Early 19th Century US History

• Exam will consist of multiple-choice, short-answer questions, and essay questions.
• Multiple-choice and short-answer questions are worth 2 points each.
• There will be 20 multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
• Essay questions are worth 30 points each.
• Choose 2 out of 4 essay questions provided during the exam.
• Each essay response should be approximately two well-developed paragraphs (five or more sentences per paragraph).
• Include at least 3 specific examples from lectures in each essay.

Democratization of politics

• The expansion of political participation and rights to a wider segment of the population.

Gradual and immediate abolition

• Gradual abolition refers to the phasing out of slavery over time, often with compensation to slaveholders.
• Immediate abolition advocates for the immediate and unconditional end of slavery, with no compensation.

Market Revolution

• A transformation in the U.S. economy and society during the first half of the 19th century.
• Involved increased industrialization, transportation advancements (canals, railroads), commercial agriculture, and the growth of cities.
• New technologies and systems of labor changed how goods were produced and distributed.

“Lowell factory women”

• Young, unmarried women who worked in textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, during the early to mid-19th century.
• These women were recruited from rural areas and lived in company-owned boarding houses.
• They faced long hours and strict rules but also had opportunities for education and social interaction.

The changing nature of work

• Shift from skilled artisan labor to factory work, characterized by repetitive tasks and wage labor.
• Increased emphasis on efficiency and productivity, often at the expense of worker autonomy.

Pro-slavery arguments

• Arguments used to justify the institution of slavery in the American South.
• Included biblical justifications, claims of racial inferiority, and the idea that slavery was economically necessary.
• Some also argued that slaves were better off under slavery than as free laborers.

Internal slave trade

• The trade of enslaved people within the borders of the United States, particularly from the Upper South to the Lower South.
• This trade became increasingly important as cotton production expanded westward.

Planters

• Wealthy landowners in the South who owned large plantations and many enslaved people.
• They held significant economic and political power in the region.

Slave lives

• Varied depending on location, type of work, and the disposition of the slaveholder.
• Family was a crucial source of support and community for enslaved people.
• Women faced unique challenges, including sexual exploitation and the burden of childcare.

Types of slave labor

• Included field work (cultivating crops), domestic work (cooking, cleaning), and skilled labor (carpentry, blacksmithing).
• The type of labor often depended on the age, gender, and skills of the enslaved person.

American Colonization Society and Liberia

• Founded in 1816 with the goal of transporting free African Americans to Africa.
• Established Liberia as a colony for resettlement.
• Faced opposition from both abolitionists and many African Americans, who saw the U.S. as their home.

Radical abolitionists

• Advocated for the immediate and unconditional end of slavery.
• Often embraced controversial tactics and challenged prevailing racial attitudes.
• Prominent examples include William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.

The Indian Removal Act

• Passed in 1830, authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River.
• It led to the Trail of Tears, during which thousands of Native Americans died due to disease, starvation, and exposure.

The Cherokee and Removal

• One of the "Five Civilized Tribes" who adopted many aspects of white culture.
• Despite their efforts to assimilate, they were targeted for removal due to their valuable land.
• They resisted removal through legal challenges, but were ultimately forced to march to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

The Treaty of New Echota

• A treaty signed in 1835 by a small group of Cherokee individuals not recognized by the Cherokee National Council.
• Ceded Cherokee land to the U.S. government.
• It was used as justification for the forced removal of the Cherokee.

William Lloyd Garrison

• A prominent abolitionist and journalist.
• Published "The Liberator," an anti-slavery newspaper.
• Advocated for immediate emancipation and racial equality.

African American women abolitionists

• Played a vital role in the abolitionist movement.
• Examples: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Maria W. Stewart
• Spoke out against slavery, raised funds, and helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

Frederick Douglass’ Fourth of July Speech

• Delivered in 1852, questioned the meaning of Independence Day for enslaved people.
• Highlighted the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom and equality while slavery persisted.

“Manifest Destiny”

• The belief that the United States was destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent.

James K. Polk's justification for going to war with Mexico

• Polk claimed that Mexico had shed American blood on American soil.
• He desired to acquire California and other territories from Mexico.

The Compromise of 1850

• A series of laws intended to resolve the issue of slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico.
• Included the admission of California as a free state, the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Act, and the resolution of boundary disputes.
• It ultimately failed to ease tensions over slavery.

The Mechoopda and the Bidewells

• The Mechoopda were a Native American tribe in the Chico area of California.
• John and Annie Bidwell were early settlers who had a complex relationship with the Mechoopda.

The Act of Government and Protection of Indians (1850)

• A California law that allowed for the indenturement of Native Americans.
• Facilitated the removal of Native Americans from their lands
• It contributed to the decline of the Native American population in California.

The California “Trail of Tears”

• The forced removal of Native Americans in California during the mid-19th century.
• Many died due to violence, disease, and starvation.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Passed in 1854, allowed residents of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether to allow slavery (popular sovereignty).
• It effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in those territories.
• Led to violence and conflict in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas") as pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces battled for control.

Dred Scott Case

• An 1857 Supreme Court decision that ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.
• Also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, further inflaming tensions over slavery.

The Republican Party in the 1850s

• Emerged as an anti-slavery party in the mid-1850s.
• Opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories.
• Gained support from former Whigs, Free-Soilers, and some abolitionists.

The American Party in the 1850s

• Also known as the Know-Nothing Party.
• An anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic political party that gained prominence in the mid-1850s.
• Advocated for restrictions on immigration and naturalization.

John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid

• John Brown, a radical abolitionist, led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859.
• Hoped to spark a slave rebellion, but the raid failed.
• Brown was captured and executed, becoming a martyr for the abolitionist cause.

The Election of 1860

• Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won the election without a single electoral vote from the South.
• Southern states seceded from the Union in response to Lincoln's victory.

Confederacy

• The Confederate States of America, formed in 1861 by the Southern states that seceded from the Union.
• Sought to preserve slavery and states' rights.

The First and Second Wave of Secessions

• The first wave occurred after Lincoln's election, with states like South Carolina, Mississippi, and Florida seceding.
• The second wave occurred after the attack on Fort Sumter, with states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceding.

The Emancipation Proclamation

• Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
• Declared that all enslaved people in rebel territories were to be freed.
• It did not apply to border states that had not seceded or to Union-occupied areas of the Confederacy.
• Transformed the Civil War into a war to end slavery.