Market Revolution and Social Changes in Early America

Flashcards focused on key concepts and vocabulary related to the Market Revolution, social changes, and reform movements in early American history.

Market Revolution

The expansion of U.S. markets in the first half of the nineteenth century due to manufacturing growth, agricultural technology improvements, and a developing transportation system.

Panic

Economic depression caused by the growth of the Market Revolution, exemplified by the Panic of 1819 and the Panic of 1837.

Transportation Revolution

A significant transformation in the transportation infrastructure, including the Erie Canal, steamboats, and railroads, facilitating commerce and settlement.

Erie Canal

A crucial canal built in the 1820s and 1830s connecting the Great Lakes to the East Coast, making New York City a major port.

Telegraph

A device invented in the 1830s by Samuel F. B. Morse, enabling instantaneous communication, widely utilized starting in 1844.

Gradual Abolition

Laws in Northern states aimed at the gradual emancipation of slaves, focused primarily on freeing children born into slavery.

Cotton Gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that revolutionized cotton processing, facilitating the cultivation of short-staple cotton and expanding slavery.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment where native-born Americans viewed immigrants as a threat to jobs and cultural values, particularly evident in urban areas.

Know-Nothing Party

A nativist and anti-Catholic political party formed in 1854 as a reaction to German and Irish immigration.

Democracy

The political climate during the Jacksonian era characterized by the expansion and limitations of democratic rights, especially concerning race and sex.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, establishing the 36,30 line as a boundary between free and slave states.

Second Great Awakening

A significant religious revival movement in the early 19th century that led to the growth of Baptist and Methodist churches, and emphasized individual piety.

Transcendentalism

A literary and philosophical movement emphasizing goodness in humanity, individual judgment, and connection to nature.

Seneca Falls Convention

An 1848 meeting that issued the Declaration of Sentiments, advocating for women's rights, led by prominent suffragists.

Benevolent Empire

A movement in the early 19th century merging religion and reform, aimed at societal improvement.

Temperance

A reform movement advocating against the consumption of alcohol.

Women's Suffrage

The movement advocating for the political rights of women, especially the right to vote.