Untitled Flashcards Set

Industrial Revolution

• A major change that required a large population to both grow food and provide workers for industry

• Needed good transportation, advanced technology, and business systems to function

• By 1860, the northern regions had developed these necessary elements

Irish Immigration

• Made up about 45% of foreign-born Americans by 1850

• Most Irish immigrants settled in eastern cities as unskilled laborers

• Many were young, single women who worked in factories or as domestic workers

Erie Canal

• Completed in 1825

• Gave New York City unmatched access to the interior of the country

• Helped make New York the largest city in the United States by 1810

German Immigration

• Made up over 20% of foreign-born Americans by 1850

• Most moved to the Northwest to become farmers or start businesses in western towns

• Usually came with some money and often traveled as families or single men

Potato Famine

• A devastating crisis in Ireland from 1845-1849

• Nearly one million people died from starvation and disease

• Caused well over a million Irish people to emigrate to the United States

Nativism

• A movement defending native-born Americans while showing hostility to immigrants

• Driven by racism, fear of job competition, and anti-Catholic prejudice

• Some believed immigrants would bring radical ideas into American life

Native American Association

• First anti-immigration society, started in 1837

• Began the organized nativist movement

• Most of these societies started in the Northeast

Native American Party

• Formed at a convention in Philadelphia in 1845

• Name was chosen without realizing it would later refer to American Indians

• Part of the growing nativist movement

Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner

• Formed in 1850 when several nativist groups joined together

• Wanted to ban Catholics and foreign-born from public office

• Supported stricter naturalization laws and literacy tests for voting

Know-Nothings

• Nickname for members of the Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner

• Got their name from their secret password "I know nothing"

• Had a strict code of secrecy used in lodges across the country

American Party

• Created by the Know-Nothings after the 1852 election

• Won control of Massachusetts state government in 1854

• Lost strength after 1854, especially in the West where German voters were numerous

Steamboats

• Made river transportation much faster in the 1820s, especially on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

• Carried farm products to New Orleans in much less time than old barges

• Also developed passenger service with increasingly luxurious vessels

Canals

• More efficient than roads - four horses could pull 100 tons on a canal versus 1.5 tons on roads

• Built mainly by state governments due to high construction costs

• Helped connect eastern cities to western markets

De Witt Clinton

• Became governor of New York in 1817

• Was a late but strong supporter of canal building

• His support helped get the Erie Canal project started on July 4, 1817

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

• Started construction in 1828

• Only completed the section between Washington D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland

• Never managed to cross the mountains as intended

Railroads

• Eventually became America's main transportation system

• Grew from 2,818 miles of track in 1840 to over 9,021 miles by 1850

• Had advantages that helped them replace canals as the primary transportation method

John Stevens

• Ran the first American locomotive and cars on his New Jersey estate in 1820

• This was one of the early experiments with steam-powered land vehicles

• Helped demonstrate the potential of railroad technology

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company

• First American railroad company to begin actual operations

• Opened a 13-mile stretch of track in 1830

• Faced early competition from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company

Consolidation

• The process of combining shorter railroad lines into longer "trunk lines"

• By 1853, four major trunk lines crossed the Appalachians

• Helped connect the Northeast with the Northwest

Trunk Lines

• Long railroad routes formed by combining shorter lines

• Connected major cities like New York to western regions

• Examples included the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroad

Stephen A. Douglas

• Senator from Illinois

• In 1850, convinced Congress to grant federal lands to help build the Illinois Central Railroad

• This led to Congress giving over 30 million acres to states for railroad construction

Telegraph

• Invented by Samuel F.B. Morse

• By 1860, had over 50,000 miles of wire connecting most of the country

• Helped with railroad scheduling and instant communication between cities

Samuel F.B. Morse

• Successfully demonstrated the telegraph in 1844

• Transmitted news of James K. Polk's presidential nomination from Baltimore to Washington D.C.

• His telegraph system became the standard for long-distance communication

Pacific Telegraph

• Opened between New York City and San Francisco in 1861

• Had 3,595 miles of wire

• Connected the east and west coasts for instant communication

Richard Hoe

• Invented the steam cylinder rotary press in 1846

• Made it possible to print newspapers quickly and cheaply

• His invention helped transform journalism

Associated Press

• Formed by newspaper publishers in 1846

• Created to share news gathering by telegraph

• Helped newspapers get news from other cities more quickly

Horace Greeley

• Founded and ran the New York Tribune

• His newspaper was one of the major metropolitan papers

• The Tribune had substantial circulation beyond New York City

Corporation

• A business organization that allowed groups to get a charter by paying a fee to the state in the 1830s

• This new business structure made it possible to gather more money and create larger manufacturing companies

Limited Liability

• A system that protected stockholders in corporations from losing more than their initial investment if the business failed

• Before this, stockholders could be responsible for all of a corporation's losses

Interchangeable Parts

• A manufacturing system that used identical, replaceable parts in products

• This system improved the making of watches, clocks, farm tools, and later helped create products like bicycles and sewing machines

Eli Whitney

• Helped introduce the concept of interchangeable parts in gun factories

• His work laid the foundation for this manufacturing method to spread to other industries

Simeon North

• Worked with Eli Whitney to bring interchangeable parts to gun manufacturing

• Helped establish this important manufacturing technique in American factories

Coal

• Replaced wood and water power as fuel for many factories in the mid-1800s

• Production grew from 50,000 tons in 1820 to 14 million tons in 1860, mostly mined near Pittsburgh

• Allowed factories to be built away from rivers since they no longer needed water power

Patents

• Legal protection for new inventions that showed America's technological growth

• The number of patents increased from 544 in 1830 to 4,778 in 1860

Charles Goodyear

• Discovered how to vulcanize rubber in 1839, making it stronger and more elastic

• His process had over 500 uses by 1860 and helped create a major rubber industry in America

Elias Howe

• Built the first sewing machine in 1846

• Worked with Isaac Singer to create the Howe-Singer machine used in making ready-to-wear clothing

Isaac Singer

• Made improvements to Elias Howe's sewing machine

• Helped create the Howe-Singer machine that revolutionized clothing manufacturing

Lowell System

• A factory work system that mainly employed young, unmarried women from farms

• Workers lived in clean company boarding houses, received good wages, and were strictly supervised

• Conditions declined in the 1840s as competition increased

Factory Girls Association

• A union formed by Lowell mill workers in 1834

• Led two unsuccessful strikes against wage cuts and rent increases

• Failed after the 1837 economic recession

Sarah Bagley

• Led the Female Labor Reform Association in 1845

• Fought for a ten-hour workday and better conditions in the mills

• Pushed for state investigation of mill conditions

Female Labor Reform Association

• Created in 1845 by Lowell women workers led by Sarah Bagley

• Demanded shorter working hours and better mill conditions

• Asked state government to investigate factory conditions

National Trades' Union

• Founded in 1834 by delegates from six cities

• One of the first attempts to create a national organization for workers

• Struggled against hostile laws and courts that viewed unions as illegal

Central Park

• Created in 1857 to make New York City as prestigious as London and Paris

• Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux with hills, lakes, paths, and bridges

• Started as a place for wealthy New Yorkers but soon became important to everyone in the city

Antebellum

• The period refers to the time before the Civil War

• During this time, northern cities had small but significant African American populations

• Free African Americans in this period faced severe poverty and could not access many public services available to white residents

Social Mobility

• The ability to move up the economic ladder in society

• Very few workers moved from poverty to wealth, but some could advance to better positions like becoming skilled laborers

• Geographic mobility was more common, with workers moving between industrial towns looking for better opportunities

Oberlin

• Became the first college in America to accept female students in 1837

• Admitted four women despite criticism about coeducation

• Believed that having both men and women students would positively influence education and behavior

Mount Holyoke

• One of the first women's colleges in America

• Founded in Massachusetts in 1837

• Was one of very few higher education options for women before the Civil War

Mary Lyon

• Founded Mount Holyoke college in 1837

• Helped establish one of the earliest opportunities for women's higher education in America

Godey’s Lady Book

• Godey’s Lady’s Book was a popular women’s magazine in the 19th century, especially after Sarah Hale became its editor in 1837.

• The magazine focused on domestic topics like fashion, shopping, and homemaking, avoiding political issues, as Hale believed those were not suitable for women.

Sarah Hale

• Sarah Hale was the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book and played a significant role in shaping women’s literature in the 19th century.

• She emphasized the importance of women’s roles in the home and believed that domestic concerns were more appropriate for women than political matters.

“Cult of domesticity”

• The "cult of domesticity" was a belief that women should focus on home and family, emphasizing their roles as moral guardians and caregivers.

• While it allowed women to enjoy more material comfort, it also isolated them from public life and limited their opportunities outside the home.

Minstrel shows

• Minstrel shows were a form of entertainment where white performers imitated and mocked African American culture.

• These shows became increasingly popular in the 19th century, reflecting the racial attitudes of the time.

P.T. Barnum

• P.T. Barnum was a famous showman known for his extravagant and often bizarre entertainment ventures.

• He opened the American Museum in 1842, which featured a variety of oddities and attractions, and later became well-known for his circus.

American Museum

• The American Museum, opened by P.T. Barnum, was not a traditional museum but a freak show that included various unusual acts and exhibits.

• It attracted large crowds eager to see extraordinary performances and oddities, reflecting the public's fascination with the bizarre.

Lyceums

• Lyceums were venues where people gathered to hear lectures on various topics, including science and social issues.

• They became popular in the 19th century, especially among women seeking knowledge and guidance during a time of social change.

John Deere

• John Deere was an inventor who established a factory in 1847 to produce steel plows, which were more durable than iron plows.

• His innovations helped farmers increase productivity and efficiency in agriculture, particularly in the Midwest.

Cyrus McCormick

• Cyrus McCormick invented the automatic reaper, patented in 1834, which revolutionized grain harvesting by allowing one worker to do the work of five.

• His invention significantly increased agricultural productivity and contributed to the growth of farming in the Midwest.

“Bees”

• "Bees" referred to social gatherings where women came together to work on domestic tasks like quilting or baking.

• These events allowed women to collaborate and socialize while completing household chores, fostering community ties among rural families.

Upper/Lower South

• The Upper South refers to the original southern states along the Atlantic coast

• The Lower South (also called Deep South) was the newer agricultural region in the southwestern states, which became dominant due to cotton production

Wheat

• Farmers in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina started growing wheat when tobacco prices dropped

• This shift happened around the 1830s as farmers moved away from tobacco cultivation

Tobacco

• Was a main crop in the Upper South but had very unstable prices

• Had a long depression period from the 1820s to 1850s, and quickly used up the soil's nutrients

• The center of tobacco farming moved westward to the Piedmont area

Rice

• Grown in South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of Florida

• More stable and profitable than tobacco but required 9 months to grow and lots of irrigation

• Limited to a small area due to its specific growing needs

Sugar

• Grown along the Gulf Coast and was fairly profitable

• Required intense labor and long growing time

• Only wealthy planters could afford to grow it, and it was limited to southern Louisiana and eastern Texas

Long & Short-staple Cotton

• Long-staple (Sea Island) cotton was profitable but could only grow in coastal Southeast regions

• Short-staple cotton was hardier and could grow in many different soils and climates

• Short-staple cotton was harder to process until the cotton gin was invented

Cotton Gin

• Invented in 1793

• Solved the problem of removing seeds from short-staple cotton

• Made processing short-staple cotton much easier

King Cotton

• By 1850s, cotton dominated the Southern economy

• Production grew from 500,000 bales in 1820 to nearly 5 million bales by 1860

• Made up almost two-thirds of US exports and brought in nearly $200 million yearly

Enslaved People

• Large numbers were moved from Upper South to cotton states

• Alabama's enslaved population grew from 41,000 to 435,000 between 1820-1860

• About 410,000 enslaved people were moved to cotton states between 1840-1860

Tredegar Iron Works

• Located in Richmond

• Was one of the best iron mills in the South

• Compared favorably with the best iron mills in the Northeast

Brokers

• Also called "factors," they helped market planters' crops

• Lived in towns like New Orleans, Charleston, Mobile, and Savannah

• Often acted as bankers for planters, providing credit when needed

Antebellum

• Refers to the period before the American Civil War (roughly late 18th century to 1861).

• Known by an economy heavily reliant on slavery and agriculture, especially cotton.

• Social hierarchy was dominated by wealthy plantation owners.

• Deep racial divisions and tensions that later fueled the Civil War.

James B. D. De Bow

• Published De Bow's Review magazine from 1846 to 1880

• Strongly supported Southern economic independence from the North

• His magazine was printed in New York because New Orleans lacked adequate printing facilities

Cavaliers

• How many white Southerners viewed themselves

• Believed they represented traditional values of chivalry, leisure, and elegance

• Saw themselves as different from Northern "Yankees" who were focused on money and growth

Yankees

• Term used by Southerners to describe Northerners

• Viewed by Southerners as being focused on money and acquisition

• Contrasted with the Southern self-image of refinement and grace

Planter Aristocracy

• A small but powerful group of wealthy landowners who owned at least 40-50 enslaved people and 800+ acres

• Controlled the South's political, economic, and social life despite being a small percentage of the population

• Many were actually first-generation settlers who had recently gained their wealth, especially in the Lower South

Honor

• A code of behavior followed by white Southern men

• Required them to defend their reputation, often through dueling

• Involved strict rules about courtesy and respect between white men

• Violations of honor often led to violent responses

Preston Brooks

• A South Carolina congressman who violently beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane

• Did this to defend his relative's honor after feeling insulted

• Became a hero in the South but was seen as savage in the North

Charles Sumner

• A Senator from Massachusetts

• Was beaten by Preston Brooks on the Senate floor

• The incident showed how seriously Southerners took matters of honor

Southern Lady

• White women of wealthy families in the South

• Expected to focus on being wives, mothers, and hostesses

• Had less freedom and education than Northern women

• Were supposed to be "protected" by men but were actually very controlled by them

George Fitzhugh

• An important Southern social theorist in the 1850s

• Believed women only had one right: the right to protection

• Taught that women must obey men in exchange for protection

Yeoman Farmer

• The most common type of white Southerner

• Usually owned their own land but had few or no enslaved people

• Most couldn't produce enough to expand their operations or get out of debt

Subsistence Farming

• Type of farming where families grew just enough food for themselves

• Common among yeoman farmers who didn't participate in market farming

• Produced little or no surplus to sell

Hill People

• Lived in Appalachian mountains and other highland areas

• Practiced subsistence farming and rarely owned enslaved people

• Were isolated from plantation society and often opposed it

• Many remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War

Crackers

• A derogatory term for very poor white Southerners

• Lived in extreme poverty on infertile land

• Often owned no land or couldn't grow crops on their land

• Faced severe health problems from poor nutrition and disease

Harriet Beecher Stowe

• 19th-century American author and abolitionist.

• Wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), a novel exposing the harsh realities of slavery.

• Her book fueled anti-slavery sentiment in the North and angered the South.

"Peculiar Institution"

• Term used by white Southerners to describe slavery

• Meant "distinctive" or "special," not strange

• By the mid-1800s, slavery only existed in the American South and a few other places like Brazil and Cuba

Slave Codes

• Laws that controlled every aspect of enslaved people's lives

• Prohibited enslaved people from:

  • Owning property

  • Leaving without permission

  • Being out after dark

  • Meeting in groups except at church

  • Learning to read or write in some states

• Laws were not always strictly enforced, allowing some enslaved people to do these things anyway

Overseer/"Head Driver"

• Overseers were hired by large plantation owners to manage enslaved workers

• "Head drivers" were trusted enslaved people who worked under overseers as foremen

• Had assistant overseers and subdrivers helping them manage the work

Task/Gang Systems

• Task System:

  • Common in rice farming

  • Enslaved people given specific daily tasks

  • Could be done for the day after completing the assigned work

• Gang System:

  • More common, used on cotton, sugar, and tobacco plantations

  • Workers divided into groups led by drivers

  • Worked as long as overseers thought reasonable

International Slave Trade

• Became illegal in America after 1808

• After the ban, the ratio of African Americans to white Americans declined

• Other places like the Caribbean continued using the slave trade longer

• America became the only country where the enslaved population grew through natural reproduction

"Pidgin"

• A simple, shared language developed by enslaved people who came from different parts of Africa and spoke different languages

• Combined some African words with English to help enslaved people communicate with each other and with white people

• Some features of this early language continued in Black speech for many generations

Paternalism

• A complex relationship between enslaved people and slaveholders were enslaved people became dependent on owners for basic needs like food and shelter

• Served as a tool of control by creating a sense of mutual dependence between enslaved people and slaveholders

• While sometimes harsh and sometimes kind, this relationship helped reduce resistance to slavery even though the system only benefited white people

Romanticism

• A cultural movement in the mid-nineteenth century that focused on liberating the human spirit in literature, philosophy, art, and other areas

• Emphasized individual expression, emotion, and connection with nature rather than strict rules and traditions

Antebellum

• The time period before the Civil War when American culture was developing its own identity

• A period marked by significant literary and artistic growth as Americans tried to create work independent from European influence

Hudson River School

• The first major group of American painters who emerged in New York, including artists like Frederic Church and Thomas Cole

• They painted dramatic landscapes of the Hudson Valley and later the American West to show the power and beauty of untamed nature

Ralph Waldo Emerson

• A leading transcendentalist philosopher and writer from Concord, Massachusetts who left his position as a minister to teach and write

• Wrote influential essays like "Nature" (1836) and "Self-Reliance" (1841) that encouraged people to trust their instincts and connect with nature

Henry David Thoreau

• A transcendentalist writer who lived alone for two years at Walden Pond to experience a simple life in nature

• Wrote "Walden" (1854) about his experiences and believed people should resist society's pressures to conform

Sir Walter Scott

• The most popular novelist in America in the early 1800s

• Wrote historical novels set in England and Scotland that were widely read in both Britain and America

James Fenimore Cooper

• The first major American novelist who wrote over thirty books in three decades

• Most famous for his "Leatherstocking Tales" which told stories about the American frontier and interactions between settlers and Native Americans

"Leatherstocking Tales"

• A series of novels by James Fenimore Cooper including "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826) and "The Deerslayer" (1841)

• Featured stories about frontier life and explored relationships between Native Americans, pioneers, and the wilderness

Walt Whitman

• A poet born in 1819 who worked as a newspaper publisher and teacher before focusing on poetry

• Published "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, writing poems that celebrated democracy, individual freedom, and both physical and spiritual pleasures

Herman Melville

• An American novelist who drew from his experiences as a sailor to write his works

• Wrote "Moby Dick" (1851), which told the story of Captain Ahab's destructive quest to find the white whale that had injured him

Edgar Allan Poe

• A Southern writer who lived a short, unhappy life and died in 1849 at age forty

• Wrote dark, emotional stories and poems including "The Raven" (1845), focusing on deeper spiritual and emotional experiences

Transcendentalists

• A group of New England writers and philosophers who believed in the power of individual intuition and emotion over societal rules

• Taught that people should trust their inner feelings and natural instincts rather than just learned knowledge

"Self-Reliance"

• An important essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1841

• Argued that people should trust their own thoughts and instincts, stating "nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind"

"The American Scholar"

• A famous 1837 lecture by Emerson that promoted American cultural independence

• Declared that America was ready to end its dependence on European learning and create its own intellectual traditions

Walden

• Henry David Thoreau's most famous book, published in 1854

• Described his two-year experiment living simply in the woods by Walden Pond and his lessons about life and nature

"Resistance to Civil Government"

• An 1849 essay by Thoreau explaining his refusal to pay taxes to protest slavery

• Introduced the concept of civil disobedience - peacefully refusing to obey unjust laws

Brook Farm

• An experimental community started in 1841 in Massachusetts by George Ripley

• Aimed to create an equal society where everyone shared work and leisure time, but failed after a fire in 1847

New Harmony

• An experimental community founded in Indiana in 1825 by Robert Owen

• Attempted to create a "Village of Cooperation" where everyone worked and lived equally, but failed economically

Margaret Fuller

• A leading transcendentalist and feminist writer who worked closely with Emerson

• Wrote "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" (1844), encouraging women to think independently rather than being led by men

Oneida Community

• Founded in 1848 in New York by John Humphrey Noyes

• Created a society that rejected traditional marriage and family structures, with all members considered "married" to each other

Shakers

• A religious group founded by "Mother" Ann Lee in the 1770s that grew significantly in the 1840s

• Known for their commitment to celibacy, belief in gender equality, and communal lifestyle

Mormonism

• A religious movement founded by Joseph Smith who published the Book of Mormon in 1830

• Claimed to have found golden tablets containing the history of an ancient American civilization

Joseph Smith

• The founder of Mormonism who published the Book of Mormon in 1830

• Led the Mormon community until his death in 1844 when he was killed by an angry mob in Illinois

Brigham Young

• Succeeded Joseph Smith as leader of the Mormon church

• Led 12,000 Mormons across the desert to establish Salt Lake City, Utah, where they could practice their religion freely

Second Great Awakening

• A powerful Protestant revival movement in the early 1800s that evolved into a force for social reform

• Promoted the optimistic belief that every individual could achieve salvation through their own efforts

Charles Grandison Finney

• Most influential revival leader of the 1820s and 1830s who was an evangelistic Presbyterian minister

• Taught that each person had the ability to experience spiritual rebirth, rejecting traditional Calvinist ideas about predestination

"Burned-over district"

• Region in upstate New York along the Erie Canal known for frequent religious revivals

• Area experienced major economic changes due to canal construction, leading to social transformation

Temperance

• A reform movement against excessive alcohol consumption in America

• Gained strength because alcohol abuse was causing serious problems including poverty, crime, and family difficulties

American Society for the Promotion of Temperance

• Founded in 1826 as a coordinating agency for various temperance groups

• Used revival-style techniques to promote abstinence from alcohol

Cholera

• A severe bacterial infection of the intestines that caused devastating epidemics in the 1830s and 1840s

• Killed thousands, with less than half of infected people surviving due to lack of antibiotics

Sylvester Graham

• A Presbyterian minister and reformer who promoted a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread

• Warned against the evils of excess and luxury in eating habits

Phrenology

• A popular but scientifically invalid theory that claimed the shape of a person's skull indicated their character and intelligence

• Promoted by Orson and Lorenzo Fowler through their Phrenology Almanac in the 1830s

Edward Jenner

• An English physician who developed vaccination against smallpox in the eighteenth century

• His achievement came from adapting folk practices rather than from any broad theory of infection

William Morton

• A New England dentist who pioneered the use of anesthetics

• Started experimenting with sulphuric ether in 1844 for dental procedures

Contagion

• The discovery that diseases could spread from person to person

• First proven by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1843 through his study of puerperal fever

Horace Mann

• First secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education (established 1837)

• Reformed education by lengthening school years, increasing teacher salaries, and improving teaching methods

Tax-supported schools

• By the 1850s, all states had accepted the principle of tax-funded elementary schools

• Led to increased literacy rates, though quality varied widely between regions

"Asylums"

• New institutions created in the 1820s to house and reform criminals and mentally ill people

• Designed to rehabilitate inmates through strict discipline and structured environments

Dorothea Dix

• Social reformer who led a national movement for better treatment of mentally ill people

• Helped establish new methods and facilities for treating mental illness

Reservation

• A new approach to Native American policy in the 1840s and 1850s

• Intended to isolate Native Americans from white society while supposedly teaching them "civilization"

Feminism

• Emerged from women's involvement in various reform movements

• Focused on achieving equal rights and opportunities for women in society

Sarah & Angelina Grimké

• Sisters from South Carolina who became outspoken abolitionists

• Argued that men and women were created equal and should have equal rights

Lucretia Mott

• A key leader in early feminist movement

• Helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention after experiencing discrimination at an antislavery convention

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

• Major figure in women's rights movement

• Worked with other reformers to organize the Seneca Falls Convention

Susan B. Anthony

• Important women's rights activist

• Worked with Stanton and others to advocate for women's equality

Seneca Falls Convention

• 1848 meeting in New York to discuss women's rights

• Produced the "Declaration of Sentiments" demanding equal rights for women

"Declaration of Sentiments"

• Document created at the Seneca Falls Convention

• Modeled after Declaration of Independence, stating "all men and women are created equal"

Quakers

• Religious group that supported gender equality and allowed women to be preachers and leaders

• Many leading women's rights activists came from Quaker backgrounds

Elizabeth Blackwell

• A woman born in England who became a well-known physician in America

• One of the first women to break through social barriers in the medical field

Emma Willard

• Founded the Troy Female Seminary in 1821

• Worked to advance women's education in America

Catharine Beecher

• Founded the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823

• Dedicated her work to improving women's education

"Bloomer"

• A style of dress in the 1850s that combined a short skirt with full-length pantalettes

• Named after Amelia Bloomer and first introduced by actress Fanny Kemble, but later abandoned due to controversy

American Colonization Society (ACS)

• Founded in 1817 by prominent white Virginians to send freed slaves back to Africa

• Proposed gradually freeing slaves and helping them establish a new society elsewhere

Liberia

• A nation established in 1830 on the west coast of Africa by freed American slaves

• Became an independent republic in 1846, with its capital Monrovia named after the American president

William Lloyd Garrison

• Founded the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator in 1831

• Demanded immediate and complete abolition of slavery, rejecting gradual approaches

Liberator

• Weekly anti-slavery newspaper started by William Lloyd Garrison in Boston in 1831

• Most early subscribers were free African Americans

New England/American Anti-Slavery Societies

• Founded by Garrison in 1832 (New England) and 1833 (American)

• Grew to 1,350 chapters with over 250,000 members by 1838

David Walker

• Free African American from Boston who wrote Walker's Appeal in 1829

• Wrote passionately that America belonged to Black people who had enriched it with their blood and tears

Sojourner Truth

• A freed Black woman who became a powerful speaker against slavery

• Started her activism after being involved in a religious group in upstate New York

Frederick Douglass

• Born into slavery in Maryland, escaped to Massachusetts in 1838

• Became a powerful orator and wrote an influential autobiography about his life as a slave

North Star

• Anti-slavery newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York in 1847

• Started after Douglass purchased his own freedom

Elijah Lovejoy

• Editor of an anti-slavery newspaper in Alton, Illinois

• Killed by a mob in 1837 while defending his printing press after previous attacks

Underground Railroad

• A network that helped runaway slaves find refuge in the North or Canada

• Not as highly organized as the name suggests, but helped many escape slavery

Prigg v. Pennsylvania

• 1842 Supreme Court case that ruled states did not have to help enforce the 1793 fugitive slave law

• Led to Northern states passing personal liberty laws

"Personal liberty laws"

• Laws passed by Northern states after the Prigg v. Pennsylvania decision

• Forbade state officials from helping capture and return runaway slaves

Liberty Party

• Formed in 1840 as an anti-slavery political party

• Chose James G. Birney as its presidential candidate

James G. Birney

• Kentucky anti-slavery leader who ran for president as the Liberty Party candidate

• Campaigned on a "free soil" platform rather than complete abolition

"Free soil"

• Political position focused on keeping slavery out of Western territories

• Different from abolition as it didn't necessarily oppose existing slavery

Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, first published as a serial in 1851-1852

• Created one of the most influential anti-slavery works in American history

Uncle Tom's Cabin

• Novel that became a powerful anti-slavery document, selling over 300,000 copies in its first year

• Combined emotional storytelling with anti-slavery messages to reach a wide audience