The Market Revolution and Social Change in 19th Century America

What was the Market Revolution?

A transformation of the U.S. economy from subsistence to a commercial, market-oriented economy between 1800 and 1850.

What were some key technologies of the Market Revolution?

Cotton gin, interchangeable parts, telegraph, mechanical reaper, and steel plow.

Who invented the cotton gin and when?

Eli Whitney in 1793.

What impact did the cotton gin have on the Southern economy?

It boosted cotton production and entrenched slavery.

What was the significance of the telegraph?

It enabled rapid communication across long distances, enhancing business and coordination.

What role did steamboats play in transportation during the Market Revolution?

They enabled upstream river travel, connecting rural areas to urban markets.

What was the Erie Canal and its impact?

Completed in 1825, it connected western farms with eastern cities, dramatically reducing shipping costs.

What was the Lowell System?

A factory system in the Northeast that employed young women under strict conditions, offering early wage-labor opportunities.

What was the primary labor force in factories during the Market Revolution?

Women and children, along with immigrants from Ireland and Germany.

What was the Panic of 1819?

An economic crisis that revealed the risks of market dependency and over-speculation.

What was the abolitionist movement?

A movement aimed at ending slavery in the United States, led by figures like Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

What was the temperance movement?

A movement aimed at reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, arguing that it caused social problems.

What is transcendentalism?

A philosophical movement emphasizing intuition, nature, and the inherent goodness of people, led by figures like Emerson and Thoreau.

What were utopian communities?

Experimental communities aimed at creating ideal societies, such as Brook Farm and New Harmony.

What was Jacksonian Reform?

Reforms inspired by the Jacksonian Era focusing on expanding democracy and political participation, but often excluding marginalized groups.

What was the significance of the Homestead Act of 1862?

It encouraged westward expansion by allowing settlers to claim land at little or no cost.

What was the Missouri Compromise?

An agreement in 1820 that attempted to balance the power of slave and free states in the U.S.

What was 'Bleeding Kansas'?

A series of violent conflicts in the 1850s over whether Kansas would be a free or slave state.

What was the role of the federal government in the Market Revolution?

Supported growth through infrastructure projects, protective tariffs, and land policies.

What was the impact of railroads during the Market Revolution?

They became the dominant transportation mode, speeding the movement of goods and stimulating industries.

What were the social changes resulting from the rise of industrial capitalism?

Creation of new social classes and changes in gender roles, with more women entering the workforce.

What were the consequences for Native Americans during westward expansion?

Displacement and loss of land and culture due to treaties, annexation, and conquest.

What was the Whig Party's stance on reform?

They championed moral and institutional reform, emphasizing social order and progress through government action.

What were the main winners and losers of the Market Revolution?

Winners included entrepreneurs and urban workers; losers included artisans, Native Americans, and enslaved people.

What was the significance of the Second Bank of the United States?

Created in 1816 to stabilize the economy and support industrial and transportation growth.

What cultural identity did the South represent?

A cultural identity built on tradition, hierarchy, and agrarian values.

How did Southerners view their way of life?

As a protector of honor, family, and slavery, contrasting with Northern industrial chaos.

What were the major subregions of the South?

The Deep South, Upper South, and Border States.

What cash crops were primarily grown in the South?

Cotton, tobacco, rice, and sugar.

What was the impact of Eli Whitney's cotton gin?

It led to a significant increase in cotton exports.

What was the economic structure of Southern capitalism?

Land- and labor-intensive, relying on plantations rather than industrial factories.

What was the Southern defense of slavery?

Argued as a 'positive good' essential to racial order and economic stability.

What was the Wilmot Proviso?

Legislation introduced to ban slavery in territories acquired from the Mexican-American War.

What was the Free-Soil Movement's main ideology?

Opposition to the expansion of slavery, viewing it as a threat to freeholder ideals.

Who were the candidates in the Election of 1848?

Lewis Cass (Democrat), Zachary Taylor (Whig), and Martin Van Buren (Free Soil).

What was the significance of the California Gold Rush?

It led to a massive migration of prospectors and exclusionary tactics against non-white miners.

What was Taylor's position on California's admission to the Union?

Supported California's admission as a free state.

What did the 1850 Compromise achieve?

California entered as a free state, New Mexico and Utah organized by popular sovereignty, and a new Fugitive Slave Act was passed.

Who was John C. Calhoun?

A political leader from South Carolina who defended slavery and promoted the right of secession.

What was the Fugitive Slave Act?

Required state officials to assist in recovering escaped slaves, incentivizing commissioners to find fugitives guilty.

What was the impact of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'?

It depicted the cruelty of slavery and sparked the abolitionist movement.

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

Legislation that organized Kansas and Nebraska territories for statehood based on popular sovereignty.

What was the significance of the Sumner Caning incident?

A violent attack on Senator Charles Sumner that highlighted the intense sectional conflict.

What did the term 'Slavery Power' refer to?

The perceived aristocratic domination of the government by the South.

What was the role of the Free Soil Party?

Formed to oppose the expansion of slavery into the territories.

What was the economic condition of the Southern society?

Racially stratified and economically unequal, with a division between planter elite, yeoman farmers, and poor whites.

What was the Southern response to growing abolitionism?

Development of strong intellectual and moral defenses of slavery.

What did the term 'siege mentality' refer to in the South?

The perception of being under attack, fostering sectional pride.

How did the plantation system influence Southern expansion?

Demanded constant expansion for new land for cotton and slavery, leading to conflicts over territories.

What was the outcome of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

The U.S. acquired a large expanse of territory from Mexico for $15 million.

What speech did Senator Charles Sumner deliver that denounced Senator Andrew Butler?

The Crime Against Kansas

Who attacked Charles Sumner in Congress?

Congressman Preston Brooks

What political party formed around 1850 that was nativist in nature?

American, or Know-Nothing Party

What were the Know-Nothings' main goals?

Extension of naturalization period, voting restrictions, and discouraging immigration from certain countries.

What was the outcome for the Whig Party in the 1852 presidential election?

They were defeated.

What ideology did the Southern 'Fire Eaters' support?

States' Rights, white supremacy, and proslavery.

Who were the two main candidates for the Democratic Party in the Election of 1860?

Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrats) and John Breckinridge (Southern Democrats).

What was the Republican Party's stance on slavery?

Opposition to slavery, but most members were not abolitionists.

What was the significance of the Dred Scott v. Sandford case?

It ruled that African Americans could not be citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.

What did Chief Justice Roger B. Taney declare about slaves in the Dred Scott decision?

Slaves were considered property and Congress could not prevent slave owners from moving their property.

What was the Freeport Doctrine proposed by Stephen Douglas?

It stated that territories could reject slavery by not adopting laws to enforce it.

Who was John Brown and what was his infamous plan?

An abolitionist who planned a raid on Harper's Ferry to arm slaves and incite a rebellion.

What happened during the Raid on Harper's Ferry?

John Brown captured the armory but was quickly apprehended by Southern militia.

What was the outcome of John Brown's trial?

He was found guilty of treason and executed, becoming a martyr for abolitionists.

How did the Democratic Party's split affect the Election of 1860?

It virtually assured Lincoln's victory due to divided votes.

What was the significance of the 1860 Republican Convention?

Abraham Lincoln was unexpectedly nominated as the candidate.

What was the 'compact theory' mentioned in relation to Southern separatism?

The belief that the states were a confederacy of equal sovereign states.

What was the Southern response to Lincoln's election?

Calls for secession and conventions to discuss separation from the Union.

What did John C. Calhoun argue about the right to secede?

He argued that the union was a confederacy of equal sovereign states, implying a right to secede.

What was the primary concern of Southern states leading to secession?

Fear of abolition and potential slave insurrections.

What was the impact of the Dred Scott decision on Northern sentiments?

It caused outrage in the North and intensified anti-slavery sentiments.

What was the electoral outcome for Lincoln in the 1860 election?

He won with a plurality of just 40 percent of the popular vote.

What was the significance of the term 'Doughfaces' in relation to Northern Democrats?

It referred to Northern Democrats who were neutral about slavery and supported Southern Democrats for party unity.

What was the main ideology of the Republican Party during its formation?

Belief in 'Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men' and the dignity of manual labor.

What was the outcome of the Kansas voters' decision regarding the Lecompton government?

They rejected the pro-slavery constitution and enacted a free-state constitution.

Who was the Republican candidate in the Election of 1856?

John Fremont, known as the 'Pathfinder'.

What was the outcome for the Know-Nothing Party in the 1856 election?

They collapsed as a national party after a strong showing by Republicans.

What was the Southern ideology during the pre-Civil War period?

It included white supremacy, proslavery beliefs, and a fear of Northern conspiracies.

What event marked the beginning of Southern secession?

South Carolina voted for secession on December 20, 1860.

What was the Confederate States of America?

A group formed by seven states in February 1861 that seceded from the Union.

Who was elected as the President of the Confederacy?

Jefferson Davis, a Mississippi senator.

What was the Crittenden Compromise?

A proposal to protect slavery in existing states and extend the Missouri Compromise line, rejected by Lincoln and the Republicans.

What was the significance of Fort Sumter?

It was fired upon by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861, marking the start of the Civil War.

Which four border states did not secede?

Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.

What was the Union's main strategy during the Civil War?

To blockade the South and cut off supplies, known as the Anaconda Plan.

What was the outcome of the First Battle of Bull Run?

Union troops were routed, indicating the war would be long and bloody.

What did the Emancipation Proclamation achieve?

It declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory free, effective January 1, 1863.

What was the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg?

It marked a turning point in the war with a significant defeat for Robert E. Lee's army.

What was the purpose of Sherman's March to the Sea?

To destroy Southern morale and infrastructure, leading to the Union's victory.

What was the Lieber Code of War?

A set of guidelines that allowed for the destruction of property and execution of guerilla fighters.

What was the impact of the Thirteenth Amendment?

It abolished slavery in the United States, ratified in December 1865.

Who was Alexander Stephens and what was his view on secession?

He was the Vice President of the Confederacy and delivered the 'Cornerstone Speech' emphasizing slavery as the cause of secession.

What was the role of African Americans in the Civil War?

Initially served as non-combatants, later allowed to fight, with about 180,000 serving in the Union army.

What was the outcome of the Election of 1864?

Lincoln was re-elected, despite expectations of defeat due to ongoing war casualties.

What led to the surrender at Appomattox Court House?

Grant's pressure during the Siege of Petersburg forced Lee to retreat and surrender in April 1865.

What were the economic impacts of the Civil War on the South?

The South faced destruction and economic ruin, with a significant toll of 700,000 dead.

What was the significance of the Corwin Amendment?

It proposed to protect slavery in states where it existed but was ratified too late to prevent secession.

What was the Union's advantage in terms of resources?

The North had a larger population, greater military production capacity, and superior transportation infrastructure.

What was the Confederate strategy during the war?

To defend their homeland, rely on better generals, and wait for Northern will to diminish.

What was the significance of the Battle of Shiloh?

It was a two-day battle with over 25,000 casualties, highlighting the war's brutality.