-
Early Nationalistic American Lit - Noah Webster's speller & dictionary
Noah: American students should be educated as patriots, their minds filled with nationalistic, American thoughts
American Spelling Book (1783): blue-backed speller, simplified and Americanized system of spelling
American Dictionary of the English Language (1806): -
Deism
(Jefferson and Franklin)
deism: originated among Enlightenment philosphers in France
accepted existence of God, but considered Him a remote being who, after having created the universe, had withdrawn from direct involvement with the human race and its sins -
Second Great Awakening
initiated by conservative theologians to fight spread of religious rationalism, to revitalize their organizations
Individ must readmit God and Christ into daily lives, must embrace a fervent, active piety, and must reject the skeptical rationalism that threatened traditional beliefs
BUT did not revive strength of old religious institutions INSTEAD, increased belief that a person could affect his or her own destiny - indiv's serach for salvation
freethinkers declined: REVIVALISM - WOMEN's role -
Slater's Mill
built spinning mill for the Quaker merchant Moses Brown in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
first modern factory in America
although the british govt attempted to protect the nation's manufacturing preeminence by preventing export of textile machinary or emmigration of skilled mechanics, slater was one of those immigrants from England with advanced knowledge of English technology -
Turnpike Era - Erie Canal
a corporation constructed a toll road running the 60 miles from Phily to Lancaster, with a hard-packed surface of crushed rock
proved so soccessful that several other companies laid out similar turnpikes from other cities to neighboring towns
construction costs had to be low and prospective traffic heavy enough to ensure an early and ample return
as a restult, these roads ran short distances and through thickly settled areas -
Eli Whitney's 1793 Cotton Gin
results: cotton growing spread into upland South and total crop increased eightfold
african american slavery, which had declined after the decline of tobacco production, regained its importance, expanded, and became more firmly fixed
transformed north: manufacturing preeminence emerged with development of textile industry
contributed to Civil War
contributed to development of modern warfare: interchangeable parts -
Eli Whitney's method for producing guns with standarized parts
devised a machine to make each part of a gun according to an exact pattern
tasks could be divided among several workers, and one laborer could assemble a weapon out of parts made by several others
manufacturers of sewing machines, clocks, and many other complicated products were using the same system -
Early Nationalistic American Lit - Washington Irving
won wide acclaim for his satirical histories of early american life and powerful fables of society in New World
popular folk tales: recounting adventures of american rustics made him widely acknowledged leader of american literary life in 19 c -
Thomas Jefferson's Presidency
oversaw a drastic reduction in the powers of some national institutions, and it forestalled the development of new powers in areas where feds would have attempted to expand them
appointed members of his own party who shared his philosophy -
Jefferson's fiscal and military policies
pursuaded congress to abolish all internal taxes, leaving customs duties and the sale of western lands as only source of revenue for gvt
reduced government spending
scaled down armed forces - 4000 to 2500 men
cut navy from 25 ships to 7 and reduced number of officers and sailors
est US Military Academy at WP -
Marbury vs Madison
act of 1789 gave court the power to compel executive officials to act in such matters as delivery of commissions, but court ruled that congress had exceeded its authority in creating that statue; legislature had no right to expand them
justices repudiated a relatively minor power (the power to force the delivery of a commission) by asserting a vastly greater one (the power to nullify an act of Congress)
Marshall: presiding judge: est judiciary as a branch of govt coequal with executive and legis -
john Marshall
chief justice of US of Madison vs MArbury ruling
neglected to deliver Marbury's commission
est himself as dominant figure on the court, shaping all its most important rulings
battled to give fed govt unity and strength: est judiciary as equal branch with executive and legislature -
1803 LA Purchase
jefferson instructed robert livingston to negotiate purchase of new orleans while jefferson persuaded congress to appropriate funds for an expansion of army and construction of a river fleet (to give impression that american forces might soon descend on new orleans and US would form alliance with GB if problems with France were not resolved)
Napolean accepted livingston's proposal and offered US the LA territory
reasons: Napolean was prep for a renewed war in europe, yellow fever, late back up -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clar, with a company of four dozen men, started up Missouri River and with the help of Sacajawea as their guide, crossed the Rocky Mts, descended Snake and Columbia Rivers, and camped on the pacific coast
1806, they were back in st. louis with records of geography and indian civilizations they had observed -
Early Nationalistic American Lit - Mercy Otis Warren
influential playwright and agitator
wrote history that glorified nation's past
History of the Rev (1805) - emphasized heroism of american struggle -
Development of steamship/Robert Fulton & Clermont
Olver Evans's development of a high-pressure engine, lighter and more efficient than James Watt's, which made steam more feasible for powering boats
Fulton: responsible for perfecting the steamboat and bringing it to the attention of the nation
Clermont was equipped with paddle wheels and an English-built engine, sailed up Hudson - demonstrating practicability of steam navigation -
Embargo Act of !807-9
prohibited american ships from leaving the US for any foreign port anywhere in the word
Congress also passed a force act, to give gvt power to enforce the embargo
law was widely evaded but effective to create a serious depression through most of the nation -
James Madison's Presidency
Madison tried to maintain the peace after the Chesapeake-Leopard incident
helped jefferson expell all british warships from american waters, to lessen the likelihood of futrue incidents
sent instructions to his minsiter in england, james monroe, to demand that the british government renounce impressment -
Non Intercourse Act of 1809-10, Macon's Bill No2
NI Act - reopened trade with all nations but GB and France
a year later, Congress allowed the NI Act to expire and replaced it with Macon's Bill No2 which reopened free commercial relations with Britain and France, but authorized president to prohibit commerce with either belligerent if one should continue violating neutral shipping after the other had stopped -
William Henry Harrison, 1811 Battle of tippencanoe vs tecumseh
Willaim: sent to administer president's proposed solution to the indian problem: assimiliation, or migration to W of MI (either way, would have to give up NW territory)
Tecumseh: united tribes and attracted indians to fight against white settlers
battled out at tippecanoe Creek: Americans won but with many casualties
result: idea to drive british out of canada and annex that province to US -
War of 1812
causes: GB's growing restrictions on american commerce were threatening to cut off american farmers from access to world markets, desire for FLORIDA
end effects: americans gave up demand for british renunciation of impressment and for cession of canada to us
british abandoned call for their creation of an indian buffer state in NW and made other, minor territorial concessions -
1814 Treaty of Ghent terms and effects
brit were exhausted and in debt from prolonged conflict with napoleon and eager to settle lesser dispute in NA
Americans realized that with the defeat of napoleon, british would no longer have much incentive to interfere with american commerce
long-term inprovement in anglo-american relations
commercial treaty in 1815 gave americans right to trade freely with england -
Hartford Convention
reasserted right of nullification and proposed seven amendments to constituion - amendments designed to protect new england from the growing influence of the south and the west
hartford convention and fed party came to seem futile: irrelevant, even treasonable
virtual death blow to the fed party -
Education in US as of 1815
Jefferson: universal elementary education (little support)
mid-Atlantic & South: religious groups ran most schools; NE: private academies (secular - accepted mainly male students
Native Indians: Jefferson believed teaching "noble savages" would tame and uplift tribes; but little action was taken to initiate such education
little to none believed there was a need to edu. african americas - southern slave owners tried to prevent them from learning, fearful that knowledge would promote rebellions -
Women's Education 1815
women should be educated to raise children to be enlightened - started female edu. but men believed it should only serve to make women better wives and mothers (no need for advanced training)
1784: Judith Sargent Murray: published essay defending women's right, men and women were equal in intellect and potential, so: same edu opp as men, opp to earn their own living, est a role for themselves in society apart from husbands and families (little support)
female ill. rate: 50%