APUSH Review: America's History Chapter 11

Individualism and Transcendentalism

• Transcendentalism: Belief that every person has an inner light that can connect them with God. Focus on self-betterment and spirituality.

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson: Founder of transcendentalism, noted for his book "Self-Reliance". Influenced other writers and emphasized individual improvement and nature connection.

  • Henry David Thoreau: Wrote "Walden" while living in nature for two years. Advocated for civil disobedience against unjust laws, influencing leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

  • Margaret Fuller: Advocated for women's independence; influenced by Emerson.

  • Walt Whitman: Poet known for "Leaves of Grass," reflecting the themes of individualism and self-improvement.

Utopian Societies

• Utopias: Societies aiming for perfection. Reflect the ideals of the Second Great Awakening.

  • Shakers: Founded by Mother Ann Lee; known for celibacy and promoting women's rights. They performed rituals that made them seem as if they were shaking.

  • Oneida Community: Promoted free love without marriage and became known for producing silverware.

Religious Movements

• Mormonism: Founded by Joseph Smith, later led by Brigham Young to Utah. The community sought safety and religious freedom.

Popular Culture and Racism

• Minstrel Shows: These shows used blackface and perpetuated racist stereotypes, significantly impacting American culture.

• Nativism: Anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly against Irish and German immigrants, who were often Catholic and politically active (Democratic).

Abolitionism

• David Walker: Free black person who wrote "An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World," advocating violence to address slavery.

• Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831): A significant slave uprising led by Turner, resulting in retaliation that tightened slave control.

  • The backlash included the deaths of many involved, dissipation of harsher slave laws, and increased vigilance from slaveowners.

• William Lloyd Garrison: A key abolitionist figure, published "The Liberator," advocating for immediate and uncompensated emancipation. Helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society.

• Harriet Tubman: Key figure in the Underground Railroad, helped many slaves escape to freedom.

• Elijah Lovejoy: Abolitionist and printer murdered for his views, his death galvanized the movement.

• Gag Rule: A House resolution that barred the discussion of anti-slavery petitions, later overturned by John Quincy Adams.

• Division in Abolitionists: The movement split over women's rights issues, with Garrison supporting it and others opposing.

Women's Rights Movement

• Women played pivotal roles in various reform movements beyond abolitionism; societal expectations confined them to domestic spheres.

• Dorothea Dix: Advocate for mental health reform, significant in changing attitudes toward the mentally ill.

• Horace Mann: Instrumental in the establishment of tax-supported public education, particularly in the North.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which portrayed the harsh realities of slavery and influenced public opinion.

• Seneca Falls Convention (1848): Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, produced the Declaration of Sentiments advocating for women's equality.

Chapter Review

• Transcendentalism: Connects individuals with God and nature.

• Thoreau: Known for his works "Walden" and advocacy for civil disobedience.

• Minstrel shows: Contributed to racist attitudes.

• Nativism: Targeted Irish and Catholic immigrants.

• Nat Turner: Sparked violent backlash and harsher slave laws.

• William Lloyd Garrison: Strongly opposed slavery through "The Liberator."

• Women's rights: Movement divided from abolitionism.

• Dorothea Dix: Changed public perception of mental illness.

• Seneca Falls: Landmark event for women's rights.