Alan Brinkley, Chapter 11 + 12

King Cotton

The term used to describe the dominance of cotton as the primary crop of the Southern economy.

Planter aristocracy

Wealthy plantation owners in the South who held significant political and economic power.

Slave codes

Laws that restricted the rights of enslaved people, aimed at preventing rebellion and maintaining control.

Yeoman farmers

Independent farmers owning small plots of land, often growing subsistence crops.

Paternalism

The belief among slaveholders that they were guardians providing for the welfare of enslaved people.

Civil Disobedience

A form of nonviolent protest against unjust laws, famously advocated by Henry David Thoreau.

Utopian Communities

Experimental societies created to form ideal communities separate from mainstream society.

Temperance movement

A social movement aimed at reducing alcohol consumption due to its moral implications.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first organized women's rights convention held in 1848, promoting equality and suffrage.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival emphasizing personal salvation and social reform, which inspired many reform movements.