The Flowering of New England Quiz

Give two examples of the "spectacular" growth that characterized the thirty years preceding the Civil War.

The United States’s population doubled between 1790-1830, then doubled again from 1830-1870.
There was also significant geographical expansion westward with the conquest of new territory from the Mexican War in the Southwest and the establishment of new borders in the Northwest which brought many migrants.

What developments were chiefly responsible for feelings of optimism about the future? 

Progress in science and technology created these feelings of optimism. The US excelled in the practical application of scientific knowledge. 

What two technological developments helped to bridge vast distances of the expanding nation?

Railroads and the telegraph helped unite the nation. 10,000 miles of railroad crossed the US by 1860 and the telegraph had reached California by 1861 (first strung in 1844).

In what way were workers adversely affected by the new technology? 

Manufacturers were able to replace skilled workers with machinery that could be operated by cheap, unskilled laborers. These workers lived and worked in horrible conditions in ugly mill towns.

What three areas of reform were prominent in this period?

The 3 major areas of reform were education, women's rights, and slavery.

Why is this literary period sometimes called the American Renaissance?

During this period, American literature achieved such high quality that it was able to find its place among the great literatures of the world. Authors from small towns in states like Massachusetts produced works that are still read across the world today.

In what way is intuition central to transcendental belief?

Transcendentalists believed that intuition allowed us to know of the existence of our own souls and their relation to a reality beyond the physical world.

Who were the two writers chiefly responsible for developing transcendental ideas?

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the two writers primarily responsible for developing transcendental ideas.

Why were Lowell, Longfellow, and Holmes known as "Brahmins"?

They were high-class New Englanders, referred to as being a part of the highest class (caste) in Hindu society.

In what way were Hawthorne and Melville anti-transcendentalists?

Hawthorne and Melville rejected the transcendentalist belief that humanity was godlike and evil was nonexistent. They noted the gap between human desires and possibilities and saw a mixture of good and evil in even the best human motives.