The Politics of Social
Reform
Two parties developed Early


C
Whigs used government to improve individual
morality and discipline


th
19
Prostitution, temperance, public education, asylums
and penitentiaries
Democrats felt morality through legislation was
anti-republican
Social reform provoked angry differences
between the two parties
Public Schools


Common school
movement
Normal Schools


Female teachers
Party differences about
organization of schools


Whigs want state-level
centralization
Democrats preferred local
school districts
Ethnicity, Religion, and the
Schools

Issues for many Irish Catholic immigrant
children
Offensive texts and Bibles used in schools
 Some parents refused to send children to school
 State subsidy for Parish schools



Foreign language schools for bilingual
instruction created
State-supported church-run charity schools
Prisons

State governments built and supported institutions
for orphans, dependent poor, insane, and criminals
Market Revolution increased visibility of these groups
and cut them off from family resources
 Reformers assert these groups exist because of bad
family situation


Both political parties favored state-support for
criminals and dependents
Whigs favored rehabilitation
 Democrats favored isolation and punishment


“Auburn system”
Asylums
Dorothea Dix
 By 1860: legislatures
of 28 out of 33 states
established state-run
insane asylums
 Few Democrats
supported insane
asylums

The South and Social Reform


Social reform “expensive and
wrong-headed”
Southern schools




Locally controlled
Limited curriculum
Temperance succeeds for
individuals, but no state level
prohibition
Southern resistance to social
reforms


Doomed to failure because of
human imperfection
Seen as self-righteous imposition of
Northeasterners


American Temperance
Society (1826)
Lyman Beecher


Six Sermons on the Nature,
Occasions, Signs, Evils, and
Remedy of Intemperance
(1826)
Temperance becomes
badge of middle class
respectability
Ardent Spirits



Military ends traditional liquor ration 1832
Congressional Temperance Society 1833
Alcohol consumption cut in half by 1840

3.9 – 1.9 gallon year
The Origins of Prohibition

Mid-1830s:

Whigs made Temperance a
political issue
“Fifteen-Gallon Law”
in Massachusetts 1833
 Democrats: Forced
temperance violates
Republican liberty
 Alcohol becomes
defining political
difference for many

Ethnicity and Alcohol
1840s-1850s: millions of Irish and German
immigrants
 Germans: lager beers, old-country beer halls
 Irish: whiskey, bars

 Legitimized
violence

levels of male drunkenness and
Nativism and temperance politics merge in
the 1850s at expense of Democrats
The Politics of Race
Traditional view: God gave white males
power over others
 Whig evangelicals

 Marriage
changes from domination to
sentimental partnership
 Emergence of a radical minority envisioning a
world without power
 Attacked slavery and patriarchy as national sin
Free Blacks

North: states began to abolish slavery
 Revolutionary
idealism
 Slavery was inefficient and unnecessary
Gradual emancipation (Pennsylvania
model)
 Free black populations grew and moved
into the cities
 Many took stable, low-paying jobs

Discrimination

Discrimination rises
White workers drive blacks out of skilled and
semi-skilled jobs
 Blacks increasingly politically disenfranchised
 Segregated schools


Blacks build their own institutions


African Methodist Episcopal Church (1816)
Black Anti-slavery activism
David Walker: Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the
World (1829)
 Harriet Tubman
 Frederick Douglass

Abolitionists

William Lloyd Garrison




The Liberator (1831)
American Anti-Slavery
Society (1833)
Abolition a logical extension
of middle class
evangelicalism
American Anti-slavery
Society demands:


Immediate emancipation
Full civil and legal rights for
African-Americans
Agitation

Abolitionists minority of Evangelicals
Beecher - end of slavery will come with
conversion of masters
 Logical end of antislavery is civil war




“Postal Campaign”
Petition campaign
Jackson administration response
Censor mail
 Right to petition abridged

Lydia Maria Child was a
leading voice in the antislavery movement as well as a
champion of women’s
Lucretia Coffin Mott
sheltered runaway slaves and
became one of the early
leaders of the women’s rights
movement
Women’s Rights



Women’s role as missionaries to
their family make them public
reformers
Antislavery movement leads women
to advocate for equal rights
State legislative changes in favor of
women


Married Woman’s Property Act (New
York 1860)
Women’s Rights Convention, Seneca
Falls, NY (1848)


Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions
Female participation in politics
Conclusion
1830s: most citizens firmly identified with
one of the two parties: Whig or Democrat
 Whigs: embraced commerce and activist
government
 Democrats: localistic and culturally
conservative

James Clavell’s The Children’s Story
Critical Thinking Assignment



What is this story about and why does it matter?
Author of fiction James Clavell wrote this short
manuscript to explore social and political issues.
Write A 1500 word paper (+/- 10%) describing
what you believe to be the most important issue or
issues raised in the piece and whether these same
issues have been seen in one or more occasion of
American history in both, national and international
relations.
Due Thursday 3rd December
Manifest
Destiny
John L. O’Sullivan


Democrat Journalist
New York City
“our manifest destiny to overspread
and to posses the whole of the
continent which Providence has
given us for the development of
the great experiment of liberty and
federated self-government
entrusted to us”
 1840s Growth became
watchword of America
 Land acquired through
annexation, negotiation,
and war
Relentless pressure on limits of
Indian settlements
 1850 Native American population
 > ½ Million
 Appeal of West as source of
expansion

Oregon and California were especially
attractive
 Travelled through America, Mexico and
Britain
 Missions and presidios in California

Overland Trails






Mormon migration
to Utah, 1847
New York – Ohio –
Illinois
15,000 people in
Nauvoo
Joseph Smith
Polygamy
June 1844 mob killed
him in jail







New leader Brigham
Young
Led group to Salt Lake
“This is the right place”
July 24, 1847
At time Mexican territory
Territorial governor 1850
-57
Uneasy peace with DC
Texas
 1824
the Mexican government begins
to encourage American settlement in
Texas
 American slave holders conflict with
Mexican authorities (slavery would be
abolished in 1829)
 Mexico bans immigration in 1830
1834 President Antonio López de Santa
Anna
 passes a series of laws that restrict powers
of regional governments
 Many locals rebelled
 In Texas Stephen Austin and other
Americans become determined to push for
Independence from Mexico

Sam Houston becomes leader of American Forces





Initially success for
Santa Anna’s forces
The Alamo
Golliad
Texans regroup
Deal crushing blow to
Santa Ana at San
Jacinto on April 21,
1836



To join the US or Not?
Originally the idea was popular in Texas
Texas begins to form ties with Europe
Britain interested
 access to the cotton and other trade items
 Hope to persuade Texans to become pro-abolition




Santa Anna threatens war with USA if Annexation
occurs
Conflict over the position of slavery in Texas leads
to uncertainty
1838 the idea is rejected
 Election
of 1844 in USA
 James Polk elected Pro annexation
 result was a mandate for territorial
expansion
 By February of 1846 Texas was
officially part of USA
 Texas was added as a slave state due
to the Missouri compromise
Missouri Compromise
 1819
Missouri appealed for statehood
 Missouri was a slave state
 If added to the US this would upset the
balance of slave and free states
 Questions arose about the roles of the
Federal government making laws for
the States
The Solution
1) Missouri admitted as a slave state
along with
the addition of Maine as a free state
2) Territory north of 36´ 30º free
forever
All looked good
 until …….
 Missouri adopted a STATE constitution
that disallowed free African Americans
from entering state
 Congress passed a law that Missouri
could never deny any citizen of other
states their rights under the FEDERAL
constitution

A
situation had arisen within the
debate over the Missouri
compromise whereby
 The North expressed its political
and moral opposition to slavery
 The South had defended and
promoted the “peculiar institution”
that was slavery
Meanwhile back in Texas…..
Mexico considered annexation of Texas
a hostile act
America was unable to get money from
Mexico to pay the damage claims that
American Texans had
dispute over the southern boundary of
Texas
 Mexico wanted the old border Nunces
 USA wanted the Rio Grande

At the same time Americans were
pushing into California
 In 1843 Mexico had ordered the
expulsion of Americans from California

US president Polk sent Slidell to Mexico
to negotiate
 the offer was
 US government would assume damage
claims in return for Mexican acceptance
of lower border line
 Offer of $5 Million for New Mexico
 Offer of $20 Million for California

Mexico refused to negotiate USAinDeclares
on May
12, 1846
part duewar
to the
political
upheavals in Mexico
Kearny
Taylor
Scott
New Mexico and California
Northern Mexico Landed at Vera Cruz - fought
Marched to California along
his way to Mexico city
defeats
Santa Fe Trail and met
up Santa Anna at Buena
Forced Peace treaty on
with Freemont and the Vista
Bear
Mexicans
Flag Republic soldiers
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
February 1848
 Mexico cedes New Mexico and
California
 Mexico recognizes Rio Grande
boundary
 USA pays Mexico $15 Million
 USA assumes America damage claims

Sectional Crisis
Slavery in the New Territories
From the south
Congress has no right to exclude slavery in new
territories
From the North
Congress has the right to make laws for the
new territories
Moderate view proposes
“Squatter Sovereignty” later known as
“Popular Sovereignty”
1850 Compromise




Senator Henry Clay
Attempted to introduce a bill that would
settle the question over slavery in the new
territories
The collection of issues he wished to
introduced became known as the Omnibus
Bill
He died without getting it passed
Stephen A Douglas took on the compromise legislation
and after separating it he got it passed





CA admitted as a free state
NM & Utah admitted with
no reference to slavery
Texas debt assumed and
boundary restricted
Slave trade but not slavery
banned in DC
New slave fugitive law
passed
 The
disputes of the 1840s
 Over the role that slavery would play
in the development of the USA
 Would transform the abstract idea
of secession
 into a real possibility
 to
some appeared necessary
 to others unavoidable
Fugitive Slave Law
Constitution provided for return of escaped
slaves
 Antislavery movement hampered state
compliance after the 1830s



Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842) enforcement a federal
responsibility
Northern states passed


personal liberty laws
to prevent recapture of fugitive slaves
 Northerners


who did not necessarily
oppose slavery opposed return of
fugitives
Southerners saw return as matter of
honor and rights
Law created extensive system for
capturing and returning runaways


Abolitionists vowed to resist
Even non-abolitionists were shocked at
reality of enforcing the law





Horror stories of capture
1854
Federal marshals arrest Anthony Burns in Boston
Abolitionists poured into Boston
A number attacked the federal court house




Deputy killed
Eventually 200 marines and soldiers escorted
While abolitionists held the American flag upside
down
Signifying loss of liberty in the cradle of the
revolution






Second case
Margret Garner
Escaped from Kentucky to Ohio with her children
Rather than return herself and children she attempted to
cut throats
Succeeded only with three year old daughter
Toni Morrison “Beloved”

Led to writing of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
in 1851
 Harriet Beecher
Stowe
 published in 1852
 Runaway bestseller
 Helped shape an
entire generation’s
view of slavery
 Break
up of families
 Wide but hostile
readership in South
 Dozens of pro
slavery novels
produced
little
 “The
impact
book that
started a war”


1853 saw another land purchase by the US
The Gadsden Land purchase

In part as a possible cross country railroad path
 Stephen
A Douglas
 Pushing for a northern route west
from Chicago
 January 1854, introduced a Bill that
became known as the
 Kansas-Nebraska Act
 A railroad bill that turned into much
more
In order to get his bill passed he needed broad
support including southern congressmen
“All questions pertaining to slavery in the Territories, and in
the new States to be formed therefrom are to be left to the
the people residing therein, through their appropriate
representatives”



He also put in a clause repealing the Missouri
compromise
Once more this was there to draw southerners to
vote for his plan
However, he underestimated the feelings over the
issue of slavery
 It
was assumed, correctly, that
Nebraska would go to the
abolitionists
 Kansas however, was less certain
 It was next to a slave state in
Missouri
 For many the campaign for Kansas
was a precursor for the civil war
Bleeding Kansas
In order to ensure that the “right” decision
would be made supporters from both the
 Pro slavery and
 Anti slavery groups began to move into
Kansas



Anti Slavery William
H. Seward
“Since there is no
escaping your
challenge, I accept it in
behalf of the cause of
freedom. We will
engage in competition
for the virgin soil of
Kansas, God give
victory to the side
which is stronger in
numbers as it is in
right”



Pro slavery Senator
David Atchison
“We are playing for a
mighty stake”
“If we win in we carry
slavery to the Pacific
ocean; if we fail we
lose Missouri,
Arkansas, Texas and
all the territories; the
game must be played
boldly”

Struggle for control of Kansas became
intense after 1854
Border ruffians from Missouri crossed into
Kansas to vote illegally for slave government
 Majority favored free soil and opposed slavery


Kansas became the leading issue in politics


Two competing legislatures by 1856
Dispute led to caning of Senator Charles
Sumner
Lawrence





May 1856
Pro slavery group attacks Lawrence
Newspaper offices destroyed
Abolitionist Governors house burned
Free State Hotel Destroyed
Pottawatomie Creek



Radical abolitionist John Brown
led his 4 sons and 3 other men
to Pottawatomie Creek
Dragged 5 pro slavery men
from their homes
Hacked them to death in front
of their families
End
1856 250 dead and $2
million in property damage