APUSH CHAPTER 11

individualism

a social philosophy emphasizing personal autonomy, self-reliance, and the importance of the individual over the collective

American Renaissance

a period in American history, roughly from the 1830s to the Civil War, marked by a surge of literary and cultural output, particularly centered in New England.

transcendentalism

19th-century philosophical and literary movement that emphasized individualism, self-reliance, and a deep connection with nature. It promoted the belief that truth is found through personal intuition and spiritual insight.

utopias

experimental communities created during the 19th century to establish an ideal society based on principles like equality, cooperation, and communal living

socialism

an economic and political system where the community or state owns and controls the means of production, distribution, and exchange, with the goal of achieving greater equality and reducing wealth disparities

perfectionism

religious belief, associated with John Humphrey Noyes, that it was possible for individuals to become free of sin in this life through religious conversion and willpower.

Mormonism

the religion founded by Joseph Smith in the 1830s (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and the resulting culture and migration of its followers.

minstrelsy

was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface.

abolitionism

19th-century social and political movement to end slavery in the United States, advocating for the freedom and equal rights of African Americans

Underground Railroad

a secret network of routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to free states and Canada, aided by abolitionists and sympathizers.

amalgamation

the process of racial mixing and intermarriage, particularly the fear of it among white Americans in the 19th century.

gag rule

a resolution adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives that automatically "tabled" or postponed any anti-slavery petitions without debate or discussion

separate sphere

the belief that men and women have distinct, separate roles in society. Men belonged to the public sphere of work and politics, while women were confined to the private sphere of the home, family, and domestic duties like childcare and housekeeping.

domestic slavery

the system of enslaving individuals for labor within a household, but more broadly refers to the domestic slave trade within the United States

married women's property laws 

a series of state-level statutes passed starting in the mid-19th century that gave married women the right to own, control, and inherit property independently of their husbands

Seneca Falls Convention

the first women's rights convention in the United States, held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th-century American essayist and philosopher who was the leading figure of the Transcendentalist movement. His work championed individualism, self-reliance, and the importance of nature and personal intuition, which encouraged a new American identity that challenged traditional norms. He is best known for popular lectures and essays like "Self-Reliance" and "Nature". 

Henry David Thoreau

a key figure in the American transcendentalist movement, known for his writings on simple living and his philosophy of civil disobedience.

Margaret Fuller

19th-century American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate known for her association with the transcendentalist movement and for writing Woman in the Nineteenth Century.

Walt Whitman

known for his role in the transition between Transcendentalism and Realism, as the author of Leaves of Grass, and as a poet who celebrated democracy, individualism, and the human body.

Herman Melville

major 19th-century American writer known for works like Moby Dick that explored themes of man versus nature, the dark side of human nature, and the complexities of American society.

Nat Turner

an enslaved African American and preacher who led a violent slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.

William Lloyd Garrison

his call for the immediate emancipation of enslaved people, his uncompromising stance against slavery as a moral evil, and his role in mobilizing abolitionist activism during the antebellum period. 

Dorothea Dix

a 19th-century social reformer known for her extensive advocacy for the mentally ill and her work on prison and asylum reform.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

a key leader in the early women's rights movement, known for co-organizing the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and authoring the Declaration of Sentiments, which called for women's equality and suffrage.

Susan B. Anthony

a prominent 19th-century civil rights leader and feminist who was a key figure in the women's suffrage movement.