Age of Jackson and Market Revolution

Flashcards covering the key vocabulary and concepts from the Age of Jackson and the Market Revolution

Spoils System

Jackson favors his friends with positions and appointments -- reward for loyalty

Maysville Road Veto

Jackson was unsupportive of using funds to finance internal improvements due to lack of constitutional provision.

Tariff of Abominations

High tariffs of imports to protect American goods from foreign competition. Southerners had mostly agricultural economy, as opposed to an industrial manufacturing Northern economy. Thus the high tariff, which they dubbed the Tariff of Abominations, hurt their economy.

Calhoun’s SC Exposition

Theory that state conventions could nullify unconstitutional federal laws. Denounces the tariff of abominations as unconstitutional and encourages states to nullify it.

Webster-Hayne Debate

Hayne represented the South/West faction, and believed that the gov’t threatened the union by benefitting one region at the expense of another. Webster represented the North, and took a more nationalistic view, that the nation was not simply an alliance of states but a united nation.

Force Bill

Allowed the president to use the army and navy to enforce duty collection of the Tariff of Abominations.

Compromise Tariff

The Compromise Tariff was passed the same day, however, making the force bill unnecessary, yet also creating a negative image of Jackson as a tyrant, as the force bill reminded many Americans of the armed tax collectors of colonial times. The Compromise Tariff included a gradual reduction of tariff rates.

Indian Removal Act

Relocated native americans to lands west of the Mississippi River

Worcester v. Georgia

The Cherokee declared their independence from Georgia -- Influx of white settlers on their land → appeal to supreme court → court rules that Georgia has no right to intervene in a sovereign entity -- Uphold federal power while also affirming the independence of the tribe from state gov’t
Georgia defies the Supreme Court, forcing the Cherokee to leave in the Trail of Tears, cruel and forced mass exodus of natives.

Trail of Tears

The cruel and forced mass exodus of natives.

Jackson’s Bank Veto

Jackson questions the constitutionality of the bank despite its effectiveness in maintaining stable currency. BUS President attempts recharter before elections. Jackson vetoed the bank recharter, leading to financial depression.

Pet Banks

State banks where Andrew Jackson placed the federal funds which had been in the BUS. Jackson did this to destroy the BUS, yet he did so assuming a prerogative

Specie Circular

Requires all payment of lands to be made in hard money (gold / silver) to prevent speculation.

Panic of 1837

The pet banks issued paper money and financed speculation. The Specie Circular caused many of the banks to collapse due to the sudden end to speculation and land sales. Cotton prices dropped. Without the organization of the Bank of the United states, The Panic of 1837 ensued.

Whigs

Support internal improvements, moral reform, strong central gov’t. Second party system = Democrats (Jackson--minimal nat’l gov’t) and Whigs (Clay--strong nat’l gov’t)

 Whig Platform -- appealed to popular support with “Log Cabin and Hard Cider” which portrayed Harrison as a man of humble origins. Also appealed to public because Harrison was a general who had won at Tippecanoe, and his VP candidate was John Tyler → “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” 

Jacksonian Democracy

Included the common man in politics more + eliminated elitism from gov’t by eradicating the BUS + w/ his rotation system which offered more opportunities to more people.

Eli Whitney/Cotton Gin

New Technology during Market Revolution
Facilitates separating seed from cotton, increasing profitability of cotton. This tool allows for the expansion of slavery b/c allows for larger scale production. Whitney also invents idea of interchangeable parts.

John Deere/Steel Plow

Eases struggle of tilling soil, increasing agricultural activity

Cyrus McCormick/Mechanical Reaper

Increases scale of commercial agricultural by facilitating wheat production.

Samuel Morse/Telegraph

Allows for rapid exchange of information + communication

Market Revolution/Market Economy

Expansion of the marketplace due to roads and canals which linked different regions/markets together. Increase in the exchange of goods and services.

Steamboats

Transportation during Market Revolution
Revolutionize commerce on the Mississippi River → Two way commerce → Transcontinental market and agricultural empire

Erie Canal

Eases trade, unites North and West, decreases transportation costs, provides a link between manufacturing location and port city, NYC becomes an economic center for the country.

RR's

Reduce transportation costs, encourage settlement in west, aids in expansion of commercial agriculture, create new markets for railroad equipment (iron, etc)

The Lowell System

Labor and production model w/ mechanized production and goal of establishing model factory community attracting a mostly female labor source. Industrial growth → efficiency and profit become more important than community.

Irish Immigrants

"Old Immigrants" 
Mostly industrial workers who lived in Eastern urban areas. B/c they were catholic, often discriminated against by largely Protestant American society. They were active in politics, esp. the Democratic party due to allure of “common man” → fear of political influence → discrimination

German Immigrants

"Old Immigrants" 
Mostly settled in rural areas in the Midwest. Diverse political and religious affiliation. Intellectuals → higher class

Nativism / Know Nothing Party

Militant Protestants who disliked Catholics and immigrants. Disliked the Irish because they were Catholic and had strong voting influence. Disliked the Germans because they suspected them of political radicalism. Wanted to make naturalization stricter.

Deism

Rejected inherent depravity, divinity of Jesus, absolute truth of bible. Encouraged use of reason in religious matters and religious freedom. God is creator but doesn’t intervene, focused on natural laws and science

Second Great Awakening

Democratic religion in which everyone has a shot at salvation -- refutes idea of original sin/predestination -- Grace by good works → Reform. Females influential in revivals → Expanding opportunities for women, esp. in reform movements.

Burned-Over District

Revivalism was strong esp. on the frontier where it provided sense of community through camp meetings, esp in W. NY burned over district. Charles Finney was an influential minister in the burned over district where he encouraged reform as a means to achieve salvation.

Mormons / Joseph Smith

Preaches 2nd coming of Jesus, rejects original sin, denies hell, advocates polygamy

Transcendentalism / Emerson and Thoreau

Was an intellectual movement centered around individual/direct connection w/ God and nature. Emerson encourages individualism and self-reliance, rejects conventionalism. Thoreau seeks to live fully w/o restraints of societal conventions by living in isolation in nature @ Walden Pond

Horace Mann

Advocates public schools, succeeds in winning some state funding for education. Sets nationwide standard for public education.

American Temperance Union

Attempts to end drunkenness -- negative bodily / familial effects → poverty, importance of sobriety in industrial landscape. Creates propaganda to discourage from drinking.

Maine Laws

Prohibit sale of alcohol w/in state

Dorothea Dix

Becomes active reformer of asylums -- helps transform state of mental illness institution + attitude toward mental illness. Example of female involvement in reform movement revolutionizing

Cult of Domesticity

Idea that women belong in the domestic sphere, aims to increase respect for women and the role they play in society. Economic shift away from home economy to large scale market economy → Sentiment of domestic independence → Moral idealization of role of women w/in the domestic sphere.

Seneca Falls Convention

First modern women’s rights convention → early feminists create the Declaration of Sentiments: Calls for equality of men and women, lists discriminations against women, calls for women’s suffrage.

Shakers / Ann Lee

Celibacy, separation of men and women, communal living, duality of God → Male = Jesus, Female = Ann Lee, the woman who began the mvmt.

Oneida Community / John Humphrey Noyes

Shared sexual partners “free love” w/ communal living. Also produced silverware after being reprimanded for said free love

New Harmony / Robert Owen

Secular community preliminary attempt at socialism / communism, fails b/c unequal sharing of workload.

Brooke Farm

Transcendentalist experiment in communal living

Demographics of Old South

Biracial → whites (poor and rich unified to maintain unfair system of superiority) and blacks (slaves). Almost all are native born - few opportunities for immigrants b/c slave labor is dominant so ce of cheap labor.

Economy/agriculture of Old South

Southern cash crop agriculture. Reject industrialism b/c aristocratic obsession w/ land as measure of wealth, attitude that slaves unfit for factory labor, “Cotton is King” → believe that agricultural economy is superior

Planters vs. subsistence farmers

Employed large labor force (slaves) to produce cash/staple crops for commercial use. Subsistence farmers were usually middle class small yeomen farmers.

Poor Whites

Least desirable land YET support slavery to maintain sense of superiority

Gabriel Prosser's Rebellion

Plans to seize Richmond and slaughter whites → Fails

Denmark Vessey's Rebellion

Plans to assault whites, burn Charleston, seize ships → Fails

Nat Turner's Rebellion

Divine mission to lead slave revolt, kills many whites → VA militia responds violently, VA legislature solidifies slavery, Fear of widespread slave revolt.

David Walker Appeal to the Colored Citizens

Calls for immediate end of slavery through physical revolt to destroy white supremacy.

American Colonization Society

Proposition to return freed slaves to Africa to est. a colony in Liberia, unsupported by free blacks

William L. Garrison/The Liberator

Pacifist abolitionist, creates abolitionist newspaper calling for immediate elimination of slavery -- Gradualism → abolitionism

American Antislavery Society

Advocates immediate abandonment of slavery, condemns Constitution as a pro-slavery document. Grimke sisters help achieve equal participation for women.

Frederick Douglass

Former slave, renowned abolitionist due to first hand knowledge / ability to speak, many writings including his narrative on slavery

Sojourner Truth

Former slave, fights for both abolitionism and feminism, travels and gives powerful testimonials that intersected both movements, active ipn involving women in reform mvmts.

Underground Railroad

Organization & system of safe houses and shelters along routes to freedom, “conductors” were freeborn blacks, white abolitionists, former slaves, & Native Americans. Harriet Tubman returned to South 19 times to rescue over 300 slaves, hero

Gag Rule

Allows House of Representatives to ignore the issue of slavery -- all petitions relating to slavery would be laid on the table w/o review.

Paternalism

Justification = slaves provide labor in return for protection and care of master