Chapter 1 Outline
Summary:
Chapter 1 goes in to explain the background of how the Native Americans lived in the
land which was known as the New World. Descriptions of how the natives lived in
places such as the Mississippi River Valley to the ones in the Eastern North America
were discussed. Domesticity roles of the Native Americans were discussed to give a
comparison to the European roles of domesticity. This goes further to see how the
Europeans thought of native societies. Comparisons between Christian and native
freedoms were included in the explanations of the societies.
Furthermore, the Portuguese journeys around Africa were discussed along with trade
in the Far East. and slavery in Africa This gives the background to why and how
Christopher Columbus reached the New World. Later, the Columbus expeditions and,
subsequently, the expeditions of the conquistadors in the Spanish New World. The
system of government and the how the Spanish ruled their New World colonies were
also discussed and how the Native Americans dealt with the Spanish mission system
and their rule (the Pueblo Revolt and Las Casa’s Complaint). The subsequent reforms of
the Spanish Empire were discussed along with the some of the further Spanish
settlement in North America, especially near and in Florida. The French colonizations,
resulting from expeditions of explorers such as Jacques Cartier, were detailed where
they settled in New France. Native American relations and French relations were cited
among the life in New France. This was described in contrast to Dutch settlement in
New Netherland which was part of the expanding Dutch Empire. Ways of Dutch
settlement in New Netherland, such as their freedoms of women and property were
discussed. Subsequent Native American and Dutch relations involving the land in what
is today New York was discussed.
Key Terms:
Cahokia- a Mississippi River Valley city that was inhabited by the mound builders
around 3,500 years ago
reconquista- when Spain was fully under control under the kingdoms of Aragon and
Castile from the Moors in 1492
peninsulares- the small minority in the Spanish colonial social class that represented the
extremely rich landowners
mestizos- people of mixed origin that composed of the large proportion of the urban
population in New Spain
Huguenots- French Protestants who faced persecution in their own country which lead
to their migration to the New World
wampum- a string of beads used by the natives as currency and a component for their
religious ceremonies
Important Quotes:
“Indian identity centered on the intermediate social group-a tribe, village, chiefdom, or
confederacy.” (13)
“Families “owned” the right to use the land, but they did not own the land itself.” (14)
“They [the Spanish] had immense confidence in the superiority of their own cultures to
those they encountered in America.” (30-31)
“In the eighteenth century, colonial authorities adopted a more tolerant attitude toward
traditional religious practices and made fewer demands on Indian labor.” (40)
“The French prided themselves on adopting a more humane policy than their imperial
rivals.” (41)
“The Dutch prided themselves on their devotion to liberty. Indeed, in the early
seventeenth century they enjoyed two freedoms not recognized elsewhere in Europefreedom of the press and broad religious toleration.” (45)
Thesis:
Although the Dutch, French, and Spanish brought commerce, religion, and new type of
society to the Indians, they suffered under the hands of the Europeans due to diseases
brought by them (smallpox), widespread brutality both individually and as a
community, and disrupted their communal society due to the implementation of the
more self oriented European society.
Chapter One
Summary
Chapter one begins with the summary of Native American culture and lifestyle
in the America’s, focusing mainly on pre European influence. Native Americans had
different life styles form that of the European conquerors. One of the main difference in
there societies where gender roles as women in European cutler where forced into the
cult of domesticity as they where made to keep in charge of the household, by cooking,
cleaning, and raising children. Men in European culture would have a profession like
farming and would bring home money and food for their family. Native American
cutler was different as women where grated more rights like the ability to farm and
become a tribal elders while men took care of the hunting, something seen as leisurely
inEuropean culture. The view from the Europeans came to be that Native America men
mistreated their women by forcing them to farm while they hunted, but in reality
women where much more free in Native American culture.
To make matters worse Native Americans held a different belief about freedom
than the European settlers. To Native American’s freedom hinged on the idea that they
could live in nature and appreciate its virtues and bounty. To European settlers their
freedom was derived from their ability to use the land around them for a profit and to
worship the god of their choice while spreading their belief onto other that did not
share them. These social differences led to the eventual warring and massacres that
would mare the United States and the colonies for centuries to come.
Chapter one also focuses on the European exploration and colonization that led
to the founding of the colonies. Men like Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes
traversed the Atlantic Ocean in and found the New World. Hernan Cortes discovered
and overthrow the Aztec Empire, and Christopher Columbus landed at a small Island
in the Bahamas, and was the first European explorer to find the continent since the
Vikings made settlements in norther Canada. After these men found the America’s
European power took over areas of them. Spain and Portugal split up South and
Central America. The Spanish also controlled modern day Florida and the west cost of
Modern day America. France took most of Canada and the midwest of America.
England made several settlement along the east cost like Jamestown and Plymouth
(eventually incorporated). The Netherlands made settlements in what is now New York
city with the help of Henry Hudson. These colonies and settlements where the start of
what would become the North and South America we see today. The history of how
these cultures where built and founded can not be overlooked when diving into the
history of the United States.
Terms
Edict of Nantes: extended religious tolerance to Protestants in 1685
Mestizos: a person who was part native and part Spaniard
Francisco Pizarro: took over Incan kingdom
Hernan Cortes: overthrew Aztec empire
Tenochtitlan: The capitol of the ancient Aztec Empire, located in modern day Mexico
City
The Great League of Peace: a league of six Native American Nations also know as the
Iroquois Confederacy that presided in the New York area of now a day America
Quotes
“it seamed to Adam Smith that the “discovery” of America had produced both great
“benefits” and “misfortunes’”
“The discovery of America was one of the two greatest and most important events
recorded in the history of mankind” -Adam Smith
“The residents of America where no more a single group than Europeans or Africans.
They spoke hundreds of different languages and lived in numerous kinds of societies”
“Indians had no sense of “America” as a continent or hemisphere. They did not think of
themselves as a single unified people, and idea invented by Europeans and only many
years later adopted by Indians themselves.”
“Many Europeans saw Indians as embodying freedom.”
Main Idea
Native America culture was unique and very different from European culture, and
these differences allowed European powers to justify taking their land and enslaving
their people.
CHAPTER 2
Summary: England wanted to colonize the New World in order to compete with
countries like Spain and France which were establishing colonies there. They were also
trying to prevent the spread of Spanish Catholicism and spread Protestantism. America
was thought to be a land of opportunity because people could work for themselves and
work on the fertile American soil instead of staying in English cities where it was
starting to become overcrowded and half of the population was living under the
poverty line.
Many people came over as indentured servants which were people who agreed
to basically be slaves temporarily if someone paid for their passage to America. The
settlement of Jamestown, Virginia struggled in the beginning with a high death rate and
no thought for a long term plan there. Thanks to James Smith, the colony survived
because of his strict leadership. Virginia later had trouble with the natives in during the
Uprising of 1622 but the settlers showed the supremacy in the War of 1644 where the
locals of the area were forced to surrender and were made to live on reservations.
Virginia also made its profits from the cash crop of tobacco.
Puritans came over to America in order to worship how they wanted. They
wanted “moral” liberty which meant that they had the freedom “to that only which is
good.” Pilgrims were the first Puritans to come to America and they signed the
“Mayflower Compact”, which was the first frame of government in the U.S., right
before they arrived in Plymouth. These people helped turn the area into Massachusetts.
There was disagreement however and this led to the founding of Rhode Island by
Roger Williams and Connecticut by Thomas Hooker. Meanwhile, the English Civil War
brought debates of freedom in England as well as the colonies.
Key Terms Defined:
Mayflower Compact-Signed in 1620 aboard the Mayflower before the Pilgrims landed in
Plymouth, the document committed the group to a majority-rule government.
Great Migration-The name for the large emigration of people from England to
Massachusetts between 1629 and 1642.
Uprising of 1622-An attack done by Native Americans led by Opechancanough which
killed ¼ of the settlers in Virginia in a single day.
Half-Way Covenant-A decision by the Puritans which allowed the grandchildren of those
who came over during the Great Migration to have a “half-way” membership
Indentured Servant-Settler who signed on for a temporary period of servitude to a master
in exchange for passage to the New World
Important quotes:
“But by going to the war, declared Governor Francis Wyatt, the Indians had forfeited
any claim to the land.” (p.65)
“Its animals were supposedly so abundant and its climate and soil so favorable that
colonists could enrich the mother country and themselves by providing English
consumers with goods now supplied by foreigners and opening a new market for
English products.” (p.58)
“Like slaves, servants could be bought and sold, could not marry without the
permission of their owner, were subject to physical punishment, and saw their
obligation to labor enforced by the courts.” (p.60)
“Of the 120,000 English immigrants who entered the Chesapeake region during the
seventeenth century, three-quarters came as servants.” (p.67)
“By 1600, the traditional definition of ‘liberties’ as a set of privileges confined to one or
another social group still persisted, but alongside it had arisen the idea that certain
‘rights of Englishmen’ applied to all within the kingdom.” (p.84)
Main Idea/Thesis: Although the settling of North America brought freedom to the
groups like the Puritans and economic prosperity for many, it came at the cost of
freedom for groups like the Native Americans and indentured servants as well as
helping create the debate of what freedom really was.
Chapter 2 is called "Beginnings of English America, 1607-1660". This chapter is about
the migration of the English and the Irish and New England. This chapter talks about
religion, division of the New Englanders, and Settling the Chesapeake. Religion talks
about the rising of Puritanism. Many people had come to the New World by being
indentured servants. This chapter is mostly about the settling and the development of
religions, different social groups, and the Transformation of Indian life.
Key Terms:
Indentured Servants: a labor system where people paid for their passage to the New
World by working for an employer for a certain number of years.
Protestantism: One of the three major forces for Christianity
Puritans: A group of English Reformed Protestants who sought to purify the Church of
England from all Roman Catholic practices
Tobacco Colonies: Helped for the income and riches for the New World
Crisis in Maryland: In early 1861, Maryland was walking a tightrope between the Union
and the Confederacy. In addition to being physically between the two sides, Maryland
depended equally on the North an South for its' economy.
Important Quotes:
"But bringing freedom to Indians was hardly the only argument Hakluyt marshaled as
England prepared to step onto the world stage." (57)
"Jamestown lay beside a swamp containing malaria carrying mosquitoes, and the
garbage settlers dumped into the local river bred germs that caused dysentery and
typhoid fever." (63)
"Despite harsh conditions of work in the tobacco fields, a persistently high death rate,
and laws mandating punishments from whipping to an extension of service for those
who ran away or were unruly, the abundance of land continued to attract migrants."
(67)
"In the colonies as in England, a married woman possessed certain rights before the
law, including a clam to 'dower rights' of one-third of her husband's property in the
event that he died before she did." (67)
"Puritans announced that they intended to bring Christian faith to the Indians, but they
did nothing in the first two decades of settlement to accomplish this. They generally
saw Indian as an obstacle to be pushed aside, rather than as potential converts." (81)
CHAPTER 3
Summary:
• When new settlers moved to North America, their main goal was to gained the
freedom they could not have in England. Colonists were attracted by the idea of
having more land and liberty for the cost of a passage to the New World. Some
British settlers called America the “best poor man’s country,” meaning that
anyone from any background could come to the New World and find freedom
and prosperity. Many master-less men, or unemployed wanders, came to the
New World for a new start.
• During the eighteenth century, British settlers developed a strong attachment to
slavery in the colonies. They strongly believed that their prosperity was due to
the slaves in the New World. Their opinion was, that without the large amount
•
•
•
•
of slave labor, the production rates would never have reached what they were at.
Although it is true that they could not have had such high production rates
without the slaves, these men believed that their prosperity was not solely
because of the slaves.
Land was the main selling point for new settlers to come to America. The tempting
idea to own fifty acres of your own land for the price of your passage to the New
World was overwhelming. Farming was the biggest market for Englishmen at
the time. Tobacco was selling at immense rates, and farmers were making quite
the profit. The amount of land one had said a lot about their social ranking in
early American history. If one lacked land, they were not considered not as
important or wealthy. If one owned lots of land, they were of high social ranking
and taken very seriously in society.
In the farming colonies, most work revolved around the home. A common saying in a
colony was, “He that hath an industrious family shall soon be rich.” The
independence of a farmer depended on the amount of labor that the dependent
woman and child did. As the death rate and population grew, the lengths of
marriage began to grow longer. The society revolved on male dominance and
female submission, much like every other colony in America. As the colony
grew, opportunities quickly receded. Women, who were banned from becoming
attorneys, disappeared from all judicial activities. Women and men both worked
on the land due to the lack of labor in the colony. A woman's work was
stereotypical: cleaning, cooking, making butter, sewing, and sometimes, helping
with agricultural chores. A constant reminder women received was, “A woman’s
work was never done.”
By the eighteenth century, Indian lifestyle had changed drastically. Most of Indian
land had been taken or sold to English settlers. Tribes that had existed for
hundreds of years had diminished. New tribes had formed from the remnants of
old ones. Indian cultures had changed immensely from what they were when
English settlers arrived in America. English believed that they could take from
the Indians because they were inferior to them. Many English took over
civilizations because they believed they were doing a favor to the Indians. Wars
had broken out between tribes and the colonists, usually over land. This and
disease were the main causes of death for the Indian tribes.
Witchcraft had been known since the beginning of the seventeenth century, but
heightened near the end due to the overwhelming crises happening around
Salem. 1692 was the year when almost all the executions played out. Witches
were the scapegoats at the time since many English settlers had no one else to
blame. When women were accused of witchcraft, the only way to escape
persecution was to either admit to sorcery or name another witch. Because of this
rule, many women named any woman they could to save their own life, creating
a domino effect of executions. Thousands died, most were innocent. The
governor of Massachusetts recognized their was an issue at hand, and dissolved
the court and ordered the prison to release all accused of witchcraft. After this,
there was only a two cases of witchcraft and both were found not guilty.
• William Penn and the Puritans both saw their colonies as a “holy experiment,”
meaning, those who looked to escape religious persecution could experiment
their new lives in America, practicing the religion of their choice. However,
Puritans were only allowed to practice their religion, whereas in the Quaker
colony, one could have full religious freedom. The goal of the Quaker colony was
to offer full religious freedom, and to condemn anyone who tried to enforce
“religious uniformity.” Penn claimed his colony “a free colony for all mankind
that should go hither.” William Penn also believed that Indians and new
colonists should coexist in full harmony, contrary to Puritan beliefs.
Key Terms:
1. King Phillips War: Beginning in 1675, an uprising against white colonists by Indians.
A multi-year conflict, the end result was broadened freedoms for white New
Englanders and the dispossession of the region's Indians.
2. Navigation Acts: Passed by the English Parliament to control colonial trade and
bolster the mercantile system, 1650-1775; enforcement of the acts led to growing
resentment by colonists.
3. Bacon's Rebellion: Unsuccessful 1676 revolt led by planter Nathaniel Bacon against
Virginia governor William Berkeley's administration because of governmental
corruption and because Berkeley had failed to protect settlers from Indian raids and did
not allow them to occupy Indian lands.
4. English Toleration Act: A law of 1690 that allowed all Protestants to worship freely.
5. English Bill of Rights: Enacted in 1689 by Parliament; listed parliamentary powers
such as control over taxation as well as rights of individuals, including trial by jury.
Quotes:
"Others benefited enormously from English rule. The Duke of York and his appointed
governors continued the Dutch practice of awarding immense land grants to favorites,
including 160,000 acres to Robert Livingston and 90,000 to Fredrick Philipse. By 1700,
nearly two million acres of land were owned by only five New York families who
intermarried regularly, exerted considerable political influence, and formed one of
colonial America's most tightly knit landed elites." (Page 98)
"Nonetheless, anti-black stereotypes flourished in seventeenth century England.
Africans were seen as so alien-in color, in religion, in social practices- that they were
'enslavable' in a way that poor Englishmen were not." (Page 102)
"As sugar cultivation intensified, planters turned increasingly to slave labor. By 1660,
the island's population had grown to 40,000, half European and half African. Ten years
later, the slave population had risen to 82,000, concentrated on some 750 sugar
plantations. Meanwhile, the white population stagnated." (Page 104)
"As stability returned after the crises of the late seventeenth century, English North
America experienced and era of remarkable growth. Between 1700 and 1770, crude
backwoods settlements became bustling provincial capitals. Even as epidemics
continued in Indian country, the hazards of disease among colonists diminished,
agricultural settlements pressed westward, and hundreds of thousands of
newcomers arrived from the Old World. Thanks to a high birth rate and continuing
immigration, the population of England's mainland colonies, 265,000 in 1700, grew
nearly tenfold, to over 2.3 million seventy years later." (Page 113)
"People, ideas, and goods flowed back and forth along the Atlantic, knitting together
the empire and its diverse populations - British merchants and consumers, American
colonists, African slaves, and surviving Indians - and creating webs of interdependence
among the European empires. Sugar, tobacco, and other products of the Western
Hemisphere were marketed as far away as eastern Europe. London bankers financed
the slave trade between Africa and Portuguese Brazil. Spain spent it's gold and silver
importing it's goods from other countries." (Page 123)
Chapter 3 Outline
Summary:
From the late 17th century to mid 18th century, the colonies witnessed several
social and political changes. England sought to gain the most profit as possible from the
colonies through mercantilism and the Navigation Act. The Dutch surrendered New
Netherland to the English in 1664, which transformed into a major seaport and military
asset. New Netherland became New York after the duke of York was given complete
power. English rule, however, limited the rights that women and Africans, especially,
obtained under Dutch rule. The Iroquois Confederacy aided and received aid relatively
from the colonists and the French, while they controlled and prospered from the fur
trade. In response to complaints from colonists regarding their rights as Englishmen,
the Charter of Liberties and Privileges emerged from the elected assembly in 1683,
outlined these liberties.
Native American uprisings rose as Carolina, founded by eight proprietors in
1663, began enslaving Native Americans. Pennsylvania was established by William
Penn, a devout Quaker who aimed for the colony to become a place of refuge for
persecuted Quakers in England. Although a considerably ‘free’ atmosphere, Penn often
emphasized moral behavior and beliefs based on Jesus Christ. Chesapeake Planters
looked to the transatlantic slave trade for workers to cultivate tobacco plantations.
Africans were easily distinguished from whites, which supposedly made them eligible
for enslavement and being labeled as savage. The boundary between slavery and
freedom foreshadowed the justification of slavery employed later in America, despite
the minimal number of Africans that remained steady until 1680.
King Philip’s War originated in Native American anger towards white
interference on the land, yet was defeated. Bacon’s rebellion in Virginia stemmed from
colonist discontent with Governor William Berkeley’s corrupt government that
distributed profitable land only to favorites and from Berkeley’s refusal to allow
encroachment upon Native American land. The end result of the rebellion was mainly
the strengthening of the ruling elite, an opening of Native American land and a rise of
slavery. In 1705, the House of Burgesses enforced a slave code that reinforced white
supremacy and further acknowledged African slaves as property. The Glorious
Revolution in England augmented the relationship between Protestantism and freedom
in both the mother country and the colonies. The colonies acted in utter resentment
when James II formed the Dominion of New England made up of Connecticut,
Plymouth, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and East and West Jersey between
1686 and 1688. The dominion was ruled by Sir Edmund Andros, who was later
destroyed, followed by the reinstatement of the colonies’ original separation.
The witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, greatly altered the justice system in the
colony after thousands were executed. Of all the colonies, the separation of church and
state was upheld only by New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Native
Americans often lived separately from whites, but began to rely on European goods.
However, land disputes upset relations. Atlantic commerce led to widespread
circulation of various goods so much that tea became accessible and necessary for all
classes. The ruling elite sought the livelihood of the British aristocracy, and the middle
class reveled in the economic independence that came from land ownership. The view
of freedom during this time period, therefore, centered on the ability to rule over others
and be free from work.
Key Terms:
1. Mercantilist System - According to the system, the government should regulate
economic activity so as to promote national power.
2. Navigation Acts - certained “enumerated” goods - essentially the most valuable
colonial products, such as tobacco and sugar - had to be transported in English
ships and sold initially in English ports, although they could then be re-exported
to foreign markets.
3. Covenant Chain - the imperial ambitions of the English and Indians reinforced
one another.
4. Slave Code - enacted by the House of Burgesses in 1705 that brought together the
scattered legislation of the previous century and adding new provisions that
embedded the principle of white supremacy in the law.
5. Anglicanism - the Church of England.
6. Glorious Revolution - established parliamentary supremacy and secured the
Protestant succession to the throne.
7. Walking Purchase - in 1737; The Lenni Lanape Native Americans agreed to an
arrangement to cede a tract of land bounded by the distance a man could walk in
36 hours. Governor James Logan hired a team of swift runners, who marked out
an area far in excess of what the Native Americans had anticipated.
Important Quotes:
1. “The most important social distinction in the seventeenth-century Chesapeake
was not between black and white but between the white plantation owners who
dominated politics and society and everybody else - small, farmers, indentured
servants, and slaves” (104).
2. “Thanks to a high birthrate and continuing immigration, the population of
England’s mainland colonies, 265,000 in 1700, grew nearly tenfold, to over 2.3
million seventy years later” (113).
3. “The widely publicized image of America as an asylum for those ‘whom bigots
chase from foreign lands,’ in the words of a 1735 poem, was in many ways a
byproduct of Britain’s efforts to attract settlers from non-English areas to its
colonies” (114).
4. “But increasingly, de facto toleration among Protestant denominations
flourished, fueled by the establishment of new churches by immigrants, as well
as new Baptist, Methodist, and other congregations created as a result of the
Great Awakening” (117).
5. “Elites in different regions slowly developed a common lifestyle and sense of
common interests. But rather than thinking of themselves as distinctively
American, they became more and more English - a process historians call
“Anglicanization” (125).
6. “Taking the colonies as a whole, half of the wealth at mid-century was
concentrated in the hands of the richest 10 percent of the population” (127).
7. “But large numbers of colonists enjoyed far greater opportunities for freedom access to the vote, prospects of acquiring land, the right to worship as they
pleased, and an escape from oppressive government - than existed in Europe”
(130).
Main Idea/Thesis: From roughly 1660-1750, America witnessed dramatic changes that
contributed to its future as an asylum for mankind as well as to the definition of true
freedom amidst the establishment of an institution that barred Africans from barely any
freedom.
Chapter 4
Summary
This chapter discussed slavery in the different parts of colonial America up to
1763. The Chesapeake system was based on tobacco. The Northern system was not
based on any one staple crop. There, slaves worked on small family farms to some
degree but also worked in urban occupations. The colonial molasses trade, sugar from
the Caribbean was traded to Europe or New England, where it was distilled into rum.
The profits from the sale of sugar were used to purchase manufactured goods, which
were then shipped into West Africa, where they were bartered for slaves. The slaves
were then brought back to the Caribbean to be sold to sugar planters. The profits from
the sale of the slaves were then used to buy more sugar, which was shipped to Europe,
restarting the cycle.
It also talked about the Atlantic trade route, the middle passage, and the crisis
of 1739-1741. The Atlantic trade route, or the Atlantic trade triangle was based on three
points. The first leg of the triangle was from a European port to Africa, in which ships
carried supplies for sale and trade, such as copper, cloth, trinkets, slave beads, guns and
ammunition. When the ship arrived its cargo would be sold or bartered for slaves. On
the second leg, ships made the journey of the Middle Passage from Africa to the New
World. Many slaves died of disease in the crowded holds of slave ships. Once the ship
reached the New World enslaved survivor were sold in the Caribbean or the American
colonies. The ships were then prepared to get them thoroughly cleaned, drained, and
loaded with export goods for a return voyage, the third leg, to their home port, from the
West Indies the Main export cargoes were in sugar, rum, and molasses; from Virginia,
tobacco and hemp. The ship then returned to Europe to complete the triangle.
Moreover, it also detailed the religious rivalries, First Great Awakening, and
the imperial rivalries. The British Empire was built less on the back of military conquest,
and more on exploration, colonization and trade. Frequently, colonial America was
opposed by the French, who had their own ambitions in that direction and a longstanding (mutual) dislike of the English. To this end, both fought over Canada, India
came under British rule to protect the tea trade that the French had tried to disrupt, and
the French rushed to the aid of the American colonists in their struggle for
Independence. The Seven Years' War also happened.
Key Terms Defined:
• Middle Passage (P.141)
◦
The middle “leg” in the triangular trade that slaves took on their voyage across
the Atlantic
• Stono Rebellion (P. 149)
◦
Tightening of South Carolina slave code and temporary imposition of a
prohibitive tax on imported slaves
• Republicanism (P. 152)
◦
Active participation in public life
◦
Economically independent citizens
◦
property owning citizens possessed a virtue
◦
Government is based on the consent of the governed
• Pontiac’s Rebellion (P, 170)
◦
During the French and a Native American War Chief named Pontiac gathered
up Native American groups and captured British posts
◦
◦
•
◦
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
•
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◦
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Native American alliance and British won
Native Americans came to a peace agreement and British took control of the
land
Neolin (P.170)
Taught the following:
To reject European technology
To free themselves of commercial ties with whites and dependence on
alcohol
To clothe themselves in the garb of their ancestors
To drive the Brits from their territory
That all Native Americans are a single people
Albany Plan of the Union (P. 174)
Creation of a Grand Council
Delegates from each colony
Had the power to levy taxes
Deal with Indian relations
Rejected by the colonial assemblies
Important Quotes:
• “By the mid-eighteenth century, three distinct slave systems were well entrenched in
the Britain’s mainland colonies: tobacco-based plantation slavery in the
Chesapeake, rice-based plantation slavery in South Carolina and Georgia, and
the non plantation slavery in New England and the Middle Colonies” (141).
• “On the mainland, slaves seized the opportunity for rebellion offered by the War of
Jenkins’ Ear, which pitted England against Spain. In September 1739, a group of
South Carolina slaves, most of the recently arrived from Kongo where some, it
appears, had been soldiers, seized a store containing numerous weapons at the
town of Stono. Beating drums to attract followers, the armed band marched
southward toward Florida, burning houses and barns, killing whites they
encountered, and shouting ‘Liberty’” (149).
• “Property qualifications for officeholding were far higher than for voting” (155).
• “The most famous colonial court case involving freedom of the press demonstrated
that popular sentiment opposed prosecutions for criticisms of public officials.
This was the 1735 trial of John Peter Zenger..[he] lambasted the governor for
corruption, influence peddling, and ‘tyranny’” (159).
• “In December 1763, while Pontiac’s Rebellion still raged, a party of fifty armed men,
mostly Scotch-Irish farmers from the vicinity of the Pennsylvania town of
Paxton, destroyed the Indian village of Conestoga, massacring half a dozen men,
women, and children who lived there under the protection of Pennsylvania’s
governor” (173-174).
Main Idea/Thesis
Although there were political conflicts, such as that of the French versus the British,
regarding land and property, slavery’s diversity depending on region, and numerous
conflicts such as Pontiac’s Rebellion, the Seven Years’ War, and Pennsylvania and the
Native Americans, these events, including the political sphere, and the imperial and
religious rivalries, ultimately led colonial America’s declaration from Britain.
Chapter 4
Summary:
This chapter covers time in America from about 1750 to 1763, a time when the
true meaning of freedom was challenged through slavery, politics, and religion. The
Atlantic slave trade was a regular market at this time. European businessmen, African
traders, and American planters would spend their times bargaining the price of these
human slaves’ lives, hoping to obtain either a strong labor force or a good profit. The
slaves were put through harsh conditions from the moment they were kidnapped from
their home land to the time they arrived and were sold in America. During the journey,
by ship, slaves would be forced to take to America was known as the Middle Passage.
Here slaves would be tightly packed into ships, lacking food, personal space,
opportunity to relieve themselves, or any other necessities for health. It was not
irregular for Africans to die on this voyage. The mainland colonies had three distinct
systems of slavery. These were tobacco-based plantation slavery, rice-based plantation
slavery, and nonplantation slavery. Of these, tobacco-based plantation slavery dates
back farthest, in 1770 nearly half of the native Chesapeake population was made up of
slaves. Most of the slaves, no matter their gender, worked in fields, however many also
worked as boatmen and craftsmen, and women cooks and seamstresses. As time
progressed Chesapeake slaves became less and less free, the words “white” and “free”
becoming synonymous.
Father Junípero Serra, a Spanish man, was a controversial figure concerning this topic of
Indian enslavement. He was the man who founded the first mission in California in
1769, and was well known and loved in Spain for his work converting thousands of
Indians to Christianity. He also taught them Spanish and introduced them to different
types of agriculture and crafting. Serra spent his whole life administering and working
on his missions and presidios, but while being praised for his religious work with the
Indians, he was also reprimanded for the harsh lives of the Indians working below him.
Many Indians died on his missions due to the high intensity of the forced labors and the
diseases foreign to the native people. The mission solely and therefore heavily relied on
the Indians for all the physical work on the mission’s land.
While slavery was a prominent part of American life, this did not stop the colonies from
claiming they provided freedom. More specifically, the British colonies were not afraid
to name themselves the freest of all, despite the institution. During this time African
Americans and native peoples clearly lost any freedom they had before the white men
intervened. But at the same time, white men were gaining freedoms that were not
presented to them before in Great Britain. For example, while a mere five percent of
white men had voting privileges in Great Britain, in most colonies around 50 to 80
percent of white men could vote. Some colonies even permitted suffrage to widows in
place of their late husbands. Despite this growth, there was still a huge debate at hand
on what freedom really was, and who it applied to. There were two main sets of
political ideas in eighteenth century America. These were known as republicanism and
liberalism. Both focused in on the liberties of people, but they did so in very different
ways. Republicanism centered around the economically independent citizen, believing
only the landowning, wealthy man was capable of being free. However, this freedom
was taken very seriously as they feared political powers’ alteration of the citizens
liberties. Liberalism had a very different outlook on the idea of freedom. The Liberal
party believed more in individual and private freedoms, rather than the public and
social qualities of the Republican party. John Locke preached the many liberal beliefs,
stating that securing the citizens life, liberty, and property, meant protecting his private
life. Locke wanted the government to stay out of its citizens economic, religious, and
family life. However, Locke’s views were odd due to his seclusion of these liberties.
While speaking of this freedom universally, he still held participation in slave trade and
continued to slander blacks. Each party had conflicts within its members over who
could obtain these freedoms, however at the time it was more important to the people
to get even all the white men at the same level.
As the debate over true liberty and freedom continued, religion inevitably came into
conversation. Religion was a central part of life, controlling the way people conducted
their daily routines and beliefs. In 1739, George Whitefield sparked the Great
Awakening, a series of religious revivals. Whitefield would speak in many sermons to
large audiences, in which he preached that men and women could save themselves by
repenting their sins and accepting Christ as their savior. However, these revivals
impacted society in more aspects of life than religion. It made people question how they
were living their lives, who they were leaving in charge, and what they had or
deserved. It created conversation and right to question the things around them.
Quotes:
“The nearly 300,000 Africans brought to the mainland colonies during the eighteenth
century were not a single people. They came from different cultures, spoke different
languages, and practiced many religions.” (146)
“Republicanism celebrated active participation in public life by economically
independent citizens as the essence of liberty… Republicans assumed only property
owning citizens were capable of “virtue” … Whereas republican liberty had public and
social quality, liberalism was essentially individual and private.” (152)
“It is estimated that between 50 to 80 percent of adult white men could vote in
eighteenth century colonial America, as opposed to fewer than 5 percent in Britain at
the time.” (154)
“Although the revivals were primarily a spiritual matter, the Great Awakening
reflected existing social tensions, threw into question many forms of authority, and
inspired criticism of aspects of colonial society.” (162)
“The combination of new diseases and the resettlement of thousands of Indians in
villages around the missions devastated Indian society. By 1821, when Mexico won its
independence from Spain, California’s native population had declined by more than
one-third.” (164)
Key Terms:
"The Middle Passage" - The slaves’ voyage across the atlantic, in which they would be
tightly packed in ships lacking space or any other necessities.
“Republicanism” - The political idea centered around the economically independent
citizen, with the belief that only this man is truly free.
“Liberalism” - The political idea that freedom is a private and individual thing,
concerning life, liberty, and property, leaving government out of these matters.
“The Great Awakening” - A series of religious revival in the British colonies in the 17th
century.
“Presidios” - Establishments created to protect the Spanish missions in California.
Main Idea/ Thesis:
Although freedom of the people did grow during the eighteenth century, its progress
was diluted through the institution of slavery, political debate over the true meaning of
freedom, and religion as a central part of life.
Chapter Five Outline
Summary: Europeans viewed America as a land of unlimited opportunity, where
anything was possible. People of all nationalities flocked to the New World in search of
a new beginning. The majority of the new American population was English, but large
numbers of German, Dutch, French, and Africans resided in the colonies.
Agriculture was the main industry in the colonies, with an emphasis on tobacco
in the South and wheat in the middle colonies. The Northern colonies focused on
manufacturing, as their soil was not suited for farming. By the 1730’s, America found
themselves in difficult times economically and began to attempt to sell goods and trade
with other nations to make profit, leading England to restrict their trade through tariffs
and pass laws that would keep the colonies tied with them economically. A collection of
taxes were passed and enforced in the colonies, taxing a variety of goods, such as sugar,
wool and hides, newspapers, books, and many other goods sent to the colonies. The
Stamp Act was the first time that Parliament attempted to raise money from direct taxes
in the colonies rather than through the regulation of trade. The Stamp Act offended
nearly every colonist and the American population became very angered. Parliament
imposed the taxes without any colonial representation, which the colonists believed to
be unfair.
Groups, such as the Sons of Liberty, were formed in opposition to the multiple
acts passed by Parliament. They led boycotts against British goods and posted signs
reading “Liberty, Property, and No Stamps.” Colonial uprisings escalated, and in 1768,
a crowd in Boston threw snowballs at British soldiers, aggravating them to the point
where they fired into the crowd, leaving five civilians dead. The Tea Act was passed,
taxing British tea, and the colonists responded by boycotting and dumping tea into the
Boston Harbor, later known as the Boston Tea Party. Parliament responded to the tea
party by passing the Intolerable Acts, which closed the port of Boston to all trade until
the tea was paid for. It also said that British soldiers could and would be housed in the
homes of the colonists.
Infuriated at the British government, the colonies declared war on Great Britain.
But the colonists were split on the idea of truly becoming independent. Many colonists
still thought of themselves as British and feared anarchy from the poor. Eventually, the
ideas of independence won. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was passed and
stated that all men are created equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights. The
Declaration of Independence changed how Americans viewed freedom forever.
Americans had the home field advantage in the Revolutionary War, as they were
comfortable and knew the land that they were fighting on. In 1783, American and
British forces concluded the Treaty of Paris, winning recognition of American
independence and gaining control of the entire area between Canada and Florida east of
the Mississippi River.
Key Terms:
Navigation Acts- acts designed to tighten the government's control over trade between
England, its colonies, and the rest of the world.
taxation without representation- colonists were not allowed to choose representatives
to parliament in London, which passed the laws under which they were taxed.
Boston Massacre- a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot"
mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several
colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the
citizenry.
Common Sense- pamphlet by Thomas Paine, exhorting Americans to rise in opposition
to the British government and establish a new government based on Enlightenment
ideals.
Declaration of Independence- the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson
declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain
Important Quotes:
“For the first time, Parliament attempted to raise money from direct taxes on the
colonies rather than through the regulation of trade.” pg 187
“Opposition to the Stamp Act was the first great drama of the revolutionary era and the
first major split between colonists and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom.” pg
187
“Liberty, they insisted, could not be secure when property was “taken away without
consent.”” pg 187
“In a sense, by seeking to impose uniformity on the colonists rather than dealing with
them individually as in the past, Parliament had inadvertently united America.” pg 188
“British actions had destroyed the legitimacy of the imperial government in the eyes of
many colonists.” pg 195
Main Ideas/Thesis: In the mid eighteenth century, Americans started to establish
themselves as their own nation and country economically, religiously, and socially.
Taxation without representation by the English Parliament and other actions taken by
the British angered the colonists, eventually leading up to the Revolutionary War.
Chapter 6 Outline
Summary:
In essence, the American Revolution prompted not only the American people,
but also many others throughout the world, to reconsider their opinions on freedom,
whether it was their own or that of others. The radical principle that “all men are
created equal” inspired an unprecedented fight for freedom within the United States.
There were many separate, but still intertwined fights for freedom within the
Revolution, whether it was to gain suffrage for all white males no matter property
ownership, to separate the Church and the State in the new government, for the rights
of women and their bodies, or for the debate between free labor and slavery. Despite all
of these fights for good, there was a great deal of hypocrisy regarding the extent of
liberty following the Revolution. While some African-Americans gained freedom, the
vast majority remained in the shackles of slavery. The Native Americans were pushed
further and further from their lands and their homes, never to return. Ironically, all of
these conditions were occurring under the context of the Declaration of Independence,
and ultimately only few people, primarily white males, truly benefited from the
American Revolution.
Key Terms:
Suffrage: The right to vote, especially in a political election.
Free Labor: A free laborer was anyone who worked for himself as opposed to working
for another person's profit. A popular belief regarding free labor ideology during this
time was that this system of labor would lead to greater wealth distribution.
Inflation: An increase in the supply of currency relative to the goods available, leading
to a decline in the purchasing power of money (depreciation of currency).
Abolition: The fight to legally abolish the practice of slavery within the United States.
Balanced Government: A government that is equally representative of all the interests
and parties of a nation in its government. The purpose of this idea was to balance out
the governmental representation of the wealthy elites, and the lower classes.
Quotes:
“The American Revolution took place at three levels simultaneously. It was a struggle
for national independence, a phase in a century-long global battle among European
empires, and a conflict over what kind of nation an independent America should be,”
(pg. 221)
“Overall, the Revolution led to a great expansion of the right to vote. By the 1780s, with
the exceptions of Virginia, Maryland, and New York, a large majority of the adult white
male population could meet voting requirements,” (pg. 225)
“ The Revolution inspired widespread hopes that slavery could be removed from
American life. Most dramatically, slaves themselves appreciated that by defining
freedom as a universal right, the leaders of the revolution had devised a weapon that
could be used against their own bondage,” (pg. 241)
“ For many Americans, white as well as black, the existence of slavery would
henceforth be recognized as a standing affront to the ideal of American freedom,
“disgrace to a free government,” as a group of New Yorkers put it,” (pg. 248)
“The revolution changed the lives of virtually every American. As a result of the long
struggle against British rule, the public sphere, and with it the right to vote, expanded
markedly. Bound labor among whites declined dramatically, religious groups enjoyed
greater liberties, blacks mounted a challenge to slavery in which many won their
freedom, and women in some ways enjoy a higher status. On the other hand, for
Indians, many Loyalists, and the majority of slaves, American independence meant a
deprivation of freedom,” (pg. 252)
Thesis:
Although the Revolutionary War brought about liberty for a very select group of
people— white, male, Christian property-owners—, the fight for freedom that
supposedly defined the nation was not completely realized for African-American
slaves, women, lower classes, or Native Americans.
Chapter 7
Summary
America just recently won its indepdence and had become a new nation. There
were many problems that the new and unprepared government had to face. Because
the new national government had no actual power they were forced to leave the states
to make their own decisions. But changes had to be made so they made a new
constitution. This new constitution gave more power the national government and
separated the powers into three. But there were many problems with this new
constitution, the debate over slavery was a hot topic and they decided they would leave
it up to the states to decide. The leaders decided that the constitution would only apply
to white men. And Indians had also got their lands stripped from them for supporting
the British. Overall the constitution did give America the boost it needed to become a
functioning country even though it ignored many problems that the country faced.
Key terms
Northwest ordinance of 1787- The "final" solution which would allow the growth of
American territory and allow the Natives to reside there.
Shays rebellion- Debt ridden farmers close down the courts and required the state
army to take them down.
separation of powers- The foundation on which the American government is built on
where the government is split into three branches that check each other power so one is
not more powerful than the other.
South Carolina delegates- The representatives from South Carolina that fought for
many rights to hold slaves.
Federalists- Citizens that were for the ratification of the constitution.
Anti-Federalists- Citizens that were against the ratification of the constitution.
Quotes
"The only powers specifically granted to the national government by the articles of
confederation were those essential to the struggle for independence."(259)
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and
tyrants."(265)
"We had been too democratic."(268)
"The distinction of color" had become the basis for "the most oppressive dominion ever
exercised by man over man."(270)
"May congress not say," he asked, "that every black man must fight? Did we not see a
little of this last war?"(272)
"Madison, the very size of the United States was a source of stability, not, as many
feared, weakness."(274)
"Madison was so adamant about separating church and state that he even opposed the
appointment of chaplains to serve congress and the military."
Main Idea/Thesis
America was a new nation that had just won their independence. And although
their new constitution and Bill of Rights provided the framework to support this new
nation. It did not represent many problems that were still happening in America.
Chapter 8 Outline
Summary:
In 1789, the United States began its experiment in self-government and George
Washington was elected as the first president of the United States. From the outset, the
American people knew that political unity is necessary for the new nation to flourish
but political parties soon formed, caused by differing ideologies and exacerbated by
foreign tensions. During Washington’s administration, the main division laid between
those who supported Hamilton’s financial plan and the Jeffersonians who opposed it. In
the end, the two sides came to a compromise in 1790 where the southerners accepted
the plan (with the exception of subsidies for factories) and the national capital is moved
to the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland. Two main parties soon formed
afterwards: the Federalists and the Republicans (different than the modern day
Republicans).
The 1790s witnessed the expansion of the public sphere. Advanced printing
methods and increased printing of newspapers and pamphlets gave the common
people more access to knowledge of current events. Public meetings, open to all, were
held to discuss politics. Books voiced popular sentiments about the government and
how it should be run. Political societies like the Democratic-Republican Societies sprung
up. Women were also able to participate to a small degree thanks to the expansion of
the public sphere. The issue of women’s rights was brought up again and heatedly
debated.
John Adams was the second president and his term was rife with controversies
and conflict. The United States, despite its stance of neutrality, was still targeted by both
France and Britain during their war. This resulted in the United States having a quasiwar with France. Domestically Adams ruled harshly. The passing of the Alien and
Sedition Acts further painted Adams as a tyrant. This event made the public more
defensive of their First Amendment Rights and led to the idea that there should be
limits on federal power.
During Jefferson’s presidency, he tried to reduce the power of the central
government and create a free trade system. He also refused to be embroiled in foreign
conflicts and maintained the stance of neutrality. Judicial review was established during
this time. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory removed French influence from
North America as well as doubled the size of the country. The incorporation increased
conflict with the Native Americans and freedmen in the territory. Internationally, the
United States was still detrimentally impacted by the war between France and Britain.
Jefferson imposed the Embargo Act but it only caused American profits to plummet.
The United States finally declared war on Britain in 1812 (known as the War of
1812 or the Second War of Independence). Britain had the advantage in every sense and
won easy victories. The Native Americans allied themselves with the British. The war
ended with the Treaty of Ghent which simply restored the status quo from before the
war. It also facilitated westward expansion. The Federalist Party was also dissolved as a
result.
Key Terms:
1. “Strict Constructionists” – people who believed that the government can only
exercise the powers that were explicitly stated in the Constitution. Many southerners
adhered to this viewpoint as a result of Alexander Hamilton’s suggested financial plan.
2. Impressment – the kidnapping of sailors and forcing them into naval service.
3. Jay’s Treaty – a treaty with Britain that was negotiated in 1794 by John Jay, the Chief
Justice. It was one of the greatest controversies of the Washington administration. The
treaty offered no British concessions for American shipping rights or on impressment.
They only agreed to abandon outposts on the western frontier (something that was
promised in 1783) in return for favored treatment by the United States for British goods.
4. Whiskey Rebellion – in 1794, backcountry Pennsylvanian farmers sought to prevent
the collection of the whiskey tax. The farmers viewed the tax as an infringement on
their liberty and rebelled. They were swiftly put down by militiamen led by George
Washington himself.
5. The Key of Liberty – A book written by William Manning that reflected the time
period’s popular political thought that the main division in society is between the “few”
and the “many”. The many must prevent the few from becoming tyrants and
destroying free government by making a national political association that protects the
rights of the majority.
6. Federalist Party – One of the two first national political parties; led by George
Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, it favored a strong central
government.
7. Republican Party – (not to be confused with the modern Republican Party) the other
national political party that was led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; they
believed in a less centralized government and more participation from the common
people.
8. The Revolution of 1800 – First time that a political party surrendered power to the
opposition party; Jefferson, a Republican, defeated incumbent Adams, a Federalist, for
president.
9. Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) – Four measures passed during the undeclared war
with France that limited the freedoms of the speech and press and restricted the liberty
of noncitizens.
10. Embargo Act of 1807 – Attempt to exert economic pressure by prohibiting all
exports from the United States, instead of waging war in reaction to continued British
impressment of American sailors, smugglers easily circumvented the embargo, and it
was repealed two years later.
11. Judicial Review – the right of the Supreme Court to determine whether or not an act
of Congress is in violation of the Constitution
Quotes:
“‘The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model
of government,’ Washington proclaimed, depended on the success of the American
experiment in self-government” (294).
“Hamilton’s program had five parts. The first step was to establish the new nation’s
credit-worthiness—that is, to create conditions under which persons would loan money
to the government by purchasing its bonds, confident that they would be
repaid…Second, he called for the creation of a new national debt. The old debts would
be replaced by new interest-bearing bonds issued to the government’s creditors. This
would give men of economic substance a stake in promoting the new nation’s
stability…The third part of Hamilton’s program called for the creation of a Bank of the
United States, modeled on the Bank of England, to serve as the nation’s main financial
agent. A private corporation rather than a branch of the government, it would hold
public funds, issue bank notes that would serve as currency, and make loans to the
government when necessary…Fourth, to raise revenue, Hamilton proposed a tax on
producers of whiskey…Hamilton called for the imposition of a tariff (a tax on imported
foreign goods) and government subsidies to encourage the development of factories
that could manufacture products currently purchased from abroad…” (295).
“The Federalists, supporters of the Washington administration, favored Hamilton’s
economic program and close ties with Britain. Prosperous merchants, farmers, lawyers,
and established political leaders (especially outside the South) tended to support the
Federalists. Their outlook was generally elitist…a fixed hierarchy and of public office as
reserved for men of economic substance—the ‘rich, the able, and the well-born,’ as
Hamilton put it. Freedom… rested on deference to authority. It did not mean the right
to stand up in opposition to government” (299).
“Republicans, led by Madison and Jefferson, were more sympathetic to France than the
Federalists and had more faith in democratic self-government. They drew their support
from an unusual alliance of wealthy southern planters and ordinary farmers throughout
the country. Enthusiasm for the French Revolution increasingly drew urban artisans
into Republican ranks as well…They were far more critical than the Federalists of social
and economic inequality, and more accepting of broad democratic participation as
essential to freedom” (300).
“The most important division in society, Manning declared, was between the ‘few’ and
the ‘many.’ He called for the latter to form a national political association to prevent the
‘few’ from destroying ‘free government’ and ‘tyrannizing over’ the people” (301).
“…Murray insisted that women had as much right as men to exercise all of their talents
and should be allowed equal educational opportunities to enable them to do so.
Women’s apparent mental inferiority to men, she insisted, simply reflected the fact that
they had been denied ‘the opportunity of acquiring knowledge.’” (305).
“If Gabriel’s conspiracy demonstrated anything, commented the prominent Virginian
George Tucker, it was that slaves possessed ‘the love of freedom’ as fully as other men.
Gabriel’s words, he added, reflected ‘the advancement of knowledge’ among Virginia’s
slaves, including knowledge of the American language of liberty. When slaves escaped
to join Lord Dunmore during the War of Independence, he wrote, ‘they sought freedom
merely as a good; now they also claim it as a right.’” (311).
“In 1795, James Madison had written that war is the greatest enemy of ‘true liberty.’
‘War,’ he explained, ‘is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes, and
armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under
the domination of the few.’ Nonetheless, Madison became a war president” (319).
Main Idea/Thesis:
The beginning of the United States was rife with conflict and internal division as
political parties formed but this time period also set the precedent for many of our
modern day values such as the essentiality of free speech and judicial review.
Chapter 9: The Market Revolution
Main Idea/Thesis:
Although the Market Revolution gave few opportunities to African-Americans
and women, it was a positive period of expansion for technological achievement,
religious revival, and both the manufacturing and agricultural economy.
Summary:
The Market Revolution can be loosely defined as the period between 1800-1840.
Developments and ideas that had begun in the colonial era were finally accomplished
or executed during this era. Technological advancements improved communication,
transportation, and increased the efficiency of farming. Steamboats and canals opened
up waterways for transportation allowing goods and people to travel faster for a
smaller price. Railroads opened up the West for settlement and transported coal, iron,
and fuel. The telegraph sped up information flow and created uniformity throughout
the nation. This increase in communication and transportation allowed further
movement West. Most Americans traveled in groups and established communities or
became squatters who settled the land without legal title.
Economic growth simultaneously occurred in the North and the South. The
Cotton Kingdom of the South relied heavily on slave labor and the recent invention of
the cotton gin. Cotton was sold at home and worldwide making the South commercially
based although the region remained rural and agrarian. On the other hand, the North
became a region of interconnected farms and manufacturing cities. Goods were
increasingly bought at stores while crops and livestock were sold. Cities and urban
centers grew dramatically during this time period as the urban population numbered
over 6 million. Most industries, including textiles, abandoned traditional craft
production for factory. This changed several work factors including labor hours, time,
and a daily wage. Employers sought to hire those who were desperate so they could
pay them less. Women, children, and immigrants were often employed in factories.
Over 4 million people came to the United States between 1790 and 1830 from Ireland
and Germany. This massive immigration frightened some Americans who feared for
their jobs and had racist views. A group called the “nativists” blamed the immigrants
for crime, corruption, and lack of employment.
During the Market Revolution, religion and philosophy evolved into a more
individualistic view, despite some of the ironies. Even as the nation shifted towards
interdependence between commercial farms and manufacturers, philosophers of this
time emphasized the importance of personal independence and private happiness.
Another group to emerge were the Transcendentalists, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Henry David Thoreau, who insisted that individuals should immerse themselves in
nature and have self-reliance. A religious revival movement called the Second Great
Awakening swept throughout the nation preaching self-improvement and selfdetermination. The Methodist and Baptist denominations of Christianity also grew
considerably during the early 19th Century.
Despite the growth in population and economic prosperity of the nation as a
whole, there were limits to the freedom. African Americans lived in the poorest parts of
cities and were frequently faced with violence and assault. They were kept out of
schools and given no economic opportunity. They were constantly pushed down the
social ladder with no hope of rising to success. Women were also confined during the
Market Revolution. The ideas of “republican motherhood” gave women a public role as
the mothers of future American citizens and economic necessity required many to enter
the workplace. Despite these new roles, women were still constricted by the “cult of
domesticity” and expectation to be virtuous, beautiful, frail, and entirely dependent on
men.
Key Terms:
Cotton Gin: Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, the machine separated cotton seed from
cotton fiber, speeding cotton processing and making profitable the cultivation of the
more hardy, but difficult to clean, short-staple cotton; led directly to the dramatic
nineteenth century expansion of slavery in the South.
Erie Canal: Most important and profitable of the canals of the 1820s and 1830s; stretched
from Buffalo to Albany, New York, connecting the Great Lakes to the East Coast and
making New York City the nation’s largest port.
Second Great Awakening: Religious revival movement of the early decades of the
nineteenth century, in reaction to the growth of secularism and rationalist religion;
began the predominance of the Baptist and Methodist churches.
Nativism: Anti-immigrants and anti-Catholic feeling especially prominent in the 1830s
through the 1850s; the largest group was New York’s Order of the Star-Spangled
Banner, which expanded into the American (Know-Nothing) Party in 1854.
Cult of Domesticity: A value system that associated virtue closely with women meaning
sexual innocence, beauty, frailty, and dependence on men.
Important Quotes:
“the steamboat, canal, railroad, and telegraph wrenched America out of its economic
past. These innovations opened new land to settlement, lowered transportation costs,
and made it far easier for economic enterprises to sell their products. They linked
farmers to national and world markets and made them major consumers of
manufactured goods” (333).
“the South was in some ways the most commercially oriented region of the United
States. Yet rather than spurring economic change, the South’s expansion westward
simply reproduced the same agrarian, slave-based social order of the older states” (241).
“In the North, however, the market revolution and westward expansion set in motion
changes that transformed the region into an integrated economy of commercial farms
and manufacturing cities” (342).
“revivalist preachers rejected the idea that man is a sinful creature with a preordained
fate, promoting instead the doctrine of human free will. At these gathering, rich and
poor, male and female, and in some instances whites and blacks worshipped alongside
one another and pledged to abandon worldly sins in favor of the godly life” (358).
“The market revolution affected the lives of all Americans. But not all were positioned
to take advantage of its benefits. Most blacks, of course, were slaves, but even free
blacks found themselves excluded from the new economic opportunities” (361).
Chapter 10 Review
In America, true democracy seemed to be triumphing in 1860; most states had
gotten rid of property requirements for voting. At the People’s Convention in October
1841, all while males gained suffrage. However, how could this be considered
“universal” if blacks and women were still not allowed to vote in their own country?
The class boundaries that used to exist were replaced by black stereotypes and a solid
line separating blacks and whites.
The Second Bank of the United States was a profit-making corporation that
worked for the government, while local banks promoted economic growth. After the
war of 1812 ended, the Panic of 1819 occurred, and the economic bubble America had
been in burst. Americans distrusted banks for ears after that. In the Supreme Court case
McCulloch v. Maryland, it was decided that banks were still constitutional. Then, after
an “Era of Good Feelings” during James Monroe’s two terms, wild disputes erupted
over the statehood of Missouri. A compromise (The Missouri Compromise) was
adopted by Congress in 1820 to keep the peace.
Between the years 1810 and 1822, Spain’s colonies rebelled and formed
independent nations. Their constitutions were much fairer than the United States’,
allowing Indians and free blacks to vote. Out of fear, the Monroe Doctrine was drafted.
After Monroe’s two terms, the only candidate with national appeal in the election of
1824 was Andrew Jackson, but John Quincy Adams became president because of the
Electoral College. He stated that “liberty is power” and supported the American
System. In 1828, Jackson got his victory and became President.
During Jackson’s term, the Democrats and Whigs argued; Democrats favored no
government intervention in the economy, while Whigs supported government
promotion of economic development. Also during his presidency, the Nullification
Crisis struck, which was resolved in 1833.
Indians attempted to protect their rights, but were given empty promises, and the
Cherokees were eventually sent on the Trail of Tears.
Following the Panic of 1837, Van Buren was elected president. Following him was
William Henry Harrison, who was elected in 1840.
1.
The American System: Blueprint for government-promoted economic
development put forward by President James Madison in 1815; this new system
involved a new national bank, tariffs, and federal financing for better roads and canals
(“internal improvements”)
2.
The Panic of 1819: The first major peacetime economic disaster in the United
States followed by an overall downfall of the American economy persisting through
1821.The severity of the recession was compounded by extreme speculation in public
lands, fueled by the unrestrained issue of paper money from banks and business
concerns.
3.
The Missouri Compromise: When The Missouri Controversy took hold of the
nation when Missouri petitioned for statehood in 1819, Henry Clay came up with the
compromise that stated Missouri would be admitted to the Union as a slave state.
However, in addition, Maine would be admitted as a free state to keep the balance.
Furthermore, slavery would from there out be banned north of a certain latitude in the
Louisiana Purchase territory.
4.
The Monroe Doctrine: Fearing that Spain would try to regain its colonies,
Secretary of State John Quincy Adams drafted the Monroe Doctrine which stated there
would be no new European colonization of the New World, the United States would
abstain from European wars, and Europeans should not interfere with new Latin
American republics.
5.
Spoils System: The practice of a successful political party giving public office to its
supporters.
6.
Tariff of 1828: A protective tariff passed by the Congress of the United States on
May 19, 1828, designed to protect industry in the northern United States. It is also called
the Tariff of Abominations.
7.
The Panic of 1837: A financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major
recession that lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down while
unemployment went up.
“The Market revolution and territorial expansion were intimately connected with a
third central element of American freedom—political democracy. The challenge to
property qualifications for voting, begun during the American Revolution, reached its
culmination in the early nineteenth century” (373).
“… [T]he very centrality of democracy to the definition of both freedom and nationality
made it all the more necessary to define the boundaries of the political nation. As older
economic exclusions fell away, others survived and new ones were added. The vigorous
public life of antebellum America was simultaneously expansive and exclusive, and its
limits were as essential to its nature as its broad scope” (376).
“The ‘dissolution of the Union’ over the issue of slavery, Adams mused, disastrous as
that might be, would result in civil war and the ‘extirpation of slavery from this whole
continent.’ It would take more than forty years for Adams’s prediction to be fulfilled.
For the moment, the slavery issue faded once again from national debate” (383).
“But Van Buren did have a compelling idea. Rather than being dangerous and divisive,
as the founding generation had believed, political parties, he insisted, were a necessary
and indeed desirable element of political life. Party competition provided a check on
those in power and offered voters a real choice in elections” (390).
“The central political struggle of the Age of Jackson was the president’s war on the
Bank of the United States. The Bank symbolized the hopes and fears inspired by the
market revolution” (401).
Thesis/Main Idea:
Although Americans expressed that they were moving toward total democracy and
liberty, opposition to this belief can be found in the “universal suffrage” for white males
only, the spoils system, and the Trail of Tears. America was not fully democratic in this
era.
Chapter 11: The Peculiar Institution
Summary:
As cotton became an increasingly prominent crop within the United States (75%
of world’s cotton crop emanated from the south) the practice of slavery (that early
leaders such as Thomas Jefferson believed would slowly dissipate into oblivion) became
further entrenched in the American economic system, engraining itself westward, in
states like Mississippi and Alabama. The slave trade became incredibly profitable, as a
result, and commercial areas throughout the south housed auction blocks, the north
(whom the conventional narrative absolves of the unconscionable practice) was more
than complicit in the slave system, with northern bankers (who facilitated the financing
of the trade) and manufacturers reaping the fruits of the utterly vile slave system.
Unlike the north, the south lacked major cities and manufacturing centers (less than ten
percent of the United States’ goods were manufactured there), agricultural was truly the
economic lifeblood. The vast majority of southerners did not possess slaves, instead
living on self-sufficient farms, but continued to prop up the planter oppressive elite
through the exploitation of racist fears and a placement of “regional loyalty” over selfinterest. Slavery was justified, within the south, as it “guaranteed” white equality
(despite the systematic exploitation of the poor southern white farmer at the hands of
the landed elite) as well as its presence within the bible. Debate over abolition
intensified, as squabbles over the success of British and other nations’ emancipation
entered the national discourse. Southerners claimed to be the “heirs of the American
Revolution” while categorically mutilating the ideals the revolution was predicated on,
constructing the doublespeak argument, “without slavery, freedom is impossible.”
Slaves were subjected to atrocious living and working conditions as well as
deprived of legal personhood and the rights that accompanied it. Free blacks were
deprived of true equality, stripped of the right to serve on juries and testify in a court of
law. Marriage between slaves was unlawful but the practice occurred, though families
were consistently (and heartbreakingly) broken up. Religion, specifically a distinctive
form of Christianity was profoundly important to slave communities, and biblical
stories like that of the Exodus provided hope for the enslaved. Slaves resisted bondage
in numerous ways, through impeding productivity, running away, and evening
poisoning their oppressors. Revolts occurred, most notably Nat Turner’s Rebellion in
1831. Upon being quashed, slave codes and restrictions were further tightened in the
south.
Key Terms:
“Plain folk” – poor whites within the south. Leaders like Andrew Johnson advocated
for them in in government.
Southern Paternalism – master “protects” slaves and provides other services, slave
forced to toil and obey master.
Underground Railroad – Network of homes and paths that enabled escaped slaves to
travel to the north and Canada, in the eighteenth century.
“silent sabotage” – slaves work inefficiently in order to “silently rebel” against their
owners.
Denmark Vesey’s Conspiracy – 1822 South Carolinian attempted slave rebellion.
Perpetrated by both slaves and freedmen. Resulted in Vesey’s execution and more
stringent slave codes.
Quotes:
Page 422: “The wealthiest Americans before the Civil War were planters in the South
Carolina low country and the cotton region around Natchez, Mississippi.”
Page 420: “As the gathering point for cotton grown along the Mississippi River and
sugar from the plantations of southeastern Louisiana [New Orleans] was the world’s
leading exporter of slave-grown crops.”
Page 425: “…defenders of slaver insisted that the institution guaranteed equality for
whites by preventing a class doomed to a life of unskilled labor.”
Page 427: “South Carolina…became the home of an aggressive defense of slavery that
repudiated the idea that freedom and equality were universal entitlements.”
Page 448: “Even as reform movements arose in the North that condemned slavery as
contrary to Christianity and to basic American values, and national debate over the
peculiar institution intensified, southern society closed in defense of slavery.”
Main Idea/Thesis
The tendrils of slavery permeated every facet of American society, in the antebellum
period, whether southern planters or northern bankers, no region was absolved of
participating in the egregious moral depravity based institution, as movements to
abolish slavery picked up fervor, the south chose any method available to maintain it,
be it citing the Bible or disregarding the concepts of liberty and democracy.
Chapter 12 Outline
Summary
Forty years after the end of the Revolution, America was beginning to morph into the
nation we know today, as many reform movements across the country began to take
foot. Among the most prominent groups of people who wanted to “better” the world
were those who were part of the religious revival known as the “Second Great
Awakening” or those who wanted to reject the modernizing society they lived in and
wanted to form “utopian societies”, free of the world’s necessities and struggles.
Examples of these religious societies were the Shakers, who believed in equality for all
genders and were known to “shake” their congregation by stomping their feet
continuously during their masses, and the Mormons, who believed that the angel
Moroni gave Joseph Smith a book chronicling the history of escaped Israelites from the
sack of Jerusalem to America. Non-religious reform movements included Oneida,
whose inhabitants made their belongings completely out of wood, and educational
reform in order to make schools not only places of learning, but safe places where
children could thrive.
Another major reform movement that continuously gained momentum as the century
and antebellum period progressed was the abolitionist movement. Yet this movement,
which was supposed to promote equality for all races, was itself divided by racism.
Many prominent white abolitionists, including the future President Lincoln, wanted
African-Americans to colonize what would become Liberia, yet many black abolitionists
opposed this and instead asked for equality with whites on all spectrums. Despite this
racism, many whites did support freedom and equality for blacks, some such as John
Brown and William Lloyd Garrison calling for rebellion and war against those against
integration of blacks into their society. Others promoted less aggressive methods of
protesting slavery, including Harriet Beecher Stowe publishing her Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
which exposed the horrors of slavery to its primarily northern audience. These methods
convinced many to join the movement and the movement itself continued to gain
momentum and support, polarizing the country into those who supported or
disapproved the movement altogether.
Yet another major reform that was beginning to come to public attention was the
feminist movement. Women were constantly expected to adhere to what a maledominated society expected of them, which was to keep quiet in public and not speak
out against these expectations. Yet many women were becoming tired of this “cult of
domesticity” and fought to gain the rights and freedoms that men had for millennia
kept to themselves. The Grimke sisters were the among the first to fight against the
patriarchal society they lived in, writing numerous essays and lectures on why women
should have rights in “the land of freedom” but why women should be aggressive and
fight the injustices that faced them. Continuing off the successes was Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, who turned the movement from an unorganized, fledgling idea into an
organized, well-trained movement. Despite this success, the abolitionists became
divided on the subject of slavery, as many women continued to associate their
movement with slavery; this in turn split the movement into a political side and societal
side, with the political side trying to change American view of feminism though
government. This attempt did not work out, and the movement came grinding to a halt
for some time.
Key Terms
Temperance movement (461)-reform movement during antebellum era that helped
Americans see danger/sin of drinking, tried to persuade Americans to stop drinking
altogether
Perfectionism (464)-idea that many reformers in the antebellum era came up with that
all incurable “ills (immoral practices)” could be “cured (eliminated)”
American Anti-Slavery Society (465)-Abolition movement founded in 1833 in order to
protest slavery and immediately abolish it
Uncle Tom’s Cabin (471)-Harriet Beecher Stowe’s controversial book on slavery which
exposed the horrors of the subject and helped movement to gain support
Women’s suffrage (479)-effort for women to gain right to vote, most prominent meeting
was at Seneca Falls in Upstate New York
Quotes
“Reformers never amounted to anything like a majority of the population, even in the
north, but they had a profound impact on both politics and society. (455)”
“Perfecting American society, they [(white, militant) abolitionists] insisted, meant
rooting out not just slavery, but racism in all its forms. (466)”
“Many black abolitionists called on free blacks to seek out skilled and dignified
employment in order to demonstrate the race’s capacity for advancement. (473)”
“The Grimkes were the first to apply the abolitionist doctrine of universal freedom and
equality to the status of women. (479)”
“When organized abolitionism split into two wings in 1840, the immediate cause was a
dispute over the proper role of women in antislavery work. (485)”
Main Idea
The Antebellum reform movements faced both internal and external opposition from
the society they lived in, yet because of the persistence of their leaders and the ways
they spread their message, these movements were able to influence American society
and change the thinking of many Americans during the Antebellum period.
Chapter 13 Outline
Summary:
This chapter covers the events that occurred between the years 1840 and 1861.
This includes the events like the Texas Revolt, Election of 1844, the Election of 1860, and
the Dred Scott Decision. Several states were established during these years: Florida,
Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas.
The presidents discussed in this chapter were John Tyler, Martin Van Buren,
James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln.
The main slavery and anti-slavery disputes are discussed in these chapters as well. The
Fugitive Slave Act and Kansas- Nebraska Act were put into effect to try and control the
“slavery issue” going on. Chapter 13 is a preview to the Civil War, covering all the
events that led up to it.
Several major political parties are introduced in this chapter such as the Free Soil
Party and the Republican Party. These really revolved around the “slavery issue”. This
usually involved different territorial advancements like the introduction of the Texas
territory after the Mexican War.
Key Terms:
 The Texas Revolt (pg 496):
o This revolt occurred between the years 1830 and 1845. The
inhabitants of the Texas territory, that was acquired in the Mexican
War, wanted to be annexed into the union as a state. They were
eventually annexed in 1845.
 Free Soil Party (pg 507):
o A political party that opposed slavery in the new territory acquired
in the Mexican War that was formed in 1848. They nominated
Martin Van Buren for president in the same year. Most of the
party’s members had joined the Republican Party by 1854.
 Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (pg 510):
o This allowed for runaway slaves in the North to be captured and
taken back to their masters in the South. This was often brought up
in cases involving fugitive slaves and used for the benefit of the
South, which caused quite a bit of opposition in the North.
 Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 (pg 511):
o This was a law passed to allow settlers in the newly organized
territories of the Missouri border to decide whether or not to be
slave states, it was sponsored by Stephen A. Douglas. There were
many negative opinions about this law and the resulting repeal of
the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This led to violence in Kansas
and the formation of the Republican Party.
 Know-Nothing Party (pg 515):
o This party was made up of anti-Catholic Nativists. They were a
third party organized in 1854 in reaction to the large-scale German
and Irish immigration. The parties only presidential candidate was
Millard Fillmore in 1856.
 Dred Scott Decision (pg 519):
o This was the result of a state senate case, Dred Scott v. Sandford
between a slave and his master in 1857. Dred Scott had
accompanied his master to a free state and claimed that he was a
free man and attempted to sue his master. The court ruling in this
case was that no black person was considered a citizen of the
United States and thusly could not sue.
Important Quotes:
 “Settlement in Oregon did not directly raise the issue of slavery. But the
nation’s acquisition of part of Mexico did. ” (pg 495)





“The Mexican War was the first American conflict to be fought primarily
on foreign soil and the first in which American troops occupied a foreign
capital.” (pg 499)
“With the end of the Mexican War, the United States absorbed half a
million square miles of Mexico’s territory, one-third of that nation’s total
area. A region that for centuries had been united was suddenly split in
two, dividing families and severing trade routes.” (pg502)
“The Free Soil position had a popular appeal in the North that far
exceeded the abolitionists’ demand for immediate emancipation and equal
rights for blacks… The idea of preventing the creation of new slave states
appealed to those who favored policies, such as the protective tariff and
government aid to internal improvements, that the majority of southern
political leaders opposed.” (pg 507)
“The fugitive slave issue affected all the free states, not just those that
bordered on the South.” (pg 510)
“Before Lincoln assumed office on March 4, 1861, the seven seceding
states formed the Confederate States of America, adopted a constitution,
and chose as their president Jefferson Davis of Mississippi.” (pg 530)
Main Idea/ Thesis:
Although the United States government tried repeatedly to solve the “slavery
issue” with the Fugitive Slave Act, and Kansas- Nebraska Act, the Civil War was
inevitable due to the social and political disputes over slavery introduced with the
Mexican War, and the same measures taken to prevent the issue in the first place.
Chapter 14 Outline
Summary
Chapter 14 discussed the American Civil War between the Union and the Confederacy
over slavery and 'states rights', the rights of which were the right to own slaves. The
war was fought from around 1861 and ended 1865. The American Civil War was often
considered to be the first modern war, the reasoning behind this being due to the
amount of modern weaponry used to make this the bloodiest war in American history,
clocking in at over 600,000 casualties. The American Civil War was also a time of great
technological improvements. Advances in things such as: steamboats, as shown in
Monitor v. Merrimac, communication in the form of telegraphs, in order to send
important war-related information from state to state, and medical care, while it was
primitive with amputations and what not it would later lead to greater sanitation
practices.
Additionally, the ability on both sides to mobilize their resources through the railroad
systems contributed to the intensity of this war as well. Both sides had their advantages,
the South was fighting on home territory and had more natural resources, where as the
North was more industrial and had more manpower. But economically the North had
almost every advantage, they had a greater population, more factories, greater value of
goods produced (and therefore more capital and money), longer railroad tracks, more
textiles, more firearms and more processed goods like iron. All of which the South
needed more of in droves.
In an effort to end the war sooner, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary
proclamation on September 22, 1862, freeing the slaves in areas under Confederate
control as of January 1, 1863, the date of the final proclamation, which also authorized
the enrollment of black soldiers into the Union army. With this new wave of troops
with full morale, and a major source of labor being taken away from the South the
Union was able to defeat the South more and more. And with Lee's surrender at the
Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, on April 9 the Civil War finally came to an end.
Key Terms
• Monitor v. Merrimac (Pg 541)- revolutionizing naval warfare. The war saw the use of
the telegraph for military communication, the introduction of observation
balloons to view enemy lines, and even primitive hand grenades and submarines
• national banking system (Pg 543) - The lack of this on both sides resulted in a near
financial catastrophe as there were no systems to tax citizens for war funds.
• Radical Republicans (Pg 549) - The most uncompromising opponents of slavery
before the war and concluded that the institution must become a target of the
Union war effort.
• Emancipation Proclamation (Pg 550)- President Abraham Lincoln issued a
preliminary proclamation on September 22, 1862, freeing the slaves in areas
under Confederate control as of January 1, 1863, the date of the final
proclamation, which also authorized the enrollment of black soldiers into the
Union army.
• “King Cotton diplomacy”(Pg 568)- An attempt by the South to encourage British
intervention by banning cotton exports. Important quotes
• “The mobilization of the Union’s resources for modern war brought into being a new
American nation-state with greatly expanded powers and responsibilities. The
United States remained a federal republic with sovereignty divided between the
state and national governments. But the war forged a new national selfconsciousness, reflected in the increasing use of the word “nation”—a unified
political entity—in place of the older “Union” of separate states” (Pg 558)
• “Under Davis, the Confederate nation became far more centralized than the Old
South had been. The government raised armies from scratch, took control of
southern railroads, and built manufacturing plants. But it failed to find an
effective way of utilizing the South’s major economic resource, cotton.” (Pg 568)
• '“We are fighting for our liberty,” wrote one volunteer, without any sense of
contradiction, “against tyrants of the North . . . who are determined to destroy
slavery.” But public disaffection eventually became an even more serious
problem for the Confederacy than for the Union.” (Pg 569)
• “In November 1864, Sherman and his army of 60,000 set out from Atlanta on their
March to the Sea. Cutting a sixty-mile-wide swath through the heart of Georgia,
they destroyed railroads, buildings, and all the food and supplies they could not
use.” (Pg 576)
• “Nearly the entire white population fled, leaving behind some 10,000 slaves. The
navy was soon followed by other northerners—army officers, Treasury agents,
prospective investors in cotton land, and a group known as Gideon’s Band,
which included black and white reformers and teachers committed to uplifting
the freed slaves.” (Pg 574) in regards to The Sea Island Experiment.
Main Idea/Thesis
Although the South had many advantages in the their natural resources and wide open
territory, the North was ultimately destined to victory because of their greater
industrial strength, their sheer manpower and overall resource count, and one of the
greatest political moves in the Emancipation Proclamation.
Chapter 15
Summary
Chapter fifteen discusses the political and social ramifications of Radical
Reconstruction in the South, detailing how different visions of freedom between former
slaves and slaveholders manifested in different goals. Though many former slaves
insisted that, though their unpaid labor, they ought to acquire a right to the land, the
failure of land reform under the Johnson administration ensured the vast majority of
rural freemen remained destitute and without property. Resultantly both black and
white farmers found themselves entangled in crop-lien and sharecropping systems.
State governments were granted a free hand in managing local affairs in the wartorn South, violating free labor principles set in place by the Republican North. Though
Andrew Johnson identified himself as the champion of “yeomen” farmers, it became
clearly evident he lacked Lincoln’s tact and political foresight; as for one example,
Johnson removed the Secretary of War from office in 1868 to demonstrate his dislike for
the Tenure of Office Act, subsequently leading to his impeachment. Johnson was
succeeded by Ulysses S. Grant, who oversaw the ratification of the Fifteenth
Amendment in 1868.
The laws and amendments of Reconstruction reflected the
intersection of two products of the Civil War era—a newly empowered national state
and the idea of a national citizenry enjoying equality before the law. Though these
inspired an outburst of political organization among Blacks, a “reign of terror” inspired
by secret societies such as the Klu Klux Klan along with the 1873 depression waned the
North’s commitment to Reconstruction. Additionally some Republicans, alienated by
rampant corruption under Grant’s administration, formed the Liberal Republican Party,
contributing to a resurgence of racism in the North. Through the Bargain of 1877,
Rutherford B. Hayes ensured southern white Democrats would exercise unilateral
control over the South for a century, thus ending Reconstruction. Key Terms Defined (at least five)
Crop-lien system
The use of crop as collateral for loans from merchants for supplies.
Pocket veto
A presidential device to kill a piece of legislation without issuing a formal veto by
simply not signing a given bill and letting it expire after Congress adjourns.
Black Codes
Laws passed by southern states during the Reconstruction Era denying ex-slaves civil
rights.
Sharecropping
A labor system through which freedmen agreed to exchange a portion of their
harvested crops for use of the land, a house, tools, and other capital.
Carpetbaggers
An insult referring to Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction.
“Carpetbaggers” generally included Union veterans who had served in the South,
reformers who sought to help ex-slaves, and merchants who sought business
opportunities. Important quotes (at least five with page number)
“With planters seeking to establish a labor system as close to slavery as possible, and
former slaves demanding economic autonomy and access to land, a long period of
conflict over the organization and control of labor followed on plantations throughout
the South. It fell to the Freedmen’s Bureau, an agency established by Congress in March
1865, to attempt to establish a working free labor system.” (592)
“A fervent believer in states’ rights, Johnson insisted that since secession was illegal, the
southern states had never actually left the Union or surrendered the right to govern
their own affairs.” (600)
“…[A]t the president’s urging, every southern state but Tennessee refused to ratify the
Fourteenth Amendment. The intransigence of Johnson and the bulk of the white South
pushed moderate Republicans towards the Radicals. In March 1867, over Johnson’s
veto, Congress adopted the Reconstruction Act.” (604)
“Former Confederates reserved their greatest scorn for these ‘scalawags,’ whom they
considered traitors to their race and region. Some southern-born Republicans were men
of stature, like James L. Alcorn, the owner of one of Mississippi’s largest plantations and
the state’s first Republican governor.” (614)
“By the mid 1870s, Reconstruction was clearly on the defensive. Democrats had already
regained control of states with substantial white voting majorities such as Tennessee,
North Carolina, and Texas. The victorious Democrats called themselves Redeemers,
since they claimed to have “redeemed the white South from corruption,
misgovernment, and northern and black control.” (620)
Main Idea/Thesis
The Confederacy’s defeat completely demoralized southerners, leaving planter
families facing profound changes. Radical Republicans sought for a strict restriction of
Johnson’s overpowering state governance and the guarantee of the right to vote for
black men, opposing the establishment of new “rebel-led” governments created in the
aftermath of war. This clash of interests manifested into a hotbed of political struggles
and reigns of terror that underlay future developments in American history.
Though Radical Republican’s efforts to extend suffrage and integrate Blacks
within the South’s political structure proved successful in spite of legislated repression
and reigns of terror from secret societies, the failure of these progressives to reform the
South’s economic system strengthened the notion that Black citizens could be poor and
completely dependent to white landowners.
Chapter 16 Outline
Summary
In chapter sixteen, Foner discusses the Second Industrial Revolution, the West’s
change, the Politics and ideas of freedom at the time, and the Republics relation to
labor. it is clear that although there was an economic advance at the time, this only
occurred among the upper class (as shown by John D. Rockefeller and others). With this
‘second revolution’ came more westward expansion and new ideas of what the West
meant; people began to realize that it was full of potential profit and valuable natural
resources (however many of these resources were key in Native American’s
livelihoods). The politics of the time were full of corruption, many of the upper class
controlled government, or at least had a strong influence, allowing many laws and
decisions that were passed (or vetoed) to be in their favor. The lower class struggled,
and with ideas like Social Darwinism, it was hard for them to get help or become
successful. Labor’s, and their conditions, were either not acknowledged, or dismissed as
not important. Their issues were not the issues of the upper class, so they often did not
get dealt with.
Key Terms
“Great upheaval” of 1886: This was a series of protests and strikes by laborers that
occurred all across the nation. Many ended of these protests/strikes ended violently
between the police and the protesters. They brought awareness to the social divisions
among class in the country.
“Captains of Industry” v. “Robber Barons”: someone whose hard work and innovation
helped push the economy forward versus someone who used their power and control
to take advantage and do things without taking responsibility for their actions.
Greenbacks: the paper money used by the Union during the Civil War, these become
worthless after the war, leaving many poor and in need of money.
Social Darwinism: the idea of someone being naturally superior to another. This was
used to justify slavery and the success and failures of people (as well as whole social
classes).
Knights of Labor: this was a labor union, one of the firsts to attempt to organize
unskilled workers, women, men, blacks, and whites alongside each other (they did
exclude asians on the west coast). In 1886 there were 800,000 members;these ‘knights’
held strikes and boycotts and were involved in political action, and educational/social
activities.
Important Quotes:
“The era from 1870 to 1890 is the only period of American history commonly known by
a derogatory name---The Gilded Age, after the title of an 1873 novel by Mark Twain and
Charles Dudley Warner. “Gilded” means covered with a layer of gold, but it also
suggests that the glittering surface covers a core of little real value and is therefore
deceptive. Twain and Warner were referring not only to the remarkable expansion of
the economy in this period but also to the corruption caused by corporate dominance of
the politics and to the oppressive treatment of those left behind in the scramble for
wealth. “Get rich, dishonestly if we can, honestly if we must,” was the era’s slogan,
according to The Gilded Age.” (p.656)
“The railroad made possible what is sometimes called the ‘second industrial
revolution’. Spurred by private investment and massive grants of land and money by
federal, state, and local governments, the number of miles of railroad track in the
United States tripled between 1860 and 1880 and tripled again by 1920, opening vast
new areas to commercial farming and creating a truly national market for manufactured
goods.” (p. 635).
“The idea of natural superiority of some groups to others, which before the Civil War
had been invoked to justify slavery in an otherwise free society, now reemerged in the
vocabulary of modern science to explain the success and failure of individuals and
social classes. In 1859, The British scientist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of
Species.One of the most influential works of science ever to appear, it expounded the
theory of evolution whereby plant and animal species best suited to their environment
took the place of those less able to adapt.
In a highly oversimplified form, language borrowed from Darwin, such as ‘natural
selection’ , ‘the struggle for existence’, and ‘the survival of the fittest’, entered public
discussion of social problems in the Gilded Age. According to what came to be called
Social Darwinism, evolution was as natural a process in human society as in nature, and
government must not interfere. Especially misguided, in this view, were efforts to uplift
those at the bottom of the social order, such as laws regulating conditions of work or
public assistance to the poor. The giant industrial corporation, Social Darwinists
believed, had emerged because it was better adapted to its environment than earlier
forms of enterprise.To restrict its operations by legislation would reduce society to a
more primitive level.” (p.662)
“Nowhere did capitalism penetrate more rapidly or dramatically than in the transMississippi West, whose ‘vast, trackless spaces,’ as the poet Walt Whitman called them,
were now absorbed into the expanding economy. At the close of the civil war, the
frontier of settlement did not extend far beyond the Mississippi River. To the west lay
millions of acres of fertile and mineral-rich land roamed by giant herds of buffalo
whose meat and hides provided food, clothing, and shelter for a population of more
than 250,000 Indians.
In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a celebrated lecture ‘The
Significance of the Frontier in American History,’ in which he argued that on the
western frontier the distinctive qualities of American culture were forged: individual
freedom, political democracy, and economic mobility. The West, he added, acted as a
‘safety valve,’ drawing off those dissatisfied with their situation in the East and
therefore counteracting the threat of social unrest. Turner’s was one of the most
influential interpretations of American history ever developed. But his lecture
summarized attitudes toward the West that had been widely shared among Americans
long before 1893. Ever since the beginning of colonial settlement in British North
America, the West- a region whose definition shifted as the population expanded- had
been seen as a place of opportunity for those seeking to improve their conditions in
life.” (p.643-644)
"These and other industrial leaders inspired among ordinary Americans a combination
of awe, admiration, and hostility. Depending on one's point of view, they were 'captains
of industry' whose energy and vision pushed the economy forward, or 'robber barons'
who wielded power without any accountability in an unregulated marketplace. Most
rose from modest backgrounds and seemed examples of how inventive genius and
business sense enabled Americans to seize opportunities for success. But their
dictatorial attitudes, unscrupulous methods, repressive labor politics, and exercise of
power without any democratic control led to fears that they were undermining political
and economic freedom. Concentrated wealth degraded the political process, declared
Henry Demarest Lloyd in Wealth against Commonwealth (1894), an expose of how
Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company made a mockery of economic competition and
political democracy by manipulating the market and bribing legislation. 'Liberty and
monopoly,' Lloyd concluded, 'cannot live together.'" (641)
Main Idea/Thesis: The 1870’s to the 1890’s, also known as the Gilded Age, appeared as
though it contained much promise for social and political change/advance (through the
Second industrial revolution and the West’s transformation), it was full of broken
promises and the advancement of only the upper class (as shown through the idea of
Social Darwinism and corrupted politics).
Chapter 17
Summary
Populism was introduced in the early 1890s and it was considered to be the peoples
party which assisted farmers when their businesses spiraled downward into poverty. It
sought to speak for all people in the producing class like farmers and sharecroppers.
Populists made the effort to unite white and African American farmers and appealed to
industrial workers in1894. Democrats and Populists joined to support William Jennings
Bryan who won the democratic nomination. The election of 1896 was considered to be
the first modern election and it was between William Jennings Bryan and William
McKinley in which McKinley won. The southern states were incredibly segregated and
the segregation dominated the southern politics after 1877. African American farmers
suffered the most and some southern cities offered some opportunities. In 1879 and
18880 roughly 60,000 African Americans migrated to Kansas in the Kansas Exodus
searching for political equality, freedom from violence and the right to education.
Political opportunities became more restricted for African Americans with the attempt
of voting elimination and introduction of things like poll tax, literacy tests and
Grandfather Clauses. There was the issue of heavy segregation and in the case of Plessey
v. Ferguson in which Homer Plessey refused orders to be moved due to him being
“colored” and it went up to court where it was decided that “separate but equal” was
the right thing, so many states went on and passed segregation laws. There was a great
increase in the amount of African American lynching’s, upwards of about 50 a year. In
1890 there was a major influx of 3.5 million immigrants mostly from south and Eastern
Europe, and they were willing to work in the worst conditions for a very small amount
of pay. Between 1850-1870 Chinese families began to immigrate and congress tried to
exclude the Chinese and keep them from entering. Booker T. Washington was born a
slave in 1866 and was freed where he studied at Hampton Institute in Virginia and he
became the head of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a center for vocational training. In
this time period America began to expand and soon rivaled Europe as a world power in
the age of imperialism, and with that came an updated idea of Manifest destiny. There
were many revolts and wars such as Cuba and the Philippines that involved tactics
such as guerilla warfare.
Key Terms
Coxey’s Army- band of several hindered unemployed men who were angry about the
job market led by Jacob Coxey
Kansas Exodus- mass amount of African Americans migrated to Kansas about 60,000
people did in search of things like political equality, freedom from violence and
economic success
Civil Rights Cases- the civil rights act had outlawed all racial discrimination in railroads
hotels and theaters they believed that the fourteenth amendment prohibited unequal
treatment
Lynching- when African American men were murdered by a racist mob often by means
of hanging
Emilio Aguinaldo- after Dewey’s victory in manila Bay the leader of the Philippines
established a government that was with a provisional constitution in model of the U.S.
Important Quotes
“Some white leaders presented disenfranchisement as a “good government” measure –
a means of purifying politics by ending the fraud violence and manipulation of voting
returns regularly used against republicans and populists.” (692)
“The movement continued to argue for women’s equality in employment, education,
and politics.” (702)
“When Chinese nationalists in the 1900 Boxer Rebellion killed thousands of Christian
Chinese and besieged foreign embassies in Beijing, the United States contributed over
3,000 soldiers to the international force that helped to suppress the rebellion.” (710)
“The Strike collapsed when the union’s leaders, including Eugene V. Debs were jailed
for contempt of court for violating judicial order.” (685)
“Building on the Farmers Alliance network of local institutions, the Populists embarked
on a remarkable effort of community organization and education.” (680)
Main Idea/ Thesis
Although America was developing well as a united nation, it often encountered
unsettling issues such as the awful divide of the south with segregation, issues rising
with populism and farmers, and the wars with island nations like Cuba and the
Philippines.
Chapter 18 Summary
Summary:
This chapter focuses on the progressive era and the reforms/changes that took place
within the time period. Immigrants gained better treatment with places such as
settlement houses that helped them. Women reached an awakening in which feminism
was born. Things such as birth control and sex were talked about more openly. Farmers,
immigrants, and workers of the new era continued to face problems and organizations
such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of the
World (IWW) attempted to give a voice to those dealing with the terrible conditions and
harsh lives. Lastly, as women and more immigrants continued to join the workforce the
workforce grew which resulted in a rise of consumer rates and production. Fordism
was born in this era and continues to this day.
5 Key Terms:
Bohemia-A social circle of artists, writers, and others who reject conventional rules and
practices.
Fordism- The economic system based on mass production and mass consumption
which was based on the factory production and consumer rates of Henry Ford’s cars.
Muckrakers-Journalists who expose the underside, or the lesser known conditions, of
American life through images, exposes, and other methods.
Progressivism-The support/advocacy of (social) reform
Settlement house-An organization/group/building whose purpose is to improve the
lives of the immigrant poor by offering assistance such as child care, health clinics, and
legal protection.
5 Important Quotes:
 “The word ‘Progressive’ came into common use around 1910 as a way of
describing a broad, loosely defined political movement of individuals and
groups who hoped to bring about significant change in American social and
political life. Progressives included forward looking businessmen who realized
that workers must be accorded a voice in economic decision making, and labor
activists bent on empowering industrial workers. Other major contributions to
Progressivism were members of female organizations who hoped to protect
women and children from exploitation, social scientists who believed that
academic research would help to solve social problems, and members of tan
anxious middle class who feared that their status was threatened by the rise of
big business.” (725)
 “Like their nineteenth century predecessors, the new immigrants arrived
imagining the United States as a land of freedom, where all persons enjoyed
equality before the law, could worship as they pleased, enjoyed economic
opportunity, and had been emancipated from the oppressive social hierarchies of
their homelands.” (731)
 “The new visibility of women in urban public places--at work, as shoppers, and
in new places of entertainment like cinemas and dance halls--indicated that
traditional gender roles were changing dramatically in Progressive America.”
(734)
 “The desire to participate in the consumer society produced remarkably similar
battles within immigrant families of all nationalities between parents and their
self consciously ‘free’ children, especially daughters. Contemporaries, native and
immigrant, noted how ‘the novelties and frivolities of fashion’ appealed to young
working women, who spent part of their meager wages on clothing and makeup
and at places of entertainment.” (735).
 “In Progressive America, complaints of a loss of freedom came not only from the
most poorly paid factory workers but from better off employers as well. Large
firms in the automobile, electrical, steel, and other industries sought to
implement greater control over the work process.” (738)
Main Idea/Thesis:
I believe that the main idea within chapter 18 is that although this era was named the
Progressive era it doesn’t necessarily mean that a lot changed during this time or that is
was without struggle. Laws were passed, but just because a law is passed doesn’t mean
it is followed. People spoke up but just that doesn’t mean they were heard, in fact they
were often ignored. However, it was still progressive despite these problems and this
era was critical in America becoming the great country that it is today.