Chapter 10
National Road- before the war of 1812 transport by the river was heavily relied on, transport by roads was limited due to many different obstructions and were very expensive, post rev war private investors went in on turnpikes, National road was the first road funded by the government.
Robert Fulton’s Clermont- traveled between New York and Albany on the Hudson River in thirty-two hours, demonstrating the feasibility of using steam engines to power boats. Steamboats flourished in rivers and the great lakes
Erie Canal- small investments made in canals and typically they weren’t very successful but the governor of NY wanted a way to connect lake Erie to their port, this opened up the midwest to development. Optimists thought it would help unify the nation and secure its commercial independence from Europe.
“Tom Thumb”- The railroad era in the United States began in 1830 when Peter Cooper’s locomotive, first steamed along 13 miles of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad track.
Samuel F.M. Morse- invented the telegraph in 1844, which enabled the birth of modern business practices, allowed people in previously isolated areas to proclaim themselves as Americans
American System of Manufacturing- produced interchangeable parts that didn’t need to be adjusted to fit. Produced the machine tool industry- the manufacture of machines for the purpose of mass production. The new system permitted large-scale production at low costs.
Eli Whitney- Inventor of the cotton gin, supported interchangeable parts
Waltham or Lowell Plan for Industrial- early textile mills in New England, many employees were young women who wanted social and economic freedom. Overseers of mills offered paternalism and enforced rules such as curfews and mandatory church. many girls went at the age of 16 and left 5 years later to get married.
common v hunt- Supreme Court ruled that the common-law doctrine of criminal conspiracy did not apply to labour unions
National trade Union- small organizations of individual craft unions, disintegrated amid wage reductions
Ready Made cloth- product of mass production, slave owners found it beneficial
Specialization commerce- transformed small trade centers to big cities, traders invested in facotires which simulated manufacturing
Substinance farming- farming for ones family and consumes all the product they grew
Commerce farming- farming for the purpose of trade
Transportation Revolution- (Innovations, canals, railroads etc) that made the movement of people and goods faster and less costly
Boom and Bust Cycle- a product for popular, (demand, production, prices went up) then there was over production and the economy suffered
Impact of booms- cities grew in population and geography
Panic of 1837- A bust that led to failure in banks, unemployment, and the withdrawal of foreign investors
Ideal Family- men in charge of public sphere, women domestic, women were sole caretakers of the family and did not work, only men provided
Common family- with wages low and families requiring money, many women had to work
Catharine Beecher- Wrote Treatise on Domestic Economy, urging young women to work as teachers, but that once a woman was married, she belonged at home, said a mother was the family’s moral guardian
Family Size- decreased so that parents could have better focus and funding for their children and give better support for their futures
Womens labor- if they weren’t married, women worked as domestic servants and in factories, but wages weren’t enough to support themselves or a family
Single Women- worked as teachers but were paid half as much as men, some preferred to stay single for a variety of reasons
City Services- developed systems of municipal services but lacked the power of adequate taxing that provided services for all, provided gas for lights and built water systems for the rich only
Extremes of wealth- not many rich people. poor wages, no full-time jobs and the employment of women and children increased poverty. working and home conditions dangerous and unsanitary. Those who were rich most likely inherited their money
Immigration- many people came for Germany and Ireland. 90% of whites in America were foreign
Push factors- Irish potato famine and poor economic status, germans wanted political freedom
Pull factors- wanted employment and many aspired to be independent farmers, many settled in northern cities
anti- catholicism- appeared in 1830s in Boston with riots, lots of tension with the irish
Free blacks- had their own communities and culture, population grew significantly as more and more slaves escaped, had limited jobs, and whites had the right to ban them from going into certain public places
African Methodist Episcopal Church- first American denomination established for and by African Americans. helped forge communities
Bowry Boys- working class youth culture developed on NY entertainment strip, frighted old people with new style
P.T. Barnum- American museum in NYC with horseracing, walking races and baseball, theatre was big in entertainment
Thomas Rice- famous for his character of Jim Crow, badly imitating slaves and blacks on stage
Penny Press- new journalistic form in 1830’s made possible by tech advances, each newspaper cost 1c. while old papers covered politics, the penny press covered a variety f stories and was politically independent
Competing views of the city- some people saw cities as progress and decay at the same time, others thought it was a symbol of economic advancement, nurturing civilization and culture, some saw it as a haven for disease, poverty and violence
Second Great Awakening- 1790-1830 some thought there would be a second coming, inspired the northern reform
Charles G. Finney - lawyer turned minister performing revivals and stressed individual responsibility for moral decisions
“Burnt-Over District”- area west of NY that had rapid changes in transports and industrialization,, changes raised fears of social disorder, social reforms started here
Moral Reforms- ideas spread through pamphlets, reformers sought to expand domesticity and urged mothers to continue the role of moral guardianship, women enjoyed this;
Dorthea Dix- wanted to help the mentally ill, believed in individual self improvement and human perfectability
Auburn System versus the Philadelphia System- in penetenturies the auburn system had prisoners working together in the day and were isolated at night. In the phily system silence and isolation were kept all day and night.
Temperence movement- abstinence from alcohol, advocated against it in nonmedical situations because it was sinful
Groups of temperence- preachers forbid it on sabbath, middle class women hated it because it was wasting money and taking their husbands away from them, Irish, german and Christians didn’t like temperence.
Horace Mann- lawyer and reformer wh advocated for free education to replace church schools,, led the “common schools” movement that lengthened the school year and raised wages of teachers
Smithsonian- a scientist who left his house to the government and they created the Smithsonian institution which acquired and dissiminated specific knowledge
Joe Henry- Smithsonian director, his experiments in electromagnetism heped develop the telegraph and later a phone
Joseph Smith- founder of the Mormon church, after inciting a riot he was detained
Brigham Young- when smith was arrested, brigham took over the church and established a community in Utah
the Shakers- founded by ann lee, they stressescelibacy and emphasized agriculture, handcrafts, and shared leadership
Oneidans- colony founded by John Nayes, forbade exculisve sexual relationships, had complex marriages
Owenites- forbade individual private property and advocated for communal child rearing
Fourierists- had more than 24 communities in the midwest, resisted individualism, and advocated for equality among sexes
Transcendent- the belief that the physical world is second to the spiritual realm, inspired the people at brooks farm, which had rural communalism that combined spirits and play, founded by George ripley and had rigid regimentation
Ralph Waldo Emerson- preached individualism and self reliance
Abolitionism- evangicals deemed slavery both an individual and communal sin on society
William Lloyd Garrison- white abolitionist who rejected the notion of slow and steady progress, demanded immediate emacipation
American Antislavery Society- organization that welcomed men and women of all colors and class, women played a large role in collecting signatures and speaking out, group helped escaped slaves
African American Abolitionists- former slaves who dedicated their lives to antislavery and the underground railroad, many white abolitionists treated blacks as inferior
Elijah Lovejoy- a minister who believed in the end of slavery, people opposing his views killed him and secked his printing office
Liberty Party- new political party forged from the American and foreign antislavery society