Explain The Most Important Highlights And Concepts Of The Jacksonian Era
LESSON 8 - American Reforms
Objectives:
Identify and explain the most important highlights and concepts of the Jacksonian Era
Identify various minority groups who gained additional rights during this era
The Impact of Various Religious Movements
Jacksonian democracy encouraged individualism and personal responsibility. Those ideas were grounded in a religious movement called the Second Great Awakening. Preachers told their congregations that each person was responsible for their own salvation, thereby improving themselves and their destiny. Charles Finney was a leader in this movement. Church attendance increased greatly.
The Unitarian Church, strong in the power of the individual, grew in the New England area. In New England, Transcendentalism began with Ralph Waldo Emerson. This philosophy encouraged people to live simple lives and enjoy the simple truths found in nature, but did not present any organized belief system. In Philadelphia, Richard Allen founded an African American church, and in 1830 held the first annual convention of free African-Americans.
People started to believe society could be improved by following these simple ideas. It was during the 1830’s that Americans started funding tax-supported public schools. By the 1850’s, every state was establishing these schools by law. These laws were more …show more content…
enforced in the North. Two of society’s greatest influential people were Horace Mann, who strongly supported public education, and Dorothea Dix, who campaigned for reform in the treatment of the mental illness. Others worked to improve the prison system, and still others attempted to create utopian (ideal) communities.
The Growth of the Abolitionist Movement
Abolitionists fought to end slavery and make it illegal.
Free African Americans had worked for ending slavery for many years, and slowly white Americans joined the cause. Religious leaders like Finney taught that slavery was sinful. The Liberator was a newspaper started by William Lloyd Garrison that was solely dedicated to the abolition movement. Garrison did not agree with a slow end to slavery but demanded an immediate end to the practice. David Walker was a free black who encouraged African-Americans to fight for their freedom. Frederick Douglass, a slave who escaped, gave speeches against slavery and he published an anti-slavery
newspaper.
Even during this debate over slavery, the number of slaves doubled from 1810 to 1830. There were now about equal numbers of male and female slaves. Slaves worked long hours on the plantations, and others slaves worked in the plantation owner's house as butlers, cooks, and maids. In addition, African-American slaves supplied labor needed in cities, working in textile mills, mines, and lumber yards.
A Virginia slave named Nat Turner organized a slave rebellion in 1831. Turner and his men attacked at least five plantations and killed the plantation owners. It was during the sixth attack that many of Turner's men were killed. Turner was eventually arrested and executed for his actions.
Nat Turner
Because of the Turner rebellion, there were Virginia lawmakers who proposed abolishing slavery in the state. After a long and arduous debate the bill was defeated, but the vote was very close. Another result of the Turner revolt was to enact more laws controlling the actions of African-Americans. State legislatures passed laws restricting African-Americans’ rights to preach, testify in court, own property, or even learn to read. Some Southerners defended slavery and even some Southern ministers agreed that slavery and Christianity could coexist. In Congress, the Northern representatives introduced bills abolishing slavery, but the Southern members passed a "gag rule" that prevented any debate for or against slavery.
The Birth of Women's Rights Movement
Women did not enjoy many rights in the early 1800s. Social customs expected women to care for the house. This was known as the 'cult of domesticity.' Even though about one in ten women worked outside the home, they could earn only half of what men earned for performing the exact same work. Neither could women vote nor could they serve on juries. Many states required wives to give their property to their husbands.
Inspired by the Second Great Awakening, middle-class white women started supporting the joined the reform movements. Sarah and Angelina Grimke wrote articles and gave speeches against slavery, even though they came from a slave-holding family. Mary Vaughan was a leader in the temperance movement, which was an effort to ban alcohol. Emma Willard and Mary Lyon were two female leaders who worked to increase the educational opportunities for females. Oberlin College was one of the first to admit women into its school. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female medical college graduate and she opened a hospital dedicated to women. An African-American woman took the name Sojourner Truth and traveled throughout the country giving speeches and working towards the abolition of slavery. In the campaign for women's rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the Seneca Falls Convention, where more than 300 women, and many men, gathered and adopted the "Declaration of Sentiments" urging laws that would ensure the equal rights of women.
The growth in factories changed lives. Before the 1820s, textile makers spun the thread in factories and then people worked at home to produce clothing. By the 1830s, the mills were manufacturing all clothing in the factory. More industries followed by moving to the factory system. This system replaced many skilled craftsmen because unskilled workers could use the machines to produce the goods. These were considered good jobs with more opportunity, and many people left the farming jobs to work in the factories.
Factory workers were often young, unmarried girls, especially in the mills located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Factory owners hired young girls because they could pay them lower wages than male workers. Conditions were poor in these factories, and workers were forced to work very long hours in both extreme heat and cold with few or no breaks. The mills cut their wages in 1834, and about 800 mill girls attempted a strike by stopping their work and demanding that they be paid their regular wages. They did not win and had to give in to the factory owners. Two years later they attempted another strike two years later, but again, were not successful.
The Influence of America's Immigrants
From 1845 to 1854, approximately 3 million immigrants moved to the United States. About 1 million of these immigrants were from Ireland, where they escaped famine due to the failure of the potato crop. Irish immigrants tended to form their own communities within larger Eastern cities, where they experienced prejudice because of their Roman Catholic religion and their poverty.
During the 1830’s and 1840’s, industry workers attempted many strikes to try to improve wages and working conditions. Factory owners usually prevailed, and often they just hired new workers. These workers were generally immigrants because they were willing to work for lower wages. Some immigrants did join trade unions, and the National Trades' Union was formed in 1834. Bankers and factory owners tried to prevent the establishment of unions, but in 1842, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, stated that workers had the right to strike.
Suggested Reading:
USHistory.org online textbook: Chapter 23
http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp
Lesson 8 Review
Directions: For each question, present the answer in complete sentences with supporting information from the Lesson. Do not copy and paste from the Lessons or Internet resources, but answer in your own words to demonstrate understanding of the material.
1. How did the Second Great Awakening contribute to reform movements?
2. What resulted from the Nat Turner Rebellion?
3. How did women's social and labor position contribute to the rise of a women's movement?
4. What problems did industrial workers have in their jobs?
5. What impact did immigrants have on labor and industry? Do you see any similarities to our labor situation today?
6. Conduct research to identify the real name of the woman who called herself "Sojourner Truth" and write her biosketch. Why do you think she chose this name for herself? Do not copy/paste from the internet, but paraphrase the information. Don't forget to cite any resources you use in your biosketch.
Objectives:
Identify and explain the most important highlights and concepts of the Jacksonian Era
Identify various minority groups who gained additional rights during this era
The Impact of Various Religious Movements
Jacksonian democracy encouraged individualism and personal responsibility. Those ideas were grounded in a religious movement called the Second Great Awakening. Preachers told their congregations that each person was responsible for their own salvation, thereby improving themselves and their destiny. Charles Finney was a leader in this movement. Church attendance increased greatly.
The Unitarian Church, strong in the power of the individual, grew in the New England area. In New England, Transcendentalism began with Ralph Waldo Emerson. This philosophy encouraged people to live simple lives and enjoy the simple truths found in nature, but did not present any organized belief system. In Philadelphia, Richard Allen founded an African American church, and in 1830 held the first annual convention of free African-Americans.
People started to believe society could be improved by following these simple ideas. It was during the 1830’s that Americans started funding tax-supported public schools. By the 1850’s, every state was establishing these schools by law. These laws were more …show more content…
enforced in the North. Two of society’s greatest influential people were Horace Mann, who strongly supported public education, and Dorothea Dix, who campaigned for reform in the treatment of the mental illness. Others worked to improve the prison system, and still others attempted to create utopian (ideal) communities.
The Growth of the Abolitionist Movement
Abolitionists fought to end slavery and make it illegal.
Free African Americans had worked for ending slavery for many years, and slowly white Americans joined the cause. Religious leaders like Finney taught that slavery was sinful. The Liberator was a newspaper started by William Lloyd Garrison that was solely dedicated to the abolition movement. Garrison did not agree with a slow end to slavery but demanded an immediate end to the practice. David Walker was a free black who encouraged African-Americans to fight for their freedom. Frederick Douglass, a slave who escaped, gave speeches against slavery and he published an anti-slavery
newspaper.
Even during this debate over slavery, the number of slaves doubled from 1810 to 1830. There were now about equal numbers of male and female slaves. Slaves worked long hours on the plantations, and others slaves worked in the plantation owner's house as butlers, cooks, and maids. In addition, African-American slaves supplied labor needed in cities, working in textile mills, mines, and lumber yards.
A Virginia slave named Nat Turner organized a slave rebellion in 1831. Turner and his men attacked at least five plantations and killed the plantation owners. It was during the sixth attack that many of Turner's men were killed. Turner was eventually arrested and executed for his actions.
Nat Turner
Because of the Turner rebellion, there were Virginia lawmakers who proposed abolishing slavery in the state. After a long and arduous debate the bill was defeated, but the vote was very close. Another result of the Turner revolt was to enact more laws controlling the actions of African-Americans. State legislatures passed laws restricting African-Americans’ rights to preach, testify in court, own property, or even learn to read. Some Southerners defended slavery and even some Southern ministers agreed that slavery and Christianity could coexist. In Congress, the Northern representatives introduced bills abolishing slavery, but the Southern members passed a "gag rule" that prevented any debate for or against slavery.
The Birth of Women's Rights Movement
Women did not enjoy many rights in the early 1800s. Social customs expected women to care for the house. This was known as the 'cult of domesticity.' Even though about one in ten women worked outside the home, they could earn only half of what men earned for performing the exact same work. Neither could women vote nor could they serve on juries. Many states required wives to give their property to their husbands.
Inspired by the Second Great Awakening, middle-class white women started supporting the joined the reform movements. Sarah and Angelina Grimke wrote articles and gave speeches against slavery, even though they came from a slave-holding family. Mary Vaughan was a leader in the temperance movement, which was an effort to ban alcohol. Emma Willard and Mary Lyon were two female leaders who worked to increase the educational opportunities for females. Oberlin College was one of the first to admit women into its school. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female medical college graduate and she opened a hospital dedicated to women. An African-American woman took the name Sojourner Truth and traveled throughout the country giving speeches and working towards the abolition of slavery. In the campaign for women's rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the Seneca Falls Convention, where more than 300 women, and many men, gathered and adopted the "Declaration of Sentiments" urging laws that would ensure the equal rights of women.
The growth in factories changed lives. Before the 1820s, textile makers spun the thread in factories and then people worked at home to produce clothing. By the 1830s, the mills were manufacturing all clothing in the factory. More industries followed by moving to the factory system. This system replaced many skilled craftsmen because unskilled workers could use the machines to produce the goods. These were considered good jobs with more opportunity, and many people left the farming jobs to work in the factories.
Factory workers were often young, unmarried girls, especially in the mills located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Factory owners hired young girls because they could pay them lower wages than male workers. Conditions were poor in these factories, and workers were forced to work very long hours in both extreme heat and cold with few or no breaks. The mills cut their wages in 1834, and about 800 mill girls attempted a strike by stopping their work and demanding that they be paid their regular wages. They did not win and had to give in to the factory owners. Two years later they attempted another strike two years later, but again, were not successful.
The Influence of America's Immigrants
From 1845 to 1854, approximately 3 million immigrants moved to the United States. About 1 million of these immigrants were from Ireland, where they escaped famine due to the failure of the potato crop. Irish immigrants tended to form their own communities within larger Eastern cities, where they experienced prejudice because of their Roman Catholic religion and their poverty.
During the 1830’s and 1840’s, industry workers attempted many strikes to try to improve wages and working conditions. Factory owners usually prevailed, and often they just hired new workers. These workers were generally immigrants because they were willing to work for lower wages. Some immigrants did join trade unions, and the National Trades' Union was formed in 1834. Bankers and factory owners tried to prevent the establishment of unions, but in 1842, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, stated that workers had the right to strike.
Suggested Reading:
USHistory.org online textbook: Chapter 23
http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp
Lesson 8 Review
Directions: For each question, present the answer in complete sentences with supporting information from the Lesson. Do not copy and paste from the Lessons or Internet resources, but answer in your own words to demonstrate understanding of the material.
1. How did the Second Great Awakening contribute to reform movements?
2. What resulted from the Nat Turner Rebellion?
3. How did women's social and labor position contribute to the rise of a women's movement?
4. What problems did industrial workers have in their jobs?
5. What impact did immigrants have on labor and industry? Do you see any similarities to our labor situation today?
6. Conduct research to identify the real name of the woman who called herself "Sojourner Truth" and write her biosketch. Why do you think she chose this name for herself? Do not copy/paste from the internet, but paraphrase the information. Don't forget to cite any resources you use in your biosketch.