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Dreams of Shaping Society
The Puritans who colonized New England came to build a new society, a society in which they could freely practice their religion. Every single person was searching for freedom of speech and an elected. -
The Crisis of Slavery
African Americans in the country were enslaved: treated ad property, forced to work for others, torn in many cases from their own families, and subject to various other abuses and cruelties. -
A Historic Convention
The rights of property were limited. The most interesting thing is that women did not yet have the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady and Lucretia Mott helped organize the Seneca Falls Conventions, which met to discuss women´s rights. -
A Nation Comes of Age
During this time, important issues such as the freedom of African Americans, the rights of women, and the rights of workers were discussed and argued. The United States was reshaped, no just by reforms, but by forces such as war. -
Civil War
When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, the division between North and South only sharpened. After years of suffering and devastation, the North won the war in 1865. -
Expansion and Progress
Before the Civil War, the country had been busily expanding, adding new territories and states as settlers pushed west, seeking land. For the first time, electricity was being used on a large scale for everything from city lights to factory machines. -
Reform Movements
Immigration was reshaping the nation, reforms were attempting to transform society. During this period, women also began pursuing political and economic rights equal to men´s. -
The Movement for Women´s Rights
Reformers such as Stanton, Mott, and Susan B. Their tactics included lobbying politicians, holding public lectures, publishing newspapers, picketing, and marching. -
Social Progress
Some states had passed laws giving women the right to their own property, although their husbands still had the right to manage the shared property However, some states allowing women to vote. -
A Legacy of Protest
The issues of power and change raised during the period were not resolved once and for all. New eras of protest were born in the effort to end racial discrimination. Women´s lives had generally improved but voting equality was still an unachieved goal.