivated by idealism—or greed?

"Timetable of the Lowell Mills," "Title Page," "Editorial Corner," and "Factory Girls," Discovering the American Past, Vol. I, 151, 153-54, 156-58

Based on the timetable, what can you conclude about the typical workweek in the Lowell mills? To what extent did their experiences prior to coming to Lowell prepare the young women for mill life? What was the purpose of The Lowell Offering? Is it significant that it was an official mill publication? What are the main concerns of the author of "Factory Girls"?

Film: New York (Text, Chapter 13, 256-61)

Why did railroads, in the mid-1840s, finally begin to replace canals as the major means of hauling freight? What natural advantage did railroads have over canals? In addition to providing low-cost transportation and thus helping to create a national market, how did the development of railroads contribute to economic growth? Why did mass production, with or without mechanization, lead to greater productivity? How was American farming changing in the 1840s and 1850s? How did immigration in the 1840s and 1850s contribute to the shift to factory production? Why did so many Europeans emigrate during these years? Why did German immigrants, in general, find life in America easier than did the Irish? What impact did mass immigration have upon American cities? What impact did it have upon factory work and the American working class? How did immigration undermine attempts by workers to organize themselves into unions? To what extent did the emergence of a (seemingly) permanent working class clash with American ideals?

The Rise of a Democratic Culture (Text, Chapter 10, 184-90)

How did the culture of Jacksonian America differ from that of the Founding Fathers some 40 years earlier? What had happened to the “spirit of deference”? What were the limits of the new equality? How was the new spirit of democracy and “equality” reflected in American culture—in hotels, ways of dress, domestic service, licensing requirements, and church life? How did the Romantic Movement in literature reflect this spirit? When combined with the emergence of the mass market for popular literature, what form did these romantic themes take? How was the democratic spirit reflected in theater, the visual arts, architecture, and sculpture? In what sense had politics gotten more democratic? How had opinions regarding political parties changed? What changes in the method of nominating and electing the president had occurred? How did these changes affect political parties? What had happened to the level of political participation? What economic questions dominated politics in the 1830’s and 1840’s? How did the old republican ideas affect these economic controversies and help shape political debate? How did the two political parties—the Jacksonian Democrats and the National Republicans (later, the Whigs)—differ on the issue of the role of the Federal government? What were the main concerns and goals of the Workingmen’s parties and the early trade unions? How did these groups challenge the meaning of “equality” in Jacksonian America? How did abolitionists and women’s rights activists challenge the meaning of “equality”? How successful were the Workingmen’s parties, trade unions, abolitionists, and women’s rights activists?

“Tocqueville Appreciates American Political Participation, 1831-1832,” American Passages

What is the cause of the “bustle and activity” which, Tocqueville says, characterizes democratic societies? In America, why is everything “in motion”? According to Tocqueville, is this a good thing? Why?

Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II, 9-13, 104-06

In societies based on equality, where do men naturally seek the sources of truth? Why don't they automatically embrace the opinions of a superior class, as they do in aristocracies? Why don't they have faith in the beliefs of any single individual? Why do they have such "unbounded confidence in the judgment of the public"? What influence do America's political institutions have upon the power of public opinion? Does Tocqueville seem concerned about the extent of this power?

Why do democratic societies make it more difficult for people to form bonds with others? Why does Tocqueville refer to "individualism" as a vice?

Indian Removal, the Nullification Crisis, & the Bank War (Text, Chapter 10, 190-95)

What was the “corrupt bargain” that supposedly occurred in the presidential election of 1824? Why was Adams’ presidency difficult and frustrating? Why can the election of 1828 be seen as “the birth of a new era of democracy”? How was Jackson portrayed by his supporters? How did his supporters portray his opponent, J. Q. Adams? To what extent was Jackson’s victory in 1828 a mandate to destroy the economic policies of Adams and Clay? As a person and as a politician, what were Jackson’s strengths and weaknesses? How were these reflected in the Peggy Eaton affair? In his defense of the “spoils system”? On what grounds did Jackson support Indian removal? On what grounds did opponents of the policy reject it? How did Jackson respond when states violated the Constitution and extended their state laws over the Indians? How did he respond to Georgia’s defiance of the Supreme Court in the Worcester v. Georgia case (1832)? What was the ultimate outcome of Jackson’s removal policy? Why had the South, and South Carolina in particular, become so sensitive to the tariff issue in the 1820s and 1830s? In addition to economic self-interest, what other factors contributed to their sensitivity? Why had many southerners expected Jackson to support their positions on states’ rights and the tariff? Why did Jackson refuse to support Calhoun’s nullification ideas? How did Jackson respond when South Carolina nullified the tariffs of 1828 and 1832? Why did South Carolina back down? Why is the Nullification Crisis so historically significant?

Indian Removal, the Nullification Crisis, & the Bank War--continued (Text, Chapter 10, 195-202)

Why were many Americans hostile to the Bank of the U.S.? What were the various reasons for opposing it? How did the personalities of Jackson and Biddle contribute to the “Bank War”? Why did Biddle decide to seek recharter in 1832? Why did this prove unwise? Why was Jackson’s veto of the Bank recharter bill so significant for the evolution of the presidency? What did Jackson do after the election of 1832 to kill the Bank? What was the result? How did Biddle and the Bank respond to Jackson? What was the result? What groups came together to form the Whigs, the new party that succeeded the National Republicans in 1834? Who were the “Loco-Focos,” and why did the break away from the Democratic party in the 1836 election? What did Jackson do to solve the “pet bank” problem? What did he do to stop the inflation that resulted? What was the “species circular” (1836), and what economic problems did it create? What were the causes of the Panic of 1837? Why was Van Buren unwilling to use subsidies or relief measures to ameliorate the situation? What did he propose doing? Why were the Whigs opposed? Why did the Whigs nominate William Henry Harrison for president in 1840 rather than their true leader, Henry Clay? How did the Whigs make use of the campaign techniques of the Democrats? How did the ideas and positions of the Whigs differ from those of the Democrats? What were the main issues? Which groups tended to support which party—and why? What was Tocqueville’s opinion of American democracy?

Film: Africans in America (Text, Chapter 13, 204-11, 223-24)

In 1860, what percentage of white southerners owned slaves? How have the views of historians and sociologists changed with regard to the slave family? How did the structure of slave families vary from region to region? How did the institution of the family help slaves deal with the difficulties of life under slavery? What were the distinguishing characteristics of slave religion? How did it strengthen and comfort slaves? What were the various forms of slave resistance? What was the message of the Brer Rabbit stories? What restrictions did free blacks face both in the North and the in the South? To what extent were free blacks opposed to the plantation system? In what sense did white plantation mistresses also suffer from the patriarchal structure of the plantation family? Can their situations be compared with the plight of the female slave?

“William Harper’s Apology,” American Spirit, Vol. I, 363-64

On what grounds does Harper justify slavery?

White Society in the Antebellum South (Text, Chapter 13, 211-21)

What percentage of white southerners could be classified as “substantial planters” (50 or more slaves)? How do these figures challenge the conventional image of the antebellum South? To what extent were the great planters a true ruling elite? What were the social origins of most of these great planters? How did masters prefer to see their relationships with their slaves? How did they prefer to see themselves? How true were their claims of paternalism? To what extent were slaves well-treated? If a slave was poorly treated, what could he do about it? What percentage of slaveholders owned fewer than 20 slaves, and thus were not true planters? Why did most slaves prefer to live on a plantation, and not on a small farm? Since the vast majority of southern whites owned few or no slaves, why did so many whites defend the institution of slavery—despite the fact that the plantation system kept the South’s economy backward and limited their economic opportunities? Why, in the 1830s, did defenders of slavery turn from representing slavery as a “necessary evil” to a “positive good”? What did southerners fear? What were the “three main propositions” of the “positive good” argument? How did slavery’s defenders such as George Fitzhugh compare the treatment of slaves with that of wage-workers?

How did the economy of the upper South differ from that of lower South? Why was growing and selling tobacco so difficult? As a result of these difficulties, how was agriculture in the upper South changing? What impact did this have upon slaves in the upper South? What impact did it have upon the attitudes of upper-South whites toward the institution of slavery? How did the cotton gin make cotton production profitable throughout most of the lower South? Why was cotton well suited to the plantation form of production? As cotton production increased, why did the geographical center of production shift westward? In the 1850s, on the eve of the Civil War, did the cotton plantation look like a prospering institution or a dying one? To what extent was slavery profitable for the majority of slaveholders? For the majority of white southerners? What are the arguments for and against profitability?

George Fitzhugh, "The Blessings of Slavery (1857)" American History Online

What are various arguments that Fitzhugh uses to justify slavery? On what grounds does Fitzhugh argue that the black slave is happier and better treated than the "free laborer" (wage-worker)? How does he represent the type of slavery practiced in the American South? Is there any truth to his statement that among Northerners, "hatred of slavery is very generally little more than hatred of negroes"? Why does he believe that slavery should be spread throughout the Americas?

The Second Great Awakening & Antebellum Reform (Text, Chapter 12, 225-34)

To what extent did the evangelical revival and reform movements reflect the optimism and democratic faith of Jacksonian politics? How did separation of church and state—together with fear of the secular ideas of the Enlightenment—contribute to the Second Great Awakening? How did religious revival in the North differ from religious revival in the South? What were New Englanders such as Timothy Dwight reacting against? How did New England theologians reshape the Puritan theology of the 17th and 18th centuries to make it more acceptable to Americans of the Jacksonian era? How did Charles Finney go beyond the neo-Calvinism of Taylor and Beecher? How did northern revivalism spawn a powerful reform movement? What did these reformers try to accomplish? Why were temperance crusaders so obsessed with “demon rum”? To what extent was the Second Great Awakening—and the social reform it spawned—a response to the anxieties created by rapid social and economic change? What impact did the reform movement have upon the middle class’s perception of itself?