Transcendentalists: A philosophical and literary movement in the 19th century that emphasized the inherent goodness of people and nature, advocating for individual intuition and the transcendence of the material world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: American essayist, lecturer, and poet, a key figure in the Transcendentalist movement, known for his essays such as "Self-Reliance" and "Nature."

Henry David Thoreau: American essayist, poet, and philosopher, associated with Transcendentalism. Best known for his book "Walden," which reflects on simple living in natural surroundings.

Antebellum: The period in the United States before the Civil War (pre-1861), marked by social, economic, and political developments.

Shakers: A religious sect known for their communal living, celibacy, and ecstatic worship. They flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries.

New Harmony: An experimental utopian community established by Robert Owen in Indiana in the early 19th century, aimed at social and economic equality.

Oneida Community: A utopian community in New York known for its communal living, complex marriage practices, and the production of silverware.

Second Great Awakening: A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that emphasized personal conversion, emotional religious experiences, and social reform.

Brigham Young: A leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who led the migration of Mormons to Utah and played a key role in the development of the American West.

Mormons - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A religious movement founded by Joseph Smith, later led by Brigham Young, with distinctive beliefs and practices.

Charles Finney: A prominent leader in the Second Great Awakening, known for his revivalist preaching and emphasis on individual conversion.

American Temperance Society: An organization advocating for the reduction or elimination of alcohol consumption, particularly associated with the 19th-century temperance movement.

Dorothea Dix: A reformer who advocated for the improvement of conditions for the mentally ill and the establishment of mental asylums in the 19th century.

Asylum Movement: A social reform movement focused on improving the treatment of individuals with mental illness, leading to the establishment of mental asylums.

Horace Mann: An education reformer who played a key role in the development of public education in the United States.

McGuffey Reader: A series of widely used textbooks in the 19th century, authored by William Holmes McGuffey, promoting moral values and literacy.

Cult of Domesticity: A prevailing social and cultural ideology in the 19th century that idealized women as homemakers and moral guardians.

Seneca Falls Convention: A women's rights convention held in 1848, often considered the beginning of the women's suffrage movement.

American Colonization Society: An organization advocating for the voluntary repatriation of free African Americans to Africa, reflecting early efforts at addressing slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison - The Liberator: Abolitionist and publisher of the influential anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator."

Frederick Douglass: Former slave who became a prominent abolitionist, writer, and speaker.

David Walker: African American abolitionist and author of the "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World," a radical anti-slavery pamphlet.

Peculiar Institution: A euphemistic term referring to slavery in the Southern United States.

Slave Codes: Laws in Southern states that regulated and restricted the lives of enslaved individuals.

Planter Aristocracy: The wealthy, elite class of Southern plantation owners who held considerable political and economic power.

Poor Whites "Hillbillies": White individuals, often in the Southern Appalachian region, who were economically disadvantaged and lived in rural areas.