Social Movements 19th Century

What were protests early on focused on?

• Riots targeted perceived immorality (e.g., prostitution, polygamy) and market capitalism's impact on traditional life.

• Nativist and anti-Catholic riots were common due to rising immigration, particularly from Ireland + Germany.

Who was Nat Turner?

• He is known for his violent slave uprising in Virginia, led by himand fellow enslaved people

• Resulted in the deaths of around 60 white people and sparked harsh retaliation + stricter slave laws across the South.

Who was Elijah Lovejoy?

• Abolitionist minister and newspaper editor who was killed by a pro-slavery mob in 1837 for defending his printing press and anti-slavery views.

• Seen as a martyr for the abolitionist cause.

What was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and what response did it receive?

• Required that escaped enslaved people be returned to their owners even if found in free states and imposed penalties on anyone who aided their escape.

• Provoked resistance from the North, including violent riots.

What was the States’ Rights Doctrine and how did southern leaders use it?

• Emphasizes the powers that each American state has.

• It allows states to govern themselves on some issues, so that the federal government does not have complete control.

• Southern leaders used it to justify resistance to federal authority over slavery.

What are examples of resistance from southern leaders?

• Kentucky + Virginia Resolutions: Argued that the federal government had no authority to exercise power not specifically delegated to it in the Constitution

• Nullification Crisis: South Carolina declared federal tariffs unconstitutional and null and void within the state, essentially defying federal law.

What was the Conscription act and what was public response?

• The first mandatory national draft.

• Draft riots strated over class-based exemptions.

  • Wealthier men could pay 300$ to be exempt or find a substitute.

Why was there tension between Irish and african americans?

There was competition over wages and jobs.

What did the war reveal about the North?

The war’s pressures revealed deep social + economic divisions.

Why was there tension in the south after reconstruction? (give examples)

• White supremacist violence (e.g., Ku Klux Klan) aimed to reverse gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction.

• Notable massacres included New Orleans (1866): White rioters attacked a peaceful demonstration by freed black men

• By 1877, federal withdrawal from the South left African Americans vulnerable to systemic racial violence and disenfranchisement.

What were issue in the labor industry and what was public response?

Workers protested poor conditions, low wages, + long hours as industrial capitalism expanded.

What are specific examples of resistance against unfair working conditions?

• The Great Railroad Strike (1877) was crushed by federal troops; violence peaked in Pittsburgh.

  • The Great Railroad Strike o’ 1877: Nationwide strike by railroad workers, sparked by wage cuts and poor working conditions.

• Western miners (e.g., Coeur d’Alene, Leadville) fought corporate dominance, paving the way for radical labor groups like the IWW.

  • IWW: Industrial Workers of the World was a labor organization that sought to organize workers along the lines of industrial unions.

How did protest methods shift at the end of the century?

• Increasing urban policing after 1865 made violent protests less frequent + riskier.

• Issues like immigration, labor rights, + racial justice began transitioning from the streets to political arenas.