APUSH AMSCO Unit 5.5 (5A)

explain the effects of immigration from various parts of the world on American culture from 1844 to 1877 + explain how regional differences related to slavery caused tension in the years leading up to the Civil War

Irish

almost 2 million Irish immigrants (mostly farmers) were driven by the famine into the U.S.; they often stayed in the Northern cities they landed in, creating strong communities; they spoke English well and understood electoral politics & joined the Democratic party

Tammany Hall

the Irish controlled this New York City Democratic Organization by the 1880s

German

over 1 million came due to economic hardship and democratic failure; many were skilled farmers or artisans that moved to the Old Northwest where they formed close communities like the Irish; they opposed slavery and favored public education

Roman Catholic

since Irish and German immigrants were Roman Catholic, they were often discriminated against by the Protestant majority

nativism

native-born citizens felt threatened by the increase in immigration; the Know-Nothing Party wanted to increase citizen requirements from 5 to 21 years and allow only native-born citizens to hold public office

Elias Howe

inventor of the sowing machine

Samuel F. B. Morse

inventor of the electric telegraph

railroads

united the commercial interests of the Northeast and Midwest; local farmers/merchants bought stocks, state/local governments granted special loans and tax breaks, and the federal government gave federal land

Panic of 1857

a sharp decrease in agricultural goods with a sharp increase in unemployment; the South wasn’t too affected, making them believe continued union with the northern economy was not needed

Fugitive Slave Law

it forced local law officials to help track down, capture, and return fugitive slaves; it denied those claiming to be free trial by jury; it subjected heavy penalties to those who help runaways

Underground Railroad

helped enslaved people to escape to the North or Canada; mostly free African Americans and some White abolitionists

Harriet Tubman

made 19+ trips and freed 300+ slaves

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

a book that made the North regard all slave-owners as cruel and inhuman

Harriet Beecher Stowe

author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Lincoln referred to her as “the little woman that made this great [civil] war”

Impending Crisis of the South

Hinton R. Helper’s statistical book that showed how slavery weakened the southern economy