Study Guide: Reform and Progress

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary terms and events related to the themes of reform and progress as discussed in the lecture notes.

The Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement that emphasized personal faith and led to social reform movements in the early 19th century.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Three phases of industrialization

The progression of industrial development, often characterized by initial cottage industries, followed by factory-based production, and finally mass production.

Clipper ships

Fast sailing ships built in the 19th century that were used for trade and travel.

Erie Canal

A man-made waterway that connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie, facilitating transportation and trade.

Agriculture

The practice of farming, including the cultivation of crops and the rearing of animals for food, fiber, and other products.

Slave codes

Laws that defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters in the antebellum South.

Samuel Morse

An inventor and artist who developed Morse code and contributed to the invention of the telegraph.

Susan B. Anthony

A key figure in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

An early leader in the women's rights movement who organized the Seneca Falls Convention.

Dorothea Dix

An activist who worked to reform mental health care in the United States.

Eli Whitney

An inventor known for his invention of the Cotton Gin and the concept of interchangeable parts.

Plow, reaper, thresher

Agricultural tools that revolutionized farming productivity during the 19th century.

Cotton Gin

A machine that quickly and efficiently separates cotton fibers from seeds.

Nat Turner

An enslaved person who led a rebellion in Virginia in 1831, aiming to end the system of slavery.

Immigration

The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country, particularly notable during the 19th century in the U.S.

Urbanization

The process by which cities grow, and higher population densities are created, often associated with industrialization.

Factory System

A method of manufacturing using machinery and division of labor.

Railroads

A system of trains and tracks that facilitated rapid transportation and the movement of goods across distances.

Transcendentalism

A philosophical movement that emphasized individual intuition and the connection between humans and nature.

Civil disobedience

The active refusal to obey certain laws as a form of peaceful protest.

Strike

A work stoppage initiated by employees to protest working conditions, pay, or other employment terms.

Trade union

An organized group of workers formed to protect and further their rights and interests.

Nativism

The political policy of favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants.

Telegraph

A communication device that transmits messages over long distances using coded signals.

Literacy (rate)

The percentage of people who can read and write in a given population.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848, where the Declaration of Sentiments was formulated.

Southern infrastructure vs. Northern infrastructure

Comparative analysis of the transportation, communication, and economic structures in the antebellum South and North.

Horace Mann

An educational reformer known for promoting universal public education.

Harriet Tubman

An abolitionist and political activist who escaped slavery and made numerous missions to rescue enslaved persons via the Underground Railroad.

Henry David Thoreau

A transcendentalist author who advocated for civil disobedience through his work 'On the Duty of Civil Disobedience'.

Know-Nothing Party

A political party in the 1850s that was Anti-Immigrant and believed in restricting immigration.

Yeomen

Small landowners (mostly in the South) who owned their own farms and were considered to be of the lower middle class.

Overseer

A person who supervised the work of enslaved laborers on plantations.

Temperance

A social reform movement aimed at reducing or prohibiting the consumption of alcohol.

Education Reform

Efforts to improve education systems and promote access to education for all.

Prison/Mental Health Reform

Movements aimed at improving conditions in prisons and promoting better treatment for the mentally ill.

Women's Rights

A movement advocating for equal rights and opportunities for women.

Utopian Societies

Intentional communities designed to create a perfect society, often based on religious or philosophical ideals.

North vs. South Development

The distinct economic, social, and cultural development of the Northern and Southern United States during the 1800s.

Second Great Awakening Impact

A religious revival that inspired social reform movements in the 19th century, promoting ideas of equality and social justice.

Important Reform Movement

An analysis of which social reform was most significant in the 1800s, discussing the problems it addressed and proposed solutions.