Course material

1. Discussion: The Civil War and Reconstruction
writing question and need guidance to help me learn.
Describe the idea behind Manifest Destiny. Do you think the United States was or was
starting to become an empire? Why or why not?
Answer in less than 550 words.
Requirements: 550 words or less
JACKSONIAN AMERICAHIST 11 US History to 1877Spring 2022Dr. Rebecca Simon
Agenda■Book/Film Recs■Part I: Andrew Jackson■New Opposition ■End of Caucus
System■Election of 1824■President John Quincy Adams■The Election of 1828■President
Andrew Jackson■Voting Rights■The Dorr Rebellion■Democratic Reforms■Alexis de
Tocqueville and Democracy in America■The Political Party■The President for the
Common Man■Part II: Crisis and Native AmericansÐThings to RememberÐSupreme Court
and Native AmericansÐWhite Attitudes Toward TribesÐThe Black Hawk WarÐNative
Americans in the SouthÐIndian Removal ActÐCherokee ResistanceÐThe Trail of Tears:
Cherokee RemovalÐThe Trail of Tears: Indian Removal ÐSeminole WarÐWhat Does
Removal Mean?ÐAlternatives?ÐReservations
Book/Film Recs■BooksÐAmerican Democracy by Alexis de TocquevilleÐAmerican Lion:
Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon MeachamÐBury My Heart at Wounded Knee by
Dee BrownÐCeremony by Leslie Marmon SilkoÐThere, There by Tommy OrangeÐPushing
the Bear: A Novel of the Trail of Tears by Diane GlancyÐTracks by Louise Erdrich ÐTonto
and the Lone Ranger Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman AlexieÐAmerican Indian Myths and
Legends by Richard Erdoesand Alfonso OrtizÐWhen the Light of the World Was Subdued,
Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native American Poetry by Jo
HarjoÐFacing East from Indian Country by Daniel K. Richter ÐAn Indigenous PeopleÕs
History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar OrtizÐKilling Custer by James
Welch■FilmsÐAndrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency [PBS documentary]ÐSongs
by Brothers Taught Me [Filmatique]ÐIndian Horse [Netflix]ÐSmoke Signals
[YouTube]ÐGather (documentary) [Amazon Prime]ÐShouting Secrets [Amazon
Prime]ÐReel Injun (documentary) [Amazon Prime]ÐDances With Wolves *with a grain of
salt [Netflix]ÐBury My Heart at Wounded Knee [HBO Max/Hulu/Amazon

2. Prime]ÐDrunktownÕsFinest [rent]ÐRumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World
(documentary) [rent]ÐNative America (documentary) [PBS]ÐKen BurnÕs The West
(documentary) [PBS]
PART I: ANDREW JACKSON
New Opposition■Post-1816: Federalist Party has no presidential nominee and becomes
defunct■Republican Party: organization representing the population becomes only
organized political force■1820s: Partisan divisions come back ■Republicans resemble
early Federalists (remember Ðthey come from Federalists!)■Opposition does not like
federal govts expanding role in economy■1820s: Controversy focused on HOW nation
should continue to expand
End of Caucus System■Until 1820: Presidential candidates were nominated by caucuses of
two parties on Congress■Presidential Election of 1824: caucus overthrown■William H.
Crawford of Georgia: Republican caucus nominee, secretary of treasury■John Quincy
Adams: Secretary of State emerges as another nominee; not liked by the people■Henry
Clay: Speaker of the House is another nominee; had personal followingÐÔAmerican
SystemÕ: proposal to create home market for factory and farm producers by raising
protective tariff, strengthening national bank, and financing internal
improvements■Andrew Jackson: No political record although member of US Senate;
military hero of 1812 with political allies from TNWilliam H. CrawfordHenry Clay
Election of 1824■Jackson receives most popular and electoral college votes (99
total)■House of Representatives has to choose from top 3 candidates ■Henry Clay is top
rival ■Clay supports Adams for being a nationalist and supporter of American System
■Adams wins election in the House■Jacksonian supporters enraged, esp. when Clay named
Secretary of State
President John Quincy Adams■Loads of bitterness over his win■Adams tries to pass
American System; Jacksonians block it■Appoints delegates to international conference
called by Venezuelan liberator Sim—n Bol’var (1826); southerners opposed it because Haiti
was involved and did not want to mingle with black delegates■Tries to stop GA from
removing Creek and Cherokee Indians but fails ■Supported new tariffs on imported goods
(supported by MA and RI)■ÔTariff of AbominationsÕ (1828): Tariff has to accept duties on
other items from West, angers original New England supporters; price of raw materials goes
up and angers the Southerners
The Election of 1828■1828: New two-party system emerges■National Republicans:
support John Quincy Adams and economic nationalism ■Democratic Republicans:
Jacksonians who wanted to attack privilege and create more opportunities; oppose
Ôeconomic aristocracyÕ■Jacksonians say Adams was guilty of Ôgross waste and
extravaganceÕ and used govt funds to buy gambling houses■AdamsÕs supporters called
Jackson a murderer Ðpublish Ôcoffin handbillÕ: names of militiamen Jackson said to have
shot in cold blood during War of 1812■JacksonÕs wife called a bigamist (he married her
before her divorce was complete)■VERY divisive but Jackson wins 56% pop vote and
electoral majority 178 to 83
President Andrew Jackson■Born 1767 in small village in Carolinas; kidnapped during
American Revolution ■JacksonÕs face slashed with a sword when he refused to clean a

3. British soldierÕs boot Ðforever hated the British ■Became a lawyer Ðmostly worked with
land claims■1796: TN delegate for constitutional convention and becomes US Congressman
■1797: Becomes US Senator but resigns■1798 Ð1804: Appointed judge of Tennessee
Supreme Court■Prosperous planter/merchant with large plantation of 300 enslaved
people (Hermitage, Davidson County, TN Ð1804)■Major general who fought Native
Americans ■General in War of 1812 Ðbecomes known as Old Hickory because of toughness
in battle
Voting Rights■1820s: Few Americans allowed to vote Ðmostly white landowners
(men)■New states create constitutions allowing all white men the right to vote to
encourage people to move west■Big controversy in New England Ðconservative delegates
said power should come from landowning ■Reformers cite Declaration of Independence
Ðlife, liberty, pursuit of happiness, NOT property, were concerns of government
The Dorr Rebellion■Rhode Island: democratization of voting creates instability ■RI
Constitution still banned over half of adult males from voting ■1840: Thomas W. Dorr
(lawyer, activist) and followers form PeopleÕs Party and draft new constitution and submit
it to popular vote ■People approve PeopleÕs Party but legislature refuses and creates new
constitution but is defeated ■Dorritesset up new government with constitution (Dorr is
governor)■1842: both governments claim legitimacy in RI■Dorritestry to capture state
arsenal but fail ■Dorr surrenders and imprisoned
Democratic Reforms■South: election laws favors landowners■Enslaved people not citizens
Ðno legal/political rights■Free blacks could NOT vote in the South and barely in the North
■No women could vote■Number of voters still increased ■1828: electors were now
chosen by popular vote rather than just electoral college
Alexis de Tocqueville and Democracy In America■Tocqueville: French aristocrat who spent
two years in US to observe political changes in age of Jackson ■French govt wanted him to
study American prisons Ðthought to be more humane and effective than those in
Europe■Instead writes a study about democracy based on observations ■Examines
politics and daily lives of Americans Ðcultures, associations, and views of politics
■Traditional aristocracies were fading in America Ðnew elites could rise and fall
■American democracy had limits: powerful for white men, but not for women who had
many of their own ideas ■Argued democracy was a distant hope for many Americans
The Political Party■Expanded electorate + growing interest in politics and strengthening of
party organization = high popular vote■Permanent institutionalized parties became
desirable amongst people ■Parties transformed into permanent oppositions to survive
■Each party must have a specific sense of purpose■Election of 1828 legitimized idea of the
party as a democratic institution ■1830s: fully-formed two-party system begins operating
at national level committed to their own existence as institution while accepting legitimacy
of opposition ■Anti-Jacksonians begin calling themselves Whigs; Jacksonians call
themselves Democrats
The President for the Common Man■Jackson argued that democracy should offer equal
protection, equal benefits to all white male citizens Ðintended to increase opportunities for
rising West and South classes■Big assault on east coast aristocracy■Big commitment to
subjugating African Americans and Native Americans Ðmust be kept away from white-male

4. democracy to preserve it■Argued that federal offices should be based on merit■Spoils
System: right of elected officials to appoint their own followers to public office■Caucuses
replaced by political conventions for people to choose presidential candidates■All intended
to limit power of elites but did not give people back to the people in reality
PART II: CRISIS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
Things to Remember■Relationships between Americans and Native Americans shaky at
best■Very little trust due to land ownership disagreements and
disenfranchisement■Native Americans are being displaced and pushed further and further
west■Some sided with British during War of 1812■Result: President Andrew Jackson
HATES Native Americans■JacksonÕs attitudes against Native Americans are the same as
most white Americans
Supreme (Marshall) Court and Native Americans■Johnson vs. McIntosh (1823)ÐIllinois and
Pinakeshawtribes sold land to white settlers but then signed treaty that gave that land to
fed govtÐGovt gives homesteaders landÐDecision: tribes have rights to their lands, only fed
govt could take land from tribes■Worcester vs. Georgia (1832)ÐCourt invalidates GA law
that regulates access by US citizens to Cherokee country; only fed govt could do that
ÐMarshall says tribes are sovereign entities same as GA is sovereign territoryÐKept tribesÕ
rights away from government■Marshall DecisionsÐDefined pace for tribes within
American political systemsÐTribes have basic property rights separate from federal
governmentÐFederal government has ultimate authority over tribal affairs
White Attitudes Toward Tribes■Noble Savage: people without real civilization but have
enough dignity to become civilized ■Paternalistic attitude transforming into hostile one,
especially in western regions ■ÔNobel savageÕ reduced to ÔsavageÕ Ðuncivilized and
impossible to civilize ■Whites believe they should not live near Native Americans Ðpro-
removalÐFear of conflict/violenceÐDesire for westward expansion
The Black Hawk War, 1831 Ð1832 ■Context: long expulsion of Native Americans from
northwestern regions (Illinois); earlier treaty had ceded Illinois land to whites■Battle
between white settlers and alliance of Sauk and Fox Indians led by warrior Black
Hawk■Black Hawk refuses to acknowledge treaty; thousands of Native Americans go back
and take empty lands■White settlers called it invasion; assemble militia and federal troops
Black Hawk War Continued■White military efforts vicious ■Goal: exterminate the Ôbandit
collection of IndiansÕ■White military attacks Native Americans after they
surrender■Sauksand Foxes retreat across Mississippi River; illness, injury, starvation
■White troops follow and slaughter most of them with help from Sioux■Black Hawk
captured and sent on tour in East
Native Americans in the South■ÔFive Civilized Tribes:Õ Cherokee, Creek, Seminole,
Chickasaw, and Choctaw Ðin Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida■Tribes had permanent
settlements, agricultural societies, good economies and trade■Cherokees (GA) have
sophisticated culture with written language and constitution (1827) ÐIndependent
Cherokee Nation; had given up many traditional ways; mostly all farmers, women domestic
work■Some whites consider Cherokees to be ÕcivilizedÕ
Indian Removal Act, 1830■Government wants to move Southern Indians west ■Georgia
had attempted to remove all Creeks■GA, AL, MI pass laws to regulate tribes■Indian

5. Removal Act: Congress gives money to negotiate with tribes to move west■Jackson sends
federal officials to negotiate 100 new treaties with tribes■Many tribes too weak to resist
and cede lands; others refused
Cherokee Resistance■Cherokees somewhat vindicated by Marshall decisions■Jackson has
no sympathy for Cherokees; no patience for the Court■JacksonÕs goal: keep support of
white southerners and westerners■1835: government makes treaty with small faction of
Cherokee tribes Ðno actual Cherokee representative■Treaty: Sells Cherokee land to GA for
$5 million and a reservation west of Mississippi River■Majority of 17,000 Cherokees do not
recognize treaty and refuse to leave■General Winfield Scott: leads army of 7,000 to drive
them west under orders of President Jackson
The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Removal■1,000 Cherokees flee to North Carolina■NC gives
them a small reservation in Smoke Mountains■Winter 1838: Rest are forced on a march to
ÔIndian TerritoryÕ (Oklahoma)■ÔEven aged females were traveling with heavy burdens
attached to their backs, sometimes on frozen ground and sometimes on muddy streets, with
no covering for their feet.Õ ÐAnonymous Kentuckian ■Thousands die before reaching
Indian Country ■Survivors refer to journey as ÔTrail of TearsÕ (ÔThe Trail Where They
CriedÕ)■Jackson claims Ôremnant of that ill-fated race is beyond the reach of injury or
oppressionÕ Ðjustification
Trail of Tears: Indian Removal■1830 Ð1838: All Five Civilized Tribes were forced out of
South to relocate to Indian Territory■Indian Intercourse Act of 1834: creates official Indian
Territory■1830: Choctaws of MI and AL first to be forced out ■1836: Creeks of AL and GA
forced out■1837: Chickasaws of MI forced out■1838: Cherokees forced out of FL■Indian
territory is land ÔundesirableÕ to whites Ðno threat■ÔGreat Western Desert:Õ land
considered unfit for settlement Ðthis is Indian Territory ■Idea is whites wouldnÕt bother
moving there
Seminole War, 1835 Ð1842 ■Only tribe who successfully resists relocation ■Treaties of
PayneÕs Landing, 1832 Ð1833: Seminoles cede land to government and agree to move to
Indian Territory within 3 years■Most move west, the rest stay under leadership of chieftain
Osceola■1835: Osceola stages uprising to defend lands joined by runaway black enslaved
people■Federal troops fight against guerilla Seminoles and African Americans in
Everglades■Osceola captured under a flag of truce, dies in prison■White troops seek to
exterminate all Seminoles and African Americans■1,500 white soldiers killed, costs
government $20 million ■OsceolaÕs followers STILL stay■1842: Government abandons
war■Relocation of Seminoles never completed but many are killed
What Does Removal Mean?■End of 1830s: Almost all Indian societies east of Mississippi
forced West■Tribes forced to give up 100 million acres of eastern land■Receive $68
million and 32 million acres of terrible land between Missouri and Red Rivers■Tribes
divided up into reservations surrounded by US forts to keep them from leaving■Climate
and region totally unfamiliar to all tribes
Alternatives?■White people would never stop moving westward no matter what ■In some
areas Whites and Native Americans lived side by side and created a shared (inequal)
world■Examples: New Mexico pueblos; fur trading forts in Pacific Northwest; Texas and

6. California comingle with settlers from Mexico, Canada, US■Sometimes close contact was all
right■Sometimes close contract was horrible■Reality: Whites would never consider Native
Americans to be equal, would never stop moving west, and removal was inevitable
Reservations■An enclosed region where Native Americans live isolated away from white
society■Removed Native Americans from good land for white settlers■Whites hoped to
ÕreformÕ Native Americans Ðreservations seen as the solutionÐArgument: Native
Americans would learn the ways of civilization in protected settingÐReality: Reservations
are poor lands, much poverty, few resources
WESTWARD EXPANSIONHIST 11 US History to 1877Spring 2022Dr. Rebecca Simon
Agenda■Book/Film Recs■Manifest Destiny■Americans in Texas■Texas vs. United
States■Texas Independence■Oregon■Westward Migration■Life on the Trail■President
James K. Polk■Southwest and California■Mexican-American War■California Gold
Rush■Compromise of 1850
Book/Film Recs■BooksÐAcross the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of
Hattie Campbell by Kristiana GregoryÐLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls
WilderÐThe Gates of the Alamo by Stephen HarriganÐA Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War
with the United States by Timothy J. HendersonÐThe Sisters Brothers by Patrick de
WittÐDaughter of Fortune by Isabel AllendeÐThe Age of Gold by HW Brands■FilmsÐThe
Sisters Brothers [Netflix]ÐThe West: 1806 Ð1887 [PBS]ÐHow the West was Won
[Netflix]ÐThe Alamo [rent]
Manifest Destiny■Nationalistic idea that it was AmericansÕ God-given right to expand
boundaries across North America■ItÕs altruistic! We are spreading American liberty to
new places! YAY!■Racial justification: idea is ÒnonwhiteÓ people of the territories could be
absorbed into the American system ■Indians, Mexicans, etcsaid to be racially unfit to be
part of an American community so we must spread our political system!■Some visioned an
empire that would include Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Pacific Islands■Opposition:
would reopen controversy over slavery and threaten the stability of the Union (SPOILER
ALERT! They were right)
Éit is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the
continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiementof
liberty and federative self government entrusted to us.-John L. Sullivan (1845)
Americans in Texas■Mexico initially claimed by US as part of Louisiana Purchase but
renounced claim in 1819■Texas is Mexican territory Ðrefused to sell it to US■1820s:
Mexican government encouraged American emigration to strengthen economy■Idea: Make
Americans loyal to Mexican government; establishment buffer zone against US expansion
and Native American hostility■1830s: 7,000 Americans in Texas (double amount of
Mexicans)■Stephen S. Austin: est. first legal American settlement in 1832■1826: American
revolt to make Texas an independent nation Ðcrushed by Mexico■1830: Mexico bans
American immigration■1833: Mexico reopens American immigration Ðtoo many sneaking
through anyways■1835: 30,000 Americans (white and black) in Texas
Texas vs. United States■Tensions start when Mexicans ban slavery from Texas

7. (1830)■Austin wants peaceful settlement ■Other Americans want independence■General
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: Mexican general who seizes power and creates autocratic
rule in Texas■1835: Sporadic fighting between Texans and Mexicans■1836: American
settlers official claim independence from Mexico■Americans not prepared for full conflict
Ðno organized military■Davy Crockett: American who leads defense of American garrison,
Alamo mission ■Alamo destroyed by Mexicans; rebellion seems to be over
Texas vs. United States Continued■General Sam Houston: American general who manages
to put together a force■Battle of San Jacinto, April 23, 1836: Houston defeats Mexican army
and takes Santa Anna prisoner, Mexico surrenders■Santa Anna signs treaty giving Texas
independence■1842: Mexico tries to take back Texas by occupying San Antonio but fails
Texas Independence■Houston declared president of Texas; sends delegation to
Washington with petition to join the Union■Expansionists support it, others oppose
acquiring a possible new slave state/increasing southern vote in Congress and Electoral
College■President Jackson opposes it, fears war with Mexico ■Presidents Van Buren and
Harrison do not pass issue■Texan leaders get support from Europe; recognized as nation
by England and Texas■1844: President Tyler invites Texas to apply for membership to
Union; defeated by northerners against slavery
Oregon■Oregon Territory, 1840s: Modern-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, parts of
Montana, half of British Columbia ■Britain and US claim sovereignty over it ■1818 treaty
allows Americans and British equal access to territory (joint occupation)■White settlement
mostly American and Canadian fur traders■Missionaries become attracted to territory to
convert Native Americans, others hoped for annexation ■Missionaries are unsuccessful
with tribes■Early 1840s: White Americans begin emigrating and soon outnumber British;
devastate Indian population (measles epidemic)
Westward Migration1840 Ð1860 ■Hundreds of thousands of white and black Americans
travel to Texas and Oregon■Southerners mostly go to Texas■Most travel in family groups
until 1850s (gold rush in CA attracts white men)■Poor people had to join up with families
or groups as laborers (men and women)■Some hoped for quick wealth (gold rush)■Some
wanted property for farming■Some wanted to become merchants■Majority wanted
economic opportunities
Life on the Trail■300,000 migrants between 1840 Ð1860 ■Wagon trains started in Iowa
and Missouri led by hired guides; set off in covered wagons with livestock■2,000-mile trek
to Oregon, 5 Ð6 months (May ÐNovember)■15-miles per day average■Migrants often split
off at Rocky Mountains to go south into California or New Mexico ■Mountain and deserts
biggest risks Ðget through Rockies before snow!■Some Native Americans helped through
trade and guiding through difficult terrain
Life on the Trail Continued■Men did the driving, repairing, and hunting■Women did
cooking, washing, caring for children■Everyone walked to lighten load of wagons■Very
collective experience Ðgroups made up of friends, neighbors, other relatives who moved
together■Good personal relationships necessary Ðdisaster often caused by community
breakdowns
President James K. Polk■Represented Tennessee in House of Representatives (14 years),
Speaker of the House (4 years)■Made platform about Oregon and Texas question to unite

8. northern and southern votes■Narrow victory Ð170 EC votes to 105 (against Henry
Clay)■Officially made Texas a state (December 1845)■Second goal: US-Canada border at
49thparallel Ðaccepted by British, approved June 15, 1846
Southwest and California■Mexican-American relations decline after Texas becomes a
state■Texas claims Rio Grande as western/southern border; Mexico says border is Nueces
River■Summer 1845: Polk sends army under General Zachary Taylor to protect Rio
Grande■New Mexico has influx of Americans and has trade relationship between Santa Fe
and Independence, MO■White Americans begin arriving in California as maritime traders
and whalers; farmers settle in Sacramento Valley■PolkÕs third goal: Get NM and CA and
make them states
The Mexican-American War■Special minister James Slidell sent to buy off Mexicans but
rejected■January 13 ,1846: Polk orders Taylor to move across Nueces River to Rio
Grande■Mexican troops cross Rio Grande and attack American soldiers■May 13, 1846:
Congress officially declares war on Mexico■Many Americans against it Ðdraining too many
resources, taking focus away from Northwest territories, president overreaching power,
pacifists horrified by war■September 1846: Taylor captures Monterrey■Summer 1846:
Colonel Stephen W. Kearny captures Santa Fe and heads to California
Mexican-American War Continued■Bear Flag Revolution: American settlers, explorers
headed by John C. FrŽmont, and US Navy moves against Mexicans in California ÐKearny
takes over command■General Winfield Scott leads army of 14,000 260 miles toward
Mexico City, barely has any casualties, wins every battle, takes Mexico City■Nicholas Trist
sent to negotiate with Mexico■Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed February 2, 1848:
Mexico cedes California and New Mexico to US and makes Rio Grande boundary of Texas;
US assumes financial claims Americans have against Mexico and pays Mexican $15 million
California Gold Rush■January 1848: James Marshall, carpenter, finds gold in foothills of
Sierra Nevadas■May 1848: Word reaches San Francisco■Late Summer 1848: Word
reaches East Coast and rest of the world; hundreds of thousands of people head to
CA■1848: 14,000 non-Indian population■1852: 220,000 non-Indian population■Forty-
Niners: Gold rush migrants who abandoned lives and traveled to CA to find gold■Attracted
first Chinese immigrants; worked as free laborers and merchants looking for gold■Created
labor shortage in CA because everyone left cities and jobs ÐSF very depopulated; new
opportunities for those needing work esp. Chinese■Native Americans forced into slavery to
take up work■Very few actually found gold but many stay ■1856: San Francisco has
50,000 people■CA is most diverse territory/state in US ÐAmericans, Europeans, Chinese,
South Americans, Mexicans, free blacks, slaves
Compromise of 1850■Crisis over slavery question re: new territories/states comes to a
head■Henry Clay presents a compromise January 29, 1850 to Senate■Make CA a free
state■No slavery restrictions in other territories from Mexico■End slave trade, but not
slavery in District of Columbia■A new fugitive slave law■7-month debate in Congress and
nation in 2 phases
Compromise of 1850 Continued■Phase 1ÐOld Congress members argue for or against;
appeals to nationalistic ideasÐCalhoun says North should give South equal rights in
territories, observe laws re: fugitive slaves, stop attacking slavery, create a president in the

9. North and one in the South ÐDefeated by Congress in July 1850■Phase 2ÐLed by new
Senate leadersÐDecide to break up ClayÕs original bill into series of separate
measuresÐConsidered to be a success because people could vote on the individual issues
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CULTURESHIST 11 US History to 1877Spring 2022Dr.
Rebecca Simon
Agenda■Book/Film Recs■Part I: New Social ChangesÐLiteratureÐLiterature in the
Antebellum SouthÐRedefining Gender RolesÐTemperance ÐNew Health FadsÐMedical
ScienceÐRehabilitation ÐFeminism ■Part II: Agricultural NorthÐNorthern
AgricultureÐIndustry in the Northwest ÐNew Agricultural TechnologyÐRural Life■Part III:
The Planter SouthÐWaning Crop EconomiesÐThe Rise of CottonÐSouthern Industry
ÐCultural Separation from the NorthÐThe Planter AristocracyÐPlantation ImageÐThe Cult
of HonorÐThe ÒSouthern LadyÓÐThe ÒPlain FolkÓÐThe ÒHill PeopleÓÐConnections to the
AristocracyÐÒPoor White TrashÓ
Book/Film Recs■BooksÐUncle TomÕs Cabin by Harriet Beecher StoweÐGone with the
Wind by Margaret MitchellÐThe Southern Middle Class in the Long Nineteenth Century by
Jonathan Daniel Wells ÐHuckleberry Finn by Mark Twain■FilmsÐGone with the Wind
[HBOMax]ÐThe Adventures of Huck Finn [Disney+]ÐUncle TomÕs Cabin [Amazon Prime]
PART I: NEW SOCIAL CHANGES
Literature■First most popular novelist in America: Sir Walter Scott (British Ðinitial little
interest in American writers)■James Fenimore Cooper: American novelist, first great
American author; wrote 30 adventure novels (The Last of the Mohicans); focused on ideas
of the wilderness and American fear of disorder■Walt Whitman: One of the most important
American writers, famous for poetry anthology Leaves of Grass (celebration of democracy,
individual, physical and spiritual pleasure)■Herman Melville: Another great American
novelist (Moby Dick); focused on bleakness and tragedies (pride and revenge)■Edgar Allen
Poe: Southern writer who wrote dark short stories and poems (ÒThe RavenÓ);
controversial figure Ðworld contains pain and horror
Literature in the Antebellum South■Writers focused on defining nature of American society
with the American nation ■Novelists produced historical romances, historical eulogies of
the plantation system of Upper South■William Gilmore Simms: Most prestigious writer;
focused on nationalism and defended southern institutions■Augustus B. Longstreet, Joseph
G. Baldwin, Johnson J. Hooper: focused on ordinary people and poor whites, made stories
very realistic Ðavoided romanticism
Redefining Gender Roles■New ideas of feminism came out of transcendentalism
■Margaret Fuller: transcendentalist and friend of Emerson; wrote Women in the
Nineteenth Century (1848); argued that women are starting to recognize what they need
and what they do not have■Oneida Community: Est. 1848 upstate New York by John
Humphrey Noyes; rejected traditional ideas of family and marriage; everyone ÔmarriedÕ to
each other; sexual behavior very carefully monitored to prevent from unwanted pregnancy,
children raised communally, women said to be liberated from demands of male
ÔlustÕ■Shakers: Founded by ÔMotherÕ Ann Lee in 1770s; commitment to total celibacy;
all Shakers chose faith; had 6K members in 1840 with more women than men; ideas of
sexual equality; genderless God; tried to create a society separate from chaotic/disordered

10. American societyOneidaShakers
Temperance■Temperance = crusade against drunkenness ■Worst social vice responsible
for all crime, disorder, poverty: alcohol ■Women said alcohol put burden on wives Ðmen
spent money on alcohol that families needed, abused wives and children ■Alcoholism
generally a serious problem: huge abundance of alcohol, distilleries, taverns■Average male
(1830s) drank 3x alcohol as average person today■American Society for the Promotion of
Temperance (1826): official group that preached abstinence of alcohol with several other
groups■Washington Temperance Society (founded Baltimore by 6 reformed alcoholics):
drew large crowds■More than 1 million people signed pledges against alcohol■Some said
abstinence included wine and beer, others disagreed ■Some demanded state legislation to
restrict alcohol
New Health Fads■Cholera: major public health threat Ðmany epidemics in 1830s and 40s;
severely bacterial infection of intestines from consuming contaminated food and water;
50% mortality rate from dehydration ■City health boards established to figure out how to
stop epidemics■Water Cure: wealthy people go to health spas to immersive selves into hot
or cold baths, wrap selves in wet sheets Ðclaimed it improved overall health■Dietary
theories: doctors prescribe fruit/veg/coarse bread to replace meat as a way to avoid excess
and luxury■Phrenology: shape of the skull indicated a personÕs character and intelligence
(from German scientists); Americans felt this would improve society and establish peopleÕs
fitness for certain jobs etc
Medical Science■Little basic knowledge of disease■Smallpox inoculation of 18C came from
folk practices amongst enslaved people, not science■William Morton: Dentist who invented
anesthetics to help patience endure tooth extractions (sulphuricether)■John Warren:
Boston surgeon who began using ether on patients■Resistance from physicians who still
used ancient practices (4 humors, etc.)■Oliver Wendell Holmes: Boston
essayist/poet/physician discovered Ôpuerperal feverÕ (septicemia) could be transmitted
(contagion) Ðmet with criticism■Ignaz Semmelweis: Hungarian physician noticed
infections spread after med students worked on corpses; required students to wash hands
and disinfect instruments and infections disappeared
Rehabilitation■Asylums: new institutions meant to house mentally ill ■Penitentiaries: new
institutions meant to help criminals ■Dorothea Dix: Social reformer who started national
movement for new methods of treating mentally ill■Prisons had strict discipline to rid
criminals of ÔlaxnessÕ that led to bad behavior■Debtors and paupers stop being
imprisoned; public hangings end■Not perfect Ðlots of overcrowding, not much
support■Children believed to be on path to criminality placed into asylums for
rehabilitation ■ÔFriendlessÕ women put into asylums to prevent them from going into
prostitution ■Almshouses and workhouses developed for people who failed to work up in
society
Feminism ■Women involved in reform movements began resenting social
restrictions■Sarah and Angelina GrimkŽ: Sisters in SC, outspoken abolitionists, argued that
men and women were equal ■Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton: part of group of
American female delegates who went to an antislavery convention in London but were
turned away; made goal to elevate status of women■Seneca Falls Convention (NY, 1848):

11. discussion of womenÕs rights; wrote ÒDeclaration of SentimentsÓ that officially stated all
women and men were created equal; demanded right to vote and created womenÕs
suffrage movement that lasted to 1920s■Quakers: many embraced feminism; women were
preachers and community leaders; leaders of antislavery movement■Some women
managed to break social barriers:ÐElizabeth Blackwell: became a physician ÐAntoinette
Brown Blackwell: first ordained woman ministerÐLucy Stone: kept maiden name after
marriage
PART II: THE AGRICULTURAL NORTH
Northern Agriculture■Decline of Northeastern agriculture: did not have as good soil as
Northwest■Centers of production shift west: wheat, corn, cattle, sheep, etc.■More farmers
move west■Eastern farmers focus on selling fruit/veg in cities■Dairy farming goes up in
cities; 50% dairy comes from NE, 50% from Ohio
Industry in the Northwest ■1860: 37K manufacturing establishments, 210K
workers■Centers: Lake Erie region, Ohio River valley -#1 is meatpacking in Cincinnati
■Rising city: Chicago, center of agriculture machinery and other meatpackingÐFarming
technologyÐFlour milling, meatpacking, whiskey distilling, leather goods
Northwestern Industry Continued■Majority still farmers, more and more prosperous
farms, fewer poor farmers■Western farmers start focusing on specific
product■International trade thanks to Napoleonic Wars, rising industry in NE, and river
water sources = expanding farming■Population moves into prairie regions: Indiana,
Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota■Timber industry emerges thanks to deforestation
New Agricultural Technology■New varieties of seeds: Mediterranean wheat, better breeds
of animals from England and Spain (hogs and sheep)■Inventors and manufacturers create
better tools and machines■John Deere: est. factory in IL to produce steel plows Ðmore
durable than iron■Automatic Reaper: increased wheat harvest; allowed one worker to
harvest 5x wheat in 1 dayÐ1860: 100K on western farms■Thresher: machine that
separated grain from wheat stalks Ð25 bushels/hour
Rural Life■Farming communities based around community institutions: schools, stores,
taverns, churches■Further west farmers more isolated; turned toward religion due to
diverse ethnic populations■Churches become meeting places for services and social
events■People gathered in each otherÕs homes for prayer, Bible readings, etc.■Weddings,
baptisms, funerals major community events■Farmers shared tasks such as barn raisings
(men), large meals (women)■Bees: groups of women who gather together to make quilts,
baked goods, preserves, etc(still exists today)■Very reliant on letters from
relatives/friends, newspapers, magazines, catalogs
PART III: THE PLANTER SOUTH
Waning Crop Economies■Tobacco less reliable and very taxing on land■Wheat dominates
VA, MD, NC■SC, GA, FL rely on rice Ðalso very demanding on land/water■Gulf coast: Sugar
Ðvery expensive and labor-intensive, too much competition from Caribbean■Long-cotton
could only grow in coastal areas
The Rise of Cotton■Short-staple cotton: hardier, coarser cotton that could grow in
numerous climates and soils but harder to process■Cotton gin had solved cultivation
challenges ■Demand for cotton increases overseas and in New England■Cotton production

12. spreads from SC and Georgia to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas■1850:
cotton is main economy with 3 million bales/year■1860: 5 million bales/year■1865:
Cotton is 2/3 US export, $200 million/year ÐÒCotton is king!Ó■Cotton Kingdom: Lower
South (ÓDeep SouthÓ) where cotton dominated■White settlers head South Ðwealth
planters transferring assets and enslaved people to new plantations; small slave holders or
slaveless farmers (majority)■Slavery increases massively to nearly 500K all over South by
1860
Southern Industry■Flour million, textile, and iron manufacturing increase■Merchants
(factors) become very important to market plantersÕ crops in cities ÐNew Orleans,
Charleston, Mobile, Savannah to find buyers■Merchants often acted as bankers by giving
credit ■Planters often in debt when cotton prices declined
Cultural Separation from the North ■Separation from North due to agriculture■Successful
planters had no reason to look into other industries■One argument: Southern climate not
suited for major factory industry■Another argument: Southerners seen as lazy by
Northerners ■White southerners saw themselves as living lives based on chivalry, leisure,
elegance
The Planter Aristocracy■Dominated sugar, rice, tobacco, and cotton industries■Owned
more than 50 enslaved people and 800 acres■Top of society Ðdetermined political,
economic, and social life of their region■Lived in huge homes/plantations with black
Óhouse slavesÓ■Had homes in cities as well and divided time between plantation and
city■Traveled to Europe■Compared selves to old English/European aristocracy (in reality,
no)■Generations of aristocracy was a belief, actually a myth Ðmostly new to wealth and
power
Plantation Image■Plantation owners competitive capitalists like northern industrialists
■Obsessed with preserving ÓgentileÓimage; defended slavery/plantations■Avoided
ÒcoarseÓ occupations such as trade and commerce■Non-planter aristocrats were in the
military Ðsimilar to idea of medieval knights
The Cult of Honor■Huge emphasis on forms of courtesy and respect between each
other■Violations of this code could lead to violent response■Public appearance of dignity
and authority■Challenge to dignity, social station, ÒmanhoodÓ could lead to
duels■Avenging insults of women was most important social necessity
The ÒSouthern LadyÓ■Affluent womenÕs lives centered at home Ðcompanions and
hostesses to husbands, nurturing mothers to children■Did not engage in public activities or
employment■More subordinate to men Ðmore so than those in the North ■Mostly lived on
farms isolated from the public world■Major duty to have children Ðmore than the North
■Often supervised slave workforce■Less education Ð25% illiterate; schooling based on
becoming wives■High infant mortality rate Ðnearly 50% died before 5 years old
(1860)■Slave labor threatened relationships with husbands due to their frequent sex with
female enslaved people
The ÒPlain FolkÓ■Most white southerners were modest farmers■Owned few slaves,
worked with them more closely than aristocrats■75% did not own enslaved people■Tied
to cotton, did not produce enough to move up ■Little opportunities for
education■Universities only for the wealthiest■Elementary/secondary schools fewer and

13. inferior to those in the North ■Highest population of illiterate whites
The ÒHill PeopleÓ■Lived in Appalachian mountains east of Mississippi River, Ozarks west
of Mississippi River, other ÒbackcountryÓ areas cut off from commercial south■Most
isolated population in the south■Simple farmers, no enslaved people, proud to be secluded
■No production for the market, little access to money, often used barter system■Slavery
unattractive because it threatened their independence ■Defined by independent personal
freedom and older political ideas of loyalty to the nation
Connections to the Aristocracy■Rural whites did not like planter aristocracy■Mountain
regions rejected social norms of south, did not support secession; refused to fight in Civil
War or even joined Union ■Non-slaveowningwhites in plantation regions very tied to the
planter system■Small farmers depended on plantation aristocracy for cotton gins, markets,
credit■Many poor farmers related to rich farmers, creating mutual ties■Mass participation
in politics more popular than the North Ðgave people a sense of connection ■1850s cotton
boom allowed small farmers to move up in socio-economic class■Some became
slaveowners, others more independent ■Fierce regional loyalty
ÒPoor White TrashÓ■500K southern whites had no connection to plantation economy
Ðknown as ÒcrackersÓ, Òsand hillersÓ or Òpoor white trashÓ■Often lived in infertile lands
in poor cabins■Owned no land, foraged, hunted■Worked as common laborers but limited
because of slavery■Lots of famine Ðsometimes known as Òclay eatersÓ because sometimes
had to literally eat clay■Often suffered from ailments such as hookworm and malaria■Held
in contempt by planters, small farmers, and even some groups of enslaved people