HIST 2055 Exam 3 Review

The Age of Revolutions

The Age of Revolutions

Was inspired by The Enlightenment and the American Revolution.

Advocated for Freedom, individual rights, national identity

Switch from Absolute Monarchies —> Representative Govts

3 Revolutions: French, Haitian, War of 1812

The French Revolution (1789-1799)

Triggered by a desire for reform and fiscal crisis along with radical ideals promoted by the American Revolution

Went a bit too radical during the Reign of Terror, where the French King & Royal family were executed (1793) and Britain declaring war on the French

Democratic Republicans were supportive and attempted to pressure Pres Washington then Adams to support France

Federalists were terrified, arguing it was way too radical and first two Presidents wanted to keep America neutral

Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) Was modeled on the Declaration of Independence

The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

1st & only successful slave revolt in world history & 1st to abolish slavery

Formed the nation of Haiti and was the 2nd independent country in the Americas

Enslaved people were inspired and led to slave insurrections throughout the Americas and saw it as a source of hope

U.S. slaveholders were scared & crackdown on enslaved people throughout the U.S.

The Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Purchase of French Louisiana from France at the price of $15M due to Napoleon’s loss of Saint Domingue. 828k square miles of land to U.S

Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803)

Ex-slave turned Haitian General

Transformed slave revolt into revolutionary war of independence

The War of 1812 (1812-1815)

War between U.S. & Great Britain (Dubbed 2nd War of American Independence)

Natives ppl fought for both sides but more for the British & was a two-front war

Battle of New Orleans happened, major American victory & Andrew Jackson becoming a war hero “Hero of New Orleans”

Tecumseh (1768 - 1813)

Shawnee chief who tried to revive Neolin’s intertribal alliance

Americans falsely believed the British were secretly helping him

Causes of the War of 1812 (Key Concept)

Anger at British impressment (5k-10k American sailors seized & drafted into British Navy since GB needed sailors)

Prowar American nationalism (especially, desire to annex Canada) “U.S. must defend American honor”

Perception that British were responsible for Tecumseh

Effects of the War of 1812 (Key Concept)

Great Britain & the world forced to take the U.S. seriously

White settlers poured westward

Destroyed Native American power on the east side of the Mississippi River

Impacts of the French and Haitian Revolutions within the United States (Key Concept)

French Revolution: Showed the divide between Democratic-Republicans & Federalists

Haitian Revolution: Enslaved people were inspired to free themselves & incite slave insurrections throughout the Americas, leading U.S. slaveholders to cracking them down in fear

Market Revolution (1790s-1840s)

The rapid and perplexing jump from self-sufficient family farms to an economy based on manufacturing, trade, and wage labor

Transportation Revolution

Concurrent to the Market Revolution where many modes of transportation were made available or invented. Was nationwide but most were concentrated in the North

Roads: States began building public roads & private corporations began constructing toll roads, or “turnpikes”

Steamboats (1807): Invented by Robert Fulton, it led to shorter time & can move UPSTREAM & against the current

Canals (Erie Canal, 1821): Transformed NYC into an economic powerhouse & linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean

Railroads (1820s): Made the West accessible & overland travel

Telegraph: Instantaneous communication

Cultural and Social impacts of the Market Revolution (Key Concept)

Urbanization: 5% (1790) 20% (1850)

Young women leaving family farms and working in factories

Immigration was growing important as 5M ppl came (1840-1860) 1845 Irish potato famine contributed significantly. (Nativism appearance: Violence towards immigrants & or Catholics)

No longer relying on the sun for time, schedules instead

Cult of Domesticity. Romanization of the home & of housebound woman

New Anxieties such as crime, extreme poverty, and moral decay along with the age of “strangers” & city gatherings of young people from different areas

Transition from household production to wage work (Key Concept)

Many young women were leaving family farms and working in factories, leading to deep gender anxieties.

No longer relying on the sun for time, schedules instead

Class conflict, economic inequality, strikes & unions, and rise of an urban poor

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837; 2 terms)

Influential President & War Hero, rags to riches story (Indian Killer due for eliminating Natives resistance w/ w/o executive approval)

His presidency championed “the common man” & “anti-elitism” Believed the govt. should have no role in the economy because govt. intervention only favors elites

Redefined the presidency as more powerful & proactive, leaving a lasting influence on how future presidents approached the role (The Bank Veto; 1832) (Nullification Crisis; 1832-1833)

Spoils System

A system that Andrew Jackson used to replace the govt. bureaucracy with his political allies.

“To the victor belong the spoils”

The Whig Party (1833)

Formed by Jackson’s opponents.

Called for an active government such as building internal improvements and regulating the economy

The Democratic Party (1828)

Founded by Jackson’s supporters.

Championed “the common man”

Opposed Government intervention, which (they believed) only benefited elite interests

The Indian Removal Act (1830)

Forced expulsions of Indian Nations to west of the Mississippi River (Approx 100k ppl)

170k square miles of land seized for white settlers

The Trail of Tears (1838-1839)

Forced march of 16,000 remaining Cherokee to west of Mississippi

¼ died en route

Jacksonian Era (Key Concept)

Jacksonian Democracy (1820s - abt. 1850) Dramatically reshaped U.S. politics & defined by Andrew Jackson’s presidency (1829 - 1837; 2 terms)

Universal white male political participation, Populist energy; anti-elitism, Suppression of Black Americans & Native Americans

Black Codes: Banned free Black people from traveling between states and from artisan jobs, required their registration with local authorities; pay special tax, and banned free Black children from public schools

The Bank Veto (1832) Elimination of the Bank of U.S, vetoed the law to renew the bank’s charter

Nullification Crisis (1832-1833) South Carolina nullified a law and declared states could nullify Federal law. Force Law of 1833 CLEARLY established U.S. Law > State Law & for sure rejected the nullification principle

The Cotton Revolution (1790s-1840s)

The total transformation of the Southern economy and American slavery and is concurrent to the Market Revolution

Origin of the antebellum “Deep South”

Cotton Gin (1793)

Invented by Eli Whitney, is a machine for plucking the cotton seed from lint

Speeds up cotton processing time 50x faster than by hand

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Forced expulsions of Indian Nations to west of the Mississippi River (Approx 100k ppl)

170k square miles of land seized for white settlers

Trail of Tears (1838-39)

Forced march of 16,000 remaining Cherokee to west of Mississippi

¼ died en route

The Domestic Slave Trade

Dubbed “2nd Middle Passage” Internal slave trade w/i the U.S. where 800k-1.2M ppl were forcibly transported from Upper to Lower South

Average age at sale: 17

Upper South: 1/3 of marriages ended in sales & 1/3 of children raised in a household with missing parent

Causes and impacts of the Cotton Revolution (Key Concept)

Causes: Land (LA Purchase; 1803, Alabama Fever; 1817. MD land rush; 1830, GA land lotteries; 1805 -1833, Indian Removal Act; 1830) Crop (“Petite Gulf” cotton; 1820) Labor (Domestic Slave Trade)

Impacts: Changing Racial Ideology (Crackdown on rights of free ppl of color, elimination of manumission; interracial marriage, rise of scientific racism, black slavery white freedom) Proslavery Ideology (Is a positive good, ordained by God & nature, and is in the best interest of enslaved ppl)

Marronage

Temporarily living as free by hiding away in swamps, caves, mountains, and other marginal land (Petit)

Create a mental and/or physical space for phycological, cultural autonomy

Negotiating strategy

Avoid imminent danger

Visitation

Underground Railroad

Network of secret routes & safe houses, only available to ppl living in border state for the most part

1k ppl crossed over per year

Famous ppl who escaped through Underground Railroad: Frederick Douglass (1838) Harriet Jacobs (1835, 1842) Harriet Tubman (1849) Henry “Box” Brown (1849)

Task system & Gang system

Gang system: Common on Cotton & sugar plantations, is human mechanization under direct overseer supervision

Task system: Common rice plantations & small-scale farms, slaves have until end of day to complete their tasks. Slaves prefer this system over the Gang system

Conditions of Plantation Life (Key Concept)

6 ppl per household unit and had self-sustaining populations, Marriage wasn’t legally recognized (Jumping the Broom),

Food was consisted of corn meal, lard, some meat, peas, and flour and had to be supplemented by hunting or grown food from family garden plots

Clothing were specialty made for them in the Plantation (Negro cloth & shoes)

Heath was monitored by slaveholders through Vaccinations, Hired doctors, Plantation nurses and midwives

Plantation Hierarchy (Key Concept)

Specialization & Social Stratification

Enslaved Artisians: Blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers, shoemakers, tanners, spinners, weavers. Were provided with better food & housing privileges & could even rent their labor to small-scale to earn money

Domestic Workers: Were in close contact with white owners, Nurses, cooks, body servants, butlers, chambermaids

Middle Management: Drivers (Enslaved) Overseers (White), was seen as a precarious position

Forms of Slaveholder Violence (Key Concept)

Sexual Violence, Torture (Were publicly visible & Pain + humiliation + terrorism)

Forms of Slave Resistance (Key Concept)

“Day-to-Day Resistance: Work slowdowns, Breaking tools, Feigning illness, Sabotaging crops, Stealing food and supplies,

Running Away

Violent Resistance: Poisoning & Arson, German Coast Uprising (1811), Nat Turner Rebellion (1831)