Alcott, (Amos) Bronson (1799-1888), American educator and philosopher who developed a method of teaching young children by conversation. In 1834 he established a school at Boston. The school was criticized by the press but it was highly regarded by the general public. He was a leader of the doctrine of transcendentalism. His writings include Observations on the Principles and Methods of Infant Instructions, Concord Days, Table Talk, and Sonnets.
Alcott, Louisa May (1832-88), American writer who was the daughter of Bronson Alcott. She was born in Germantown, Pa. And tutored by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Her most famous works Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys are considered classics. In order to support her own poverty-stricken family, she had to write several thrillers which would sell well.
Amana Society-Dveloped from a commune organized in Germany but it broke up after a leader's death. It was reorganized In the US and ended up in Iowa. They opposed taking oaths, partaking in amusement, paid ministries, and military service.
Anthony, Susan B (1820-1906) American reformer, born in Adams, Mass. She was an abolitionist that was active in temperance and woman suffrage movements. With Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she organized National Woman Suffrage Association and was president of it.
Astor, John Jacob (1763-1848) German-America merchant and financier. He immigrated to New York City and entered the fur trade. He was ambitious and skillful in business. He organized the America Fur Co. and established trading posts along the Missouri and Columbia rivers. He also founded the village of Astoria (now in Oregon).
Audubon, John Jay(1785-1851), American naturalist, ornithologist, and artist, noted for his realistic portrayals of American wildlife, and in whose honor the National Audubon Society was founded. He was born in Santo Domingo (now Haiti), and studied drawing in France. He made the painting of American birds his lifework and published The Birds of America, consisting of 435 hand-colored folio plates depicting 1065 life-size birds.
Bancroft, George (1800-91), American historian and statesman, called the father of American history. He was born in Worcester, Mass., educated at Harvard and the University of Gottingen, where he prepared for the ministry. In 1834 he completed the first volume of History of the United States, and completed nine more in the next 40 years. He was appointed secretary of the navy by President Polk and established the U.S. Naval Academy.
Barnum, Phineas Taylor (1810-1891) American showman who opened Barnum's American Museum of curios in New York City. He exhibited the dwarf Tom Thumb with great success in U.S. and England. He brought Jenny Lind to the U.S. for a concert tour. He opened "The Greatest Show on Earth" in Brooklyn, along with James A. bailey.
Beecher, Catherine E. (1800-78) Was a supporter of education for women. She believed that homemaking was the "true Profession" for women and education should prepare them for it. She organized the study of home economics and stressed the importance of physical exercise for girls. In 1852 she founded the American Women's Educational Association to promote the need for schools and teachers in the Midwest.
Beecher, Henry Ward (1813-87), Aerican clergyman and abolitionist, one of the most popular preachers of his day. His theological views were fairly orthodox, but he attracted huge audiences with his brilliant speeches and by his espousal of such controversial causes as the biological theory of evolution and scientific historical study of biblical texts. One of the best-known supporters of the abolitionists and women's rights. He was the editor in chief of the Independent, a religious and political periodical, and edited The Christian Union.
Beecher, Lyman (1775-1863) American Presbyterian clergyan, born in New Haven, Conn., and educated at Yale College. He attained national prominence through a brilliant sermon on the death of Alexander Hamilton.
Blackwell, Elizabeth (1821-1910) first woman medical doctor in the U.S. She was one of the founders of the National Heath Society of London and of the London School of Medicine for Women.
Blackwell, Lucy Stone (1818-1893) American pioneer in the women's rights movement. She became a lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. She was instrumental in organizing women's rights conventions in the 1850s. She helped establish the American Woman Suffrage Association and found the Woman's Journal, a woman suffrage weekly.
Bloomer, Amelia Jenks (1818-94) American reformer. Self-educated, Bloomer founded The Lily, a semimonthly periodical "devoted to the interests of women," published in Seneca Falls, N.Y. She became famous for her stand in favor of dress reform. She appeared at her lectures during the early 1850s wearing full trousers, gathered at the ankle, under a short skirt. These garments became known as bloomers.
Booth, Edwin Thomas (1833-93) American actor. He made his stage debut in 1849 and toured California with his father appearing in other western states and in Australia. Became one of the leading figures on the New York City stage. He managed the Winter Garden Theater in New York City. After his brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln, he opened his own theater, which was a failure. He toured the U.S. and England where he alternated in repertory performances with Sir Henry Irving. He is considered one of the finest tragic actors.
Booth, John Wilkes (1838-65), American actor of Shakespearean roles. He was a violent partisan of the cause of the South in the American Civil War and organized an unsuccessful conspiracy to abduct President Lincoln.
Brown, John (1809-59), American abolitionist, attempted to end slavery by force and greatly increased tension between North and South. In 1855 he followed five of his sons to Kansas, a center of struggle on the slavery issue. His killing proslavery adherents at Pottawatomie Creek and his withstanding a party of attacking Missourians gained him national fame as a foe of slavery. He was arrested and charged with treason and murder. His eloquent defense on behalf of the slaves has become famous. He was convicted and hanged.
Brownson, Orestes Augustus (1803-71), American clergyman and writer. He was a Universalist minister, and Unitarian minister who converted to Roman Catholicism. Published Brownson's Quarterly Review. Author of The Spirit-Rapper, The Convert, The American Republic.
Bryant, William Cullen (1794-1878), American poet and journalist. Wrote "Thanatopsis" his most famous work at an age of 17. As a journalist he campaigned vigorously for free trade, free speech, the rights of workers, and the abolition of slavery.
Burrit, Elihu, (1810-1879), Called the Learned Blacksmith. American pacifist who was a blacksmith by trade and an autodidact; became public lecturer, founded Christian Citizen, advocating international peace and edited it. Founded League of Universal brotherhood, organized "Friends of Peace" Congress, Brussels; U.S. consul, Birmingham, England.
Cartwright, Peter. (1785-1872). American clergyman. Itinerant Methodist preacher in Kentucky and Illinois, noted for fiery revivalist sermons. Author of Autobiography, Fifty Years as a Presiding Elder.
Channing, William Ellery (1780-1842), American Unitarian clergyman, known as the Apostle of Unitarianism. Pastor of the Federal Street Congregational Church in Boston from 1803 until his death, he was spokesperson of Protestants who were unable to accept the Calvinist doctrine of humanity's inherent evil.
Chautuqua Movement popular U.S. movement in adult education that flourished during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. IT began after the Civil War as an assembly for the training of Sunday school teachers and church workers at Chautauqua Lake in New York state. By 1900 the Chautauqua assembly included a school of theology, a correspondence school, and a publishing house.
Cooper, James Fenimore (1789-1851) American novelist, travel writer, and social critic, the first great American writer of fiction. He was known for his action-packed plots and his vivid, idealized, portrayal of American life in the forest and at sea. He served as a sailor in the merchant marine and as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy even though his father was very wealthy. He is most famous for his Leatherstocking Tales.
Daguerre, Louis Jacques Mande (1789-1851), French painter, inventor of the daguerreotype. He first worked as a scene painter for the opera. He began to paint extensive panoramas, finally evolving the diorama, which attracted much attention. He helped to work out photography on metal plates, the daguerreotype process, the improvement of which was to result in modern photography
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-82), British scientist, laid the foundation of modern evolutionary concepts of development of all forms of life through natural selection. His work was a major influence on the life and earth sciences. He went to school to become a clergyman. His novel that "shook the world," The Origin of Species, sold out on the first day of publication and went through six edition.
The Dial, American transcendentalism began with the formation of the Transcendental Club in Boston. Among the leaders were the essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, the feminist and social reformer Margaret Fuller, the preacher Theodore Parker, the educator Bronson Alcott, the philosopher William Ellery Channing, and the author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau. The Transcendental Club published a magazine, The Dial, and some of the members participated in an experiment in communal living at Brook Farm. It included many major works.
Dickinson, Emily (1830-1886) lived most of her life as a recluse, seldom seeing anyone other than her immediate family and a few close friends. Her poetry is concerned with immortality, love, nature and death. It was written in a simple, precise language, and with little humor. She is considered to be one of the most gifted poets in American literature. She wrote over 1700 poems, most of which were published after her death.
Dix, Dorethea (1802-1887) Gained respect for her efforts as a social reformer and to gain humane treatment for the insane, and prison inmates. She served as superintendent of the U.S. Army nurses during the Civil War. Many states established publicly supported asylums for the mentally ill, and abandoned chaining prisoners became of her work.
"Dixie", a popular term used to refer to the South, as a land of slaves and plantations. The song "dixie" was composed by David D. Emmett in 1859 and became popular for the Confederate army marching during the year.
Douglas, Stephan A. (1813-1861) He was a political figure known as the "little Giant" because of his short stature. An Illinois Democrat served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was elected U.S. Senator. He took part in a series of seven famous debates against the Republican Abraham Lincoln focusing on the continuing slavery. The debates made Lincoln a national political figure.
Douglass, Frederick (1818-1895) Prominent abolitionist. He was an escaped slave from Maryland and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a chimney sweep and laborer. He spoke tirelessly for the antislavery cause. He fled to England, bought his freedom and returned to Massachusetts, where he founded the abolitionist newspaper: The Northern Star. He helped recruit black troops for the Union and advised Lincoln. He served as American minister to Haiti after the Reconstruction.
Dred Scott Decision- A ruling by the Supreme Court on the issue of slavery. It declared that no Negro, free or slave, could claim U.S. Citizenship. It also stated that Congress could not prohibit slavery in U.S. territories. The ruling led to resentment in the North and led the nation a step closer to war. It influenced the 14th Amendment: extending citizenship to former slaves and giving them full civil rights.
Eakins, Thomas (1844-1916) was recognized as a great American painter. He painted people from all walks of life in realistic situations. He often used photographs to achieve scientific accuracy and painted with precise attention to detail.
Eddy, Mary Baker (1821-1910) founded the Christian Science religion in that the believers can heal the body through religious faith and a person's spirit. She was injured in an accident and attributed her recovery to prayer and spiritual mind control. She founded the daily newspaper The Christian Science Monitor.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882) His philosophy known as transcendentalism, affected the thought and literature of the late 19th century. He was an essayist, lecturer, poet, philosopher and abolitionist. He taught that people must learn from their experiences in life. In his essay "Self-reliance" he emphasizes optimism and the importance of the individual.
Everett, Edward (1794-1865) He was a congressman, Governor of Massachusetts, U.S. minister to England, secretary of state for Millard Fillmore and a U.S. Senator. He was a statesman, clergyman and oratory. He was featured as a speaker in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, his two hour oration preceded Lincoln's two minute Gettysburg Address. In 1860 he was defeated when he ran for Vice President for the Constitutional Union Party.
Finney, Charles G. (1792-1875) Presbyterian and Congregationalist revival preacher. He served as President of Oberlin College from 1851-1866. His preaching were local and direct, he was a lawyer previously. He emphasized human free will and taught that it is possible for people, with God's help, to live perfect lives free from sin.
Fitzhugh, George (1806-1881) American lawyer, journalist, and author. A Major propagandist of slavery as a beneficient institution and of southern plantation as model for a national government. Wrote Sociology for the South and Cannibals All!
Foster, Stephan C. (1826-1864) composer that wrote the words and music to over two hundred songs, including "Away Down South, "Oh, Susanna!", "My Old Kentucky Home," and many others. His music was inspired by Southern life though he had little knowledge of the South.
Fourier, Charles (1772-1837) French socialist. He criticized the social conditions and held that society could be improved if private property were eliminated. He wanted to create small, self-sufficient farm communities of about 1600 each. All persons would be required to work but could chose their own type of work. He could not get enough money to start such a venture although he had many followers.
Fuller, Margaret (1810-1850), wrote Women in the Ninteenth Century, on the right of women to be independent. She was journalist, women's rights activist, and critic. She served as editor of the Dial, a respected transcendentalist magazine and became the first female journalist working for a major newspaper. She became one of the first foreign correspondent for an American newspaper, when Horace Greeley sent her to Europe in 1846 to cover the revolutions unfolding. She married an Italian and joined the movement for a free Roman republic. Returning with her family to America the ship sank off the coast of Fire Island, her husband Giovanni Ossoil, son and Margaret all died.
Gag rule (1836) A series of resolutions introduced by John C. Calhoun in the Senate and rejected there but passed in the House, forbidding the reading of antisalvery petitions in Congress. John Quincy Adams repeatedly delivered speeches against the rules, arguing they denied the people the rights to free speech and to petition the government. They were repealed in 1844.
Garrison, William L. (1805-1879) Abolitionist. Garrison founded the antislavery newspaper the Liberator. It was published until slavery was abolished. He helped organize the American antislavery society in 1833, serving as its president. He was almost lynched in Boston by an angry mob because of his extreme abolitionist views. He urged northern secession and burning of the Constitution.
Gray, Asa (1810-88) American botanist, famous for his manual of plants. He was appointed professor of natural history at Harvard. Gray 's work in taxonomy made the best of his day. The herbarium at Cambridge, established by Gray, grew to be the largest and most valuable in this country.
Greely, Horace (1811-1872) Newspaper publisher and politician. He founded the New York Tribune in 1841. His editorials promoted his political views, which included organized labor and opposition to the Mexican war, woman suffrage and slavery. His advice, "Go West young man and grow up with the country," influenced the thousands of settlers. Greeley, Colorado is named after him. He joined the Republican party in 1854 and supported the election of Lincoln.
Grimke, Sarah and Angelina (1792-1873) American reformers. Became Quakers and then were involved in abolitionist movement; lecturers for American Anti-Slavery Society, took up women's rights campaign. Angelina was the author of Appeal to the Christian Women of the South, Appeal to the Women of the Nominally Free States, Sarah of Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, worked with Theodore Weld on Slavery As It Is.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804-1864) American novelist and short story writer, one of the first great American authors. After twelve years of isolation to perfect his writing, he produced an unsuccessful first novel but a number of short stories (collected as Twice-Told Tales) that won him some recognition. He married Sophia Peabody in 1842 and thereafter completed his most famous novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. The Scarlet Letter is considered the first American psychological novel.
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth Storrow (1823-1911) American writer, clergyman, and soldier. From 1847 to 1850 was a Unitarian minister, then moved by intense abolitionist conviction, he resigned. He went on to run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress. He enlisted as a captin during the Civil War, and he served as colonel in command of the first black regiment in the U.S. Army. Army Life in a Black Regiment is his account of his war experiences. After the war he distinguished himself as an advocate of the political rights of women. He was Emily Dickinson's confidant/mentor and edited her poems.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1841-1935) American jurist, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years, distinguished for his great legal learning, sound judgement, humor, and power of expression. Fought for the Union. He edited the American Law Review then became a lecturere on common law at the Lowell Institute. His lectures became internationally renowned. After serving as associate justice, he served as Chief Justice for 3 years. He was then appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Roosevelt, and held the position until he tired in 1932. He interpreted the Constitution liberally and was known as the "Great Dissenter" because of his disagreement with the views of his colleagues on the Court.
Howe, Smauel Gridley 1801-1876. American ecucator and reformer. Served as soldier and surgeon in Greek war for independence from Turkye. Head of Perkins School for the Blind; excited widespread interest by successful work with Laura Bridgman, interested in care of the feebleminded, prison reform, abolishment of imprisonment for debt, and antislavery movement; edited "The Commonwealth": chairman of the Mass. Board of State Charities and married Julia Ward Howe.
Irving, Washington 1783-1859. American writer, the first U.S. author to achieve international renown. Studied law and toured Europe for his health. He began to contribute satirical essays and sketches to NY newspapers. Involved in Salmagundi, a series of satirical essays and poems. Wrote A History of New York, written by his famous comic creation, the Dutch-American scholar Diedrich Knickerbocker. His most famous stories are "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Liberia The American Colonization Society began settlement of black Americans, most of them freed slaves, in 1822. Eventually, 15,000 blacks emigrated to Liberia. Organized chiefly by Robert Finley, the society established a successful colony at what was to become Monrovia, Liberia. The people who were transferred were not welcomed for they took the local people's lands.
Lind, Jenny professional name of Johanna Maria Lind Golschmidt. A Swedish soprano singer, popularly known as the Swedish Nightingale. Went through the singing school of the Court Theater, she debuted as Agathe in Der Freischutz. Her success was instantaneous. After an extensive tour of Europe, she toured the U.S. Managed by the American showman P. T. Barnum, it was the height of her career. She married Otto Goldschmidt, whoconducted the Bach Choir in London. She lived for a few years in Dresden and then settled in London. Lind's last public appearance was at Dusseldorf.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 1807-82. American poety who was one of the most popular and celebrated poets of his time. He taught modern languages at Bowdoin and Harvard. He then devoted himself exclusively to writing. After his death his bust was placed at Poety's Corner of Westminister Abey in London. He is especially well-known for his volumes of verse, Voices of the Night, and Ballads.
Lovejoy, Elijah Parish 1802-37. American abolitionist. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister and shortly thereafter became the editor of the Observer, an influential Presbyterian published weekly. He incurred the enmity of proslavery forces by writing antislavery editorials, and under the threat of violence, he moved to Alton, Il. Although his presses were destroyed three times by proslavery mobs, he continued to attack slavery and called for the formation of a state abolition society. While attempting to defend his presses from attack he was shot and killed. His death stimulated the growth of the abolitionist movement throughout the country.
Lowell, James Russel 1819-91. American poety, essayist, editor, diplomat, and critic, whose efforts on behalf of Americna writers brought them international attention for the first time. He wrote for the Boston Courier the first of the "Biglow Papers," a series of satirical verses in Yankee dialect purporting to be by Hosea Biglow, a young New England farmer. He became a professor of modern languages at Harvard, serving until 1876.
Lyceum Movement, 19th-century trend in popular adult education in the U.S., the name of which is derived from the Lyceum, the school near Athens where Aristotle lectured his students. The American educator Josiah Holbrook opened the first American lyceum in Millbury, Mass., in 1826. Its purpose was to spread useful information in the community by means of lectures and debates. Other lyceums were soon established throughout the country and the movement reached its peak before the American Civil War. It was the prototype of other adult education systems, such as the Chautauqua movement, and it helped promote the establishment of libraries and museums
Mann, Horace 1796-1859. American educator that became a lawyer. Representative in Mass. Legislature and a state senator. He encouraged laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages and lottery tickets, establishing state hospitals for the insane, and creating a state board of education. He became president of Antioch College, a non-sectarian, coeducation institution. His reports written when he was secretary to the Mass. Board of education are a record of ideas on meeting educational needs by a man who strongly influenced the evolution of modern education.
McGuffy, William Holmes 1800-73. American educator. Compiler and editor of series of primary school texts, the Eclectic Readers. Contained simple moral lessons, fables, poems, and samples from Am. And Eng. Literature.
Melville, Herman 1819-91. American novelist. Most famous for Moby Dick and Billy Budd. He spent much time on ships as a cabin boy and whaler.
Mott, Lucretia Coffin 1793-1880. American abolitionist and feminist. Her husband and her helped organize the American Antislavery Society and were delegates at an anti-slavery convention in London.
Owen, Robert (1771-1858) British utopian socialist, generally considered the father of the cooperative movement. He began to get involved in f acotry owning. He helped find the first British trade union.
Parkman, Francis 1823093. American historian. He studied law for two years. He traveled in Europe and explored the American West, living among the Sioux and other tribes. Became an authoritative historical writer on the struggle between France and England for dominance in colonial America.
Peabody, Elizabeth Palmer 1804-1894. Feminist, abolitionist, historian, theologian and philosopher. She spoke several languages before she was 19 including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Chinese. She gave history lectures and opened a bookshop that became a gathering place for transcendentalist activities.
Peabody, Sophia A painter and sculptor who studied with Chester Harding and other contemporary artists. She supported herself with her extraordinary copywork, but her poor health kept her mostly at her house until age 33, when she married Nathan Hawthorne. She helped bring him out of his isolation.
Peale, Charles Willson 1741-1827. American painter, who was the most prominent portraitist of the Federal period. He painted notable portraits of many military leaders (14 of Washington.
Phillips, Wendell (1811-84) American abolitionist leader and political reformer, whose oratorical vigor helped popularize the antislavery cause in the period before the American Civil War. He attained wide recognition as one of the most eloquent antislavery orators when he delivered a ringing denunciation of the proslavery mob that had killed the abolitionist editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy.
Poe, Edgar Allan. 1809-1849. American poet and short story writer. Creator of the American Gothic tale and detective fiction genre. He ran away from home, enlisted in Army. Gained a meager living by writing.
Proesser, Gabriel 1775-1800. Black slave. Planned a revolt to end slavery in VA and create an independent state for blacks. Organized about a thousand slaves for an attack on Richmond, two betrayed his plans resulting in the capture and hanging of him and 34 others.
Rose,Ernestine L. 1810-1892. Wrote several books on the women suffrage movement. She wrote the Review of Horace Mann's Two Lectures delivered in New York February 17 and 29, 1852. Reformer, abolitionist.
Rush, Dr. Benjamin. 1745-1813. American physician and statesman, Made professor of chemistry. A signer of the Declaration of Independence, and member of Both Continental Congresses. A surgeon general of the Continental army, and staff member at the Penn. Hospital.
Seward, William Henry 1801-72. American statesman, governor of NY and supporting educational reform and public works. He practiced law. Served on U.S. Senate, he established an uncompromising antislavery policy. Active in organizing the Republican party. Served as secretary of state. Helped purchase Alaska--"Seward's Folly."
Shakers religious group. Founded by Ann Lee, who believed herself to be God. It flourished, 18 new communities existed with a membership of 6000. Held property in common, practiced asceticism, and honored celibacy above marriage.
Spiritualism belief that the dead manifest their presence to people through a clairvoyant. Spiritualism has been practiced since prehistoric times. In 1848, an alleged child medium, Margaret Fox, 1833-93, was exploited by her family and aroused sensational news stories that spurred the creation of a cult of spiritualism.
Smith, Joseph 1805-44. American religious leader, who was the founding prophet of Mormonism. Smith experienced vision when living in Palmyra, NY between 14 and 25 years of age calling him to restore the true Christian religion.
Stanton, Elizabeth C. 1815-1902. Social reformer, who, along with Susan B. Anthony, led the struggle for Woman Suffrage. She became interested in the temperance and antislavery movements. In 1848 Stanton and Lucretia C. Mott, organized the first women's rights convention.
Starkweather, John Commissioner of Deeds in 1876-1877 in the D.C. In 1846 legislatures authorized the appointment of commissioners to each state and the D.C.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher 1811-96. American writer and abolitionist, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a forceful indictment of slavery and one of the most powerful novels of its kind in American literature. Daughter of the liberal clergyman Lyman Beecher.
Strong, George T. New York lawyer, graduated from the University of Rochester, diary on New York Politics.
Stuart, Gilbert Charles (1755-1828) portrait painter from Newport, RI. Became the pupil of the expatriate painter Benjamin West in England and was influenced by Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Did portraits of Presidents and Kings.
Thoreau, Henry David 1817-62. American writer, philosopher, and naturalist, whose work demonstrates how the abstract ideals of libertarianism and individualism can be effectively instilled in a person's life.
Tocquelville, Alexis de 1805-1859. French writer and politician. With Gustave de Beaumont they spent 9 months in the U.S. and published Du systeme pententiaire aux Etats-Unis et de son application en France; gained internation fame with De la democratie en Amerique, giving perceptive analysis of the Americna political system and social structure.
Transcendentalism In philosophy and literature, belief in a higher reality than that found in sense experience or in a higher kind of knowledge than that achieved by human reasoning.
Trumbull, John 1750-1831. American lawyer and poet, educated at Yale. Wrote The Progress of Dullness, an attack on the educational system of his time, and the mock epic poem M'Fingal, which satirized the British Loyalist during the American Revolution.
Truth, Sojourner 1793-1883. Abolitionist and advocate of women's rights, born in slavery. She was freed when New York emancipated slaves in 1828. In 1843, she came into contact with the abolitionist movement, and for the next few years she toured the country speaking in its behalf.
Tubman, Harriet 1820-1913, abolitionist leader, born a slave. She served as a field hand and house servant on a Maryland plantation and married John Tubman, a free black. In 1849 she escaped North, and made 19 journeys back to lead other slaves to freedom.
Turner, Nat 1800-31. Leader of a black slave revolt. Born on a plantation, became a popular religious leader among fellow slaves and was convinced that God chose him to lead his people to freedom. On Aug. 21, 1831 he and five other slaves killed their master and family and, joined by 60 blacks, started a revolt. He was not captured for six weeks. 50 whites were slain during the uprising. He and 15 of his companions were hanged.
Walker, David 1785-1830. Abolitionist, son of slave, owned a used-clothing store; contributed to Freedom's Journal and wrote Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, known as Walker's Appeal; calling on slaves to fight for freedom, pamphlet banned in the South.
Webster, Noah 1758-1843. American lexicographer, known for his pioneering American Dictionary of the English Language and for his espousal of American usage of the language.
Weems, Parson Mason 1759-1825. Preacher and writer. In 1784 he was ordained in the Anglican Church. He is remembered for his fictionalized biography The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington which contains the well-known story of the cherry tree.
Whittier, John G 1807-92. Self-educated poet. His work attracted the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, editor of the Free Press newspaper to ask him to contribute articles. He began a long career as a contributing editor, essayist, and poet.
Willard, Emma 1787-1870. Self-educated educator. She entered the teaching profession in 1803 and was principal of the Female Academy. Willard established a boarding school for girls. Rejected contemporary theory on education for women.
Young, Brigham 1801-1877. Religious leader, journeyman painter and glazier by trade; near where Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon. Converted and baptized in Mormon faith. Succeeded Joseph Smith as head of the Mormon Church and directed and superintended a mass migration of Mormons to the Great Sale Lake Valley in Utah.
London Company also Virginia Co., one of two English joint-stock companies chartered April 10, 1606, to colonize in North America. The other was the Plymouth Co. Founded Jamestown.
House of Burgesses 1658. Colonial representative assembly in Virginia.
Great Migration 1630, beginning of Great Migration witnessed the founding of Puritanism as the established religion. Rejecting democracy and toleration as unscriptural, Puritans put their trust in a theocracy of the elect that brooked no divergence from Puritan orthodoxy. Mass immigration to America.
Quakers Religious Society of Friends, a body of Christians, their fundamental belief is that divine revelation is immediate and individual. All persons may perceive the word of God in their soul.
1619 House of Burgesses approved in America, slavery begins.
Toleration Act 1649. Permitted people to chose believe in any religion they choose. Passed by the colony of Maryland and gave religious liberty to all Christians.
Holy Experiment 1619. The most famous Quaker colony was Pennsylvania. Penn's "Holy Experiment" tested how far a state could be governed consistently with Quaker principles, apcifism, and religious toleration.
Mayflower Compact Pilgrims were 500 miles northeast of their destination. The patent for their settlement was no longer binding, and some of the passengers desired total independence. All adult males were required to sign this compact. It consolidated the passengers into a "civil body politic" which had the power to frame and enact laws appropriate to the good of the settlement.
Fundamental Constitution The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a document which served as a model for the U.S. Constitution. Captain Joseph Wadsworth supposedly secreted the colony's royal charter when Governor Sir Edmund Andros attempted to seize it in 1687.
Theocracy "government by a god" constitution, or policy, of a country in which God is regarded as the sole sovereign and the laws of the realm are seem as divine commandments.
Great Awakening revival of evangelical religion in the colonies, reached its peak in the 1740s. Local revivals, inspired by teachings of the congregational theologian Jonathan Edwards, and the Eng. Evangelist George Whitefield.
Nathaniel Bacon 1647-76. Bacon's Rebellion, uprising in 1676 of Virginia farmers, against colonial authorities. The colonists were upset about the Navigation Acts which forced them to trade with firms at prices established in England.
Parson's cause celebrated legal action in Virginia Colony in 1763. The action arose from the imposition by the Virginia legislature in 1758 of a law to fix clergymen's salaries, payable in tobacco, at a flat rate in currency.
Edwards, Jonathan 1703-58. Theologican and Congregational clergyman, stirred the religious revival called the Great Awakening with his sermons. A child prodigy. A firm believer in Calvinism and the doctrine of predestination.
Rev. Cotton Mather 1663-1728. Son of Increase Mather, educated at Harvard. He wrote extensively on the subject of witchcraft. His interested in science prompted him to champion inoculations against smallpox in 1721. Writings of historic events added his name to the list of historians in the era.
Albany Plan 1754. Franklin's "Plan of Union," adopted by the Albany Congress, would have established a general council, with representatives from the several colonies, to organize the common defense against the encroaching French and to supervise Indian relations with new settlements.
Navigation Acts 1650-51 passed by Great Britain. Legislation to promote and protect British industry and commerce against foreign competition. Stipulated goods imported or exported by British colonies in Africa, Asia, and American.
Navigation Act 1660 it specified certain articles, principally tobacco, rice, and indigo, that the colonists could export only to another British colony or England.
Boston Tea Party popular name for the action taken on Dec. 16, 1773 by a group of Boston citizens to protest the British tax on tea imported by the colonies. Citizens of Boston would not permit the unloaded of three British ships that arrived in Boston with 342 chests of tea. A group of Bostonians disguised as Indians boarded the vessels and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor.
Salutary Neglect The idea of ignoring something and letting it do its own thing. What Britain did to American until after the French and Indian War.
Peace of Paris, 1763 collection of treaties concluding the U.S. War of Independence and signed by representatives of Great Britain on one side and the United States, France, and Spain on the other.
Proclamation Line, 1763 The process of removing the Indians from their ancestral lands led to bitter disputes. The British tried to end this problem by setting up the Proclamation Line of 1763 along the Appalachian divide, allowing whites to take over what lay to the east but attempting to reserve what lay to the west as Indian territory.
George III 1738-1820. King of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820) who presided over the loss of Britain's American colonies. His problem was that he lacked the self-confidence and the mature statesmanship to form and achieve any long-term policy.
Henry, Patrick 1739-99. American orator and statesman, whose fiery patriotism was influential in leading the colonies toward revolution. He urged the adoption of a resolution to establish a state of defense in Virginia with a speech that is famous for these words: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death
Writs of Assistance, 1760 A time when "sides" were beginning to be formed in Massachusetts politics, and the radical wing of colonial opposition to British measures were led by James Otis.
Franklin, Benjamin 1706-1790. American statesman, scientist, and philosopher. Left Boston after disagreements with brother who he was apprenticed to and settled in Philadelphia as a printer. Known for Poor Richard's Almanac, his diplomacy, and scientific experiments and inventions.
Grenville, George 1712-70. British prime minister. He came into conflict with the king, who dismissed him in 1765. Known in Parliament, as the Gentle Shepherd after William Pitt the Elder (Lord Chathan) recited the words of a popular song "Gentle Shepherd, tell me where!" in reply to Grenville's querulous request that Parliament direct him where to impose new taxes.
Sugar Act, 1764. British legislation aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses from the French and Dutch West Indies and providing increased revenues to fund enlarged British Empire responsibilities following the French and Indian War.
Currency Act, 1764.Withdrew paper currencies, many of them surviving from the war period, from circulation. This was not done to restrict economic growth so much as to take out currency that was thought to be unsound, but it did severely reduce the circulating medium during the difficult postwar period and further indicated that such matters were subject to British Control.
Stamp Act, 1765. First British parliamentary attempt to raise revenue through direct taxation of all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice. Protests in America were completely unexpected. Colonists nullified the St amp Act by outright refusal to use the stamps as well as riots, stamp burning, and intimidation of colonial stamp.
Stamp Act Congress 1765 was convened in New York by moderate representatives of nine colonies to frame resolutions of "rights and grievances" and to petition the king and Parliament for repeal of the objectionable measures.
Sons of Liberty organizations formed in the American colonies in the summer of 1765 to oppose the Stamp Act. They took their name from a speech given in the British Parliament by Isaac Barre, in which he referred to the colonials who had opposed unjust British measures as the "sons of liberty." They rallied support for colonail resistance through the use of petitions, assemblies, and propaganda.
Declaratory Act 1766 declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It stated that the British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain. Parliament hardened its principle in this act by asserting its complete authority to make binding laws on the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
Charles Townshend British Chancellor of the Exchequer whose measures for taxation of the British-American Colonies intensified the hostilities that eventually led to the U.S. War of Independence. When Pitt became severely ill and Townshend assumed effective control of the administration, he proved by be financially brilliant and determined but devoid of sound political judgement.
Townshend Duties 1767 duties placed on tea, paper, lead and paint imported into the colonies. Townshend thought the colonists would have no objection since they felt internal taxes were unconstitutional and here they have no legal obligation. Colonists saw no difference and began to boycott British goods. Parliament repealed the duties except the tax on tea.
Boston Massacre 1770 skirmish between British troops and a crowd in Boston. U.S. widely publicized, it contributed to the unpopularity of the British regime in America in the years before the Revolution. Troops opened fire on a mob in Boston.
Lord North prime minister from 177-1782, whose vacillating leadership contributed to the loss of Great Britain's American colonies in the American Revolution. "Intolerable Acts" introduced during his administration.
Letters of a Pennsylvanian Farmer written by John Dickinson. Won fame for it, in 1767-8 it appeared in many colonial newspapers. The letters helped turn opinion against the Townshend Acts.
Gaspee Incident Act of open civil defiance of British authority when Rhode Islanders boarded and sank the revenue cutter Gaspee in Narragansett Bay.
Tea Act 1773 act imposed a tax on tea in the colonies that would help pay for Britain's colonial expenses. It was strongly rejected by the colonists, their resistance culminated in the Boston Tea Party where tea was dumped into the ocean.
Coercive Acts 1774. Four acts called Intolerable by the colonists with the Quebec act attached. 1) Boston Port Bill-closed the port until 15,000 pounds was paid back. 2) MA gov't act-Thomas Gage is now governor and head of military army. 3) Quartering Act-if soldiers are allowed to stay in colonial homes, 4) Administration of Justice Act-British officers if accused must be taken back to England to be tried, and 5) Quebec Act- allowed French Canadians to continue to speak French and practice Catholicism.
Quebec Act Added to Coercive acts. Allowed French Canadians to continue to speak French and practice Catholicism. Got the French on the side of the British.
First Continental Congress met because of Intolerable Acts. 55 delegates present only 12 states represented; Sept. 1774 in Philadelphia.
General Thomas Gage British general who successfully commands all British forces in North America but failed to stem the tide of rebellion as military governor of Mass. At the outbreak of the American Revolution.
Olive Branch Petition 1775. A petition to King George requesting an end to all military action against the colonists and seeking a peaceful solution to the differences between the colonists and England.
Hessians German mercenaries hired by the British to serve against the colonials in the American Revolution.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine. It asserts that the American colonies received no advantage from their mother country, which was intent on exploiting them, and that every consideration of common sense calls for the colonies to be come independent of Great Britain and to establish a republican government of their own.
Declaration of Independence in U.S. history, a document proclaiming the independence of the 13 British colonies in America, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Valley Forge the site where some 12,000 men under George Washington encamped for the winter in 1777. It was chosen because it was defensible and strategically located to enable him to protect Congress.
Marquis De Lafayette French statesman and officer. Entered French military service (1771) with drew (1776) to enter American service in the Revolutionary War (1777); commissioned major general in Continental Army (1777); became intimate associate of Washington.
Baron von Steuben 1730-94. Prussian-American general of the American revolutionary army, born in Magdeburg, Prussia (now Germany). He fought with distinction in the Seven Years' War and arrived at Portsmouth NH in 1778, offering his services to Congress and to the Continental army.
Saratoga campaign that helped decide the outcome of the American Revolution. Early in 1777, Lord George Germain, who was responsible for British war strategy, approved a plan suggested by John Burgoyne, calling for Burgoyne to lead an army south from Canada to Albany. His defeat to Gates helped the U.S. prove to France that they could fight.
Silas Deane 1737-89. American Revolution diplomat, born Dec. 24, 1737, in Groton, Conn., and educated at Yale College. He was in both Continental Congresses. He went to France to gain support from them.
Marion, Francis American general, born near Georgetown, SC. He proved to be a great guerrilla leader. He earned the epithet the "Swamp Fox" because he would attack and then withdraw to the swamps.
Yorktown Final battle of the American Revolution. Cornwallis surrendered his entire army to the French and American forces.
Treaty of Paris 1783 Signed by Great Britain and its adversaries, France and Spain, ended the Seven Years' War in Europe and the New World phase of the conflict, the French and Indian War in America.
Ordinance of 1785 Sent out representatives to survey the land before they could sell it; then back at home you could purchase the land and know what you were getting before you saw it; had grids and separated into sections. Land was to be sold at $1 an acre but in lots of 640 so people got together to purchase 640 acres.
Northwest Ordinance passed by congress on July 13, 1787, was one of the most important laws ever adopted. Provided for the government of the region north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania. The territories could achieve equality with the older states by passing through three steps leading to self-government.
Daniel Shays 1747-1825. American Revolutionary officer and insurrectionary leader, born probably in Hopkinton, Mass. In the Revolution, engaged at Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Stony Point; commissioned captain (1777). Prominent in the insurrection in western Massachusetts (1786-87).
Benedict Arnold 1741-1801. American army officer, traitor. With Ethan Allen, captured Fort Ticonderoga. Leader of an unsuccessful campaign to capture Quebec. Arranged to surrender West Point to British, his plot was discovered. He fled to Britain where he died in poverty.
Second Continental Congress Met in Philadelphia May of 1775 and all 13 colonies were represented. Hoped that King and Parliament would let up. Drafted appeals to Britain, started an army and navy, and put Washington ahead of army.
Anti-Federalists a member of a group that opposed the adoption of the U.S. constitution. Against a strong central government, mostly farmers.
Genet Affair Genet was a French ambassador to the US ? tried to obtain American support for French during French war, but Washington declared neutrality and threatened to deport.
Funding First of Hamilton's programs; paying off the international debt by selling bonds (then selling more bonds to pay off those bonds). Thought it would be better to have a debt to your own people than to foreign countries. Jefferson and Madison were upset by this.
Whiskey Tax 1791. The federal tax was bought to tax whiskey makers. Caused a revolt in Pennsylvania.
Sedition Act prohibited support of the violent overthrow of the US government or any group promoting such ideas.
Aaron Burr 1756-1836. American political leader, born in Newark, NJ. He barely lost presidential election to Jefferson ? shot and killed Hamilton in a duel
Samuel Slater American cotton producer, recognized as founder of the cotton industry in the U.S. and pioneer of the factory system. He also founded the textile industry in America.
Yazoo Land Claims land along Yazoo given to federal government and claimed by the share holders to whom it had been sold to by Georgia.
Embargo Act law that prohibited U.S. vessels from trading with European nations during the Napoleonic Wars. Passed by Congress in December 1807 over Federalist opposition and at the behest of President Jefferson. A response to restrictive measures imposed on American neutrality by France and Great Britain, at war with each other.
Hartford Convention political assembly representing the Federalist party of the New England states, which met at Harford, on Dec. 14, 1814. Met to discuss government and opposition to war of 1812.
Treaty of Ghent agreement signed by the U.S. and Great Britain in Ghent, Belgium, concluding the war of 1812. Treaty provided for the return of all captured territory to the country in possession before the outbreak of hostilities.
Dartmouth College v. Woodward Darthmouth had a charter given to them by King George and the state of new Hampsire. They wanted to change it. Was taken to court and judge said that the original charter would still stand. States lose power again.
American Colonization Society The attempt to return slaves to Liberia. It was based on the belief that whites and blacks could not live together.
Gibbons v. Ogden NY attempts to grant a private concern of waterborn commerce between NY and NJ. Reminded NY that only Congress can interstate trade. Federal government above state governments again.
Thomas Hart Benton 1782-1858. American statesman, born in Hillsborough, N.C. He settled in Tennessee, where he studied law and was elected to the legislature. In the War of 1812 he raised a regiment of volunteers and also served on the staff of Gen. Jackson. Became a senator and raised Western support of Jackson. Fought against a second national bank.
Erie Canal artificial inland waterway, extending from Lake Erie, at Buffalo NY, to the Hudson R, near Albany NY. It was approximately 384 miles long. It inaugurated a new era in the growth of New York City, Buffalo, and surrounding areas in New York.
Henry Clay 1777-1852. U.S. statesman, secretary of state under John Q. Adams and an unsuccessful candidate for presidency in 1824, 1832, and 1844. One of the most popular and influential political leaders in American history. A true genius in the art of compromise, earned the title The Great Pacificator.
Tariff of Abominations The Tariff of 1828 and Later Crisis. Pushed the duties of almost 45% of many manufactured items. It also put a heavy tariff on raw materials. In 1833, a compromise tariff had to be introduced to help soothe the South.
The South Carolina Exposition and Protest 1829. Writing in response to Southern bitterness over the Tariff of 1828. Calhoun anonymously wrote this, taking the position that the state could block enforcement of a federal law. The state would be obliged to obey only if the law were made an amendment to the Constitution, by three-fourths of the states.
Webster-Hayne Debate disagreement over nullification. Hayne was a prominent spokesman for the doctrine of states' right. Webster spoke against nullification; for the federal government.
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia the Cherokee Nations drafted their own Constitution in 1827. Gold deposits were found in their land (in Georgia). In 1819 George appealed to the U.S. government to remove the Cherokee from GA lands. The appeal failed and attempts were made to purchase the territory. After federal protection was denied by the government, the Cherokee agreed to cede the territory in exchange for $5,700,000 and move to Oklahoma.
"Force Bill" - 1832 President Jackson issued his "proclamation to the People of South Carolina" asserting the supremacy of the federal government and warning that "disunion by armed force is treason." It enabled the president to utilize army and navy to collect federal tariff duties.
Loco focos a member of a radical group of NY democrats organized in 1835 in opposition to the regular party organization.
Panic of 1837 value of paper money exceeded the amount of gold and silver backing it ? president demanded payment for western lands in gold and silver instead of credit ? banks went under
Denmark Vesey planned a slave rebellion meant to kill the entire white population. He was caught and hung.
New Harmony town in Indiana ? famous as an educational and cultural center during 1820?s ? founded by George Rapp and the Harmonists who sought relief from religious persecution in Germany
Brook Farm cooperative community established in 1841 in West Roxbury (now part of Boston), as a joint-stock company by leaders of the philosophical movement known as transcendentalism. George Rephs experimented with Utopian Socialism.
American Temperance Union fought for the abstinence from alcohol by persuasion and law ? after 18TH amendment failed they established the AA.
Stephen Austin received a huge tract of land from Mexican government to bring 300 American families. He promised that they would convert to Roman Catholicism and were to be Mexicanized. These were ignored and caused conflicts later- went to negotiate in 1833 over issues and he was thrown in jail for 8 months.
San Jacinto near Houston ? final battle of Texas? War for Independence.
Manifest Destiny Belief that it was God's will that the U.S. expand all the way to the Pacific.
Santa Anna Mexican general and dictator ? defeated Texans at the Alamo ? led Mexican army in the Mexican War. Lost at San Jacinto.
Gen. Winfield Scott (1786-1866). American army officer, who played a major role in the Mexican War and ran for the presidency in 1852. He lead troops in Mexico in a series of victories, at Veracruz, Cerro Gordo, and his rank was raised to Lieutenant General, the first since George Washington.
Wilmot Proviso-amendment attached to an appropriations bill adopted in 1846 by the U.S. House of Representatives, proposed by David Wilmot. It forbade slaves in territories obtained by Mexico.
Compromise of 1850-series of five legislative enactments, passed by the U.S. Congress during August and September 1850. These measures, essentially the work of Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, were designed to reconcile the political differences then dividing the antislavery and proslavery factions.
Gadsen Purchase Land purchased by the U.S. from Mexico in 1854 and named for the American railroad entrepreneur and diplomant James Gadsen. It is now a part of New Mexico and Arizona.
Liberty Party-first antislavery political party in the U.S. It was formed in 1839 by a group of individuals who broke away from the militant American anti-slavery society. The Party was organized on November 13 at Warsaw, N.Y.
Crittenden Compromise-measure proposed in December 1860 by U.S Senator John Jordan Crittenden. It intended to keep South from succeeding ? allowed slavery in South, banned in North, and disallowed Congress to change it.
Morill Tariff A financial conservative, Morrill sponsored the Tariff Act of 1861 which introduced high import duties not for the traditional purpose of national revenue but to protect American industry from overseas competition.
Jefferson Davis 1808-89. First and only president of the Confederate States of America. He was responsible for the raising of the Confederate armies, and the notable appointment of Gen. Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Virginia. His zeal, energy, and faith in the cause of the South were a source of much of the tenacity with which the Confederacy fought the Civil War.
Bill of Rights first ten amendments to the U.S. constitution. They safeguarded the fundamental individual rights against usurpation by the federal government and prohibited interference with existing rights.
Federalists advocates of a federal union between the American colonies after the Revolution and of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
Assumptions the federal government's policy that it assumed state loans; this made some states angry for they had already paid their debt and now they had to pay other state's debt.
"Report on Manufactures" 1791. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Alexander Hamilton reported that there were 17 different types of small scale manufacturing existing.
Neutrality Proclamation Made by Washington; a clear formulations of a doctrine of neutrality that was issued in 1793, in international law, and legally put the U.S. in a status that adheres to a policy of non-engagement during war.
XYZ Affair event in which Frenchman, Mr. X, Mr. Y, Mr. Z tried to force the American government to pay a bribe to enter negotiations with the French government
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions Resolutions adopted in 1798 by legislatures to protest the enactment of the Alien and Sedition Acts. They argued that the government was formed by the states and therefore could not tell them what to do.
Mercy Otis Warren 1728-1814. American woman known for her letters. She used to writings to support the American cause. She was a friend and correspondent of leading political figures of her day.
Eli Whitney 1765-1825. American inventor. He invented the cotton gin which revolutionized the cotton cleaning process. He patented his invention but failed to profit because copyright laws were not enforced.
War Hawks Youthful newcomers who were eager to wipe out Indian resistance against white settlers. They thought the Indians were being supported by the British. This led to the war of 1812. They wanted to conquer Canada and get Britain off the continent.
Battle of New Orleans name of two battles fought near New Orleans. One was fought in the War of 1812 unknowingly after an treaty had been signed. Jackson became a military hero when he completely destroyed the British troops. Although the battle on no effect on the war, it proved America's military prowess.
Rush-Bagot Treaty agreement after the Treaty of Ghent between Britain and the U.S. to limit armament on the Great Lakes.
Tecumseh 1768-1813. American Indian chief of the Shawnee tribe. A gifted orator, he became the chief spokesman for Indians of Ohio Valley. He organized a Indian confederacy and later became a British general.
John C. Calhoun 1782-1850. Seventh vice-president of the U.S. He is America's best known theorist of the doctrines of states? rights and nullification which helped inspire the South?s effort to achieve independence in the Civil War
Adams-Onis Treaty In the Transcontinental (Adams-Onis) Treaty of 1819, Spain ceded all claim to West Florida, which came under official U.S. jurisdiction two years later.
Tallmadge Amendment The amendment which prohibited the introduction of slaves into Missouri and would set the children of all slaves free at age 25 ? not enforced until the Civil War.
Coffin Handbill flier with coffins on it put out by Adams supporters before the election of 1828 where much mudslinging occurred. The cofffins represented all of the people Jackson had killed during his numerous duels and brawls and trumpeting his handing of six mutinous militiamen.
Nicholas Biddle 1786-1844. American diplomat and financier. He became the president of the second United States Bank. In retirement, he helped establish Girard College in Philadelphia. His Greek Revival country manor Andalusia is now a historic house museum open to the public.
Independent Treasury The reenactment of the independent treasy system helped in the solution of domestic financial problems. It was set up by government to handle funds ? brainchild of Martin Van Buren.
Bank War The struggle between President Jackson and Micholas Biddle over the continued existence of the only national banking instutution in the nation and during the second quarter of the 19th century. The first Bank of the U.S., chartered in1791 over the objections of Thomas Jefferson, ceased in 1811 when Jeffersonian Republicans refused to pass a new charter. In 1816 the second Bank was created, with a 20-year charter.
Abolitionism The idea to eliminate slavery.
Fouerism a system for reorganiziong society into cooperative communities of small self-sustaining groups.
Alamo The site of the most famous battle in Texan War for independence. The Texans lost and those left surviving were ordering to be executed by Santa Anna. The battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" was then created.
Free Soil Party 1848-54. Minor but influential political party in pre-Civil War period that opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories. Fearful of expanding slave power, David Wilmot introduced into Congress his famous Wilmot Proviso.
Sam Houston 1793-1863. American statesman and military commander, led the fight for Texas independence from Mexico. He captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign treaty papers.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed in the city of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the treaty was signed to end the Mexican War on Feb. 2, 1848.
Popular sovereignty the right of territorial inhabitants applying for statehood to determine whether their state would or would not sanction slavery. This principle of self-determination became party of the compromise measures of 1850 and of the Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854.
Uncle Tom's Cabin A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. A forceful indictment of slavery and one of the most powerful novels of its kind in American literature.
Bleeding Kansas conflict in Kansas Territory between antislavery free staters and proslavery groups. Border Ruffians conducted systematic raids into Kansas during this time. John Brown is known for his bloody reprisal at Pottawatomie Creek.
Freeport Doctrine During the Lincoln-Douglas debate, Douglas's opinion on slavery was shown. His views on popular sovereignty came out but he later he rejects the Lecompton's Constitution. He argued that the people of any territory could keep slavery out of it by refusing to pass laws allowing it.
Homestead Act Provided 160 acres of public land free of charge to anyone either 21 years of age or the head of a family, a citizen of person who had filed for citizenship, who had lived on and cultivated the land for at least five years.
Edwin Stanton US secretary of war under A. Lincoln.
Emancipation Proclamation Proclamation issued by Lincoln declaring that all "slaves within any State, or designated part of a state then in rebellion, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."
Robert E. Lee 1807-70. Brilliant confederate general, whose military genius was probably the greatest single factor in keeping the Confederacy alive through the four years of the Civil War.
Constitution Convention Held in Pennsylvania, originally intended to revise the Articles of Confederation and they ended up drafting a new Constitution which is still used today.
Federalist Papers always signed by Publius (public). 85 essays designed to explain the constitution, wrote by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
Bank of the U.S. 1816-36. Hamilton fought Jefferson to start a national bank. It was important because all the individual state banks issued their own banknotes resulted naturally in a highly inefficient currency mechanims.
Jay Treaty- 1794 John Jay was sent to England for negotations but Hamilton betrayed US? bargaining strategy to England ? written to resolve the Treaty of Paris.
Barbary Pirates pirates of the coast of North Africa interfering with American commerce ? caused, ?a million for defense but not 1 cent for tribute?
Deism a rational religious philosphy that flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in England. A belief in which one relies on reason rather than revelation, and a science rather than the Bible
Albert Gallatin 1761-1849. American statesman and financial expert. An immigrant, he worked his way up to become the secretary of state, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent.
Orders-in-Council The best known were issued in November and December 1807, which imposed a blockade on Napoleonic Europe by the British and, in response, the decree by which the French might seize any neutral ship that complied with British regulations.
Daniel Webster 1782-1852. American lawyer and statesman. He was an abolitionist, senator, eloquent speaker, helped resolve many political disputes between the North and South.
Marbury v. Madison The case in which the supreme court established that it was it's duty to determine constitutionality. This precedent-setting power of judicial review was not exercised again to hold an act of Congress unconstitutional until Dred Scott.
Monroe Doctrine statement of U.S. policy on the activites and rights of European powers in the western hemisphere, made by President Monroe in his seventh annual address to the U.S. Congress on Dec. 2, 1823. It rephrased Britain?s bi-lateral proposal stating that the US would not permit and European nation to interfere in the West.
Era of Good Feelings Time of peace during Monroe's presidency. This was a misnomer because there were many divisive issues including tarriffs, the banks, internal improvements, and the sale of public lands.
McCulloch vs. Maryland 1819. Concerned whether or not Congress was authorized to charter a national bank. It was determined that Congress has not only specifically granted Constitutional powers but implied powers, as well.
Cumberland Road National road, extending for nearly 1300 km from Cumberland, MD, to Vandalia, IL. Now part of U.S. Highway 40, this road was important in opening the West and Southwest to settlement from the East.
Panic of 1819 paralyzing economic panic descended. Brought deflation, depression, bankruptcies bank failures, unemployment, soup kitchens, and overcrowded prison. Caused by overspeculation of frontier lands.
Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to be entered as a slave states, Maine to be entered as a free state, other Southern states to be entered as slave states, and all Northern states north of 36 degrees 30" to be entered as free states.
Corrupt Bargain Clay was cutout of the election of 1824 and he worked behind the scenes to get New York to vote for Adams. Adams won and appointed Clay as Secretary of State (everyone who became president had served this position). Jackson made news of this and called it a corrupt bargain. Before the cutting of Clay from the election, he was leading the election race.
Peggy Eaton Affair event in which Peggy was accused of adultery and cast out from Washington society ? Jackson tried to help and stand up for her
Maysville Road Veto In 1830, the roads in Kentucky lay unfinished. Andrew Jackson vetoed a bill that would have made improvements on these roads because it used federal money and Henry Clay supported it.
Nullification Ordinance alleged right that a state could nullify federal laws due to the federal governments existence because of the states? compact (states created the government).
Roger B. Taney 1777-1864. American jurist and 5th chief justice of the U.S., well known for his controversial decision in the Dred Scott case.
Specie Circular July 11, 1836. An executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson requiring that payment for the purchase of public lands be made exclusively in gold or silver. In an effort to curb excessive land speculation to squash thhe enormous growth of paper money in circulation, Jackson directed the Treasury Department to accept only specie as payment for government owned land.
"Spoils System" It is the practice of making appointments to a political office and of giving employment in the public service to those whom have been advantageous to the public. It was favoritism for those who had done public service.
Hudson River School First group of landscape painters to emerge in the U.S. after independence from Great Britain, flourished between 1820 and 1880. Many of the artists associated with the group lived and painted in the Catskill Mountains region of New York along the Hudson River.
Mormons a member of any of several denominations and sects, the largest of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that trace their religion founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in 1830.
Seneca Falls Convention Assembly held on July 19-20, 1848 at Senenca Falls, NY, that launched the woman suffrage movement in the United States. Seneca Falls was the home of Elizabeth Stanton, who, along with Lucretia Mott, conceived and direction the convention
Oregon Trail overland pioneer route to the northwestern U.S. It was about 3200 km long and extended from Independence, Mo, to the Columbia River in Oregon.
Know-Nothing Party (1849-1860) ? secret society that discriminated against immigrants and Roman Catholics ? played upon fears of the back country farmers of immigrant population cities. When asked about the party, they said they "knew nothing."
Texas Question-Should the U.S. take Texas and support the American fight there even though they promised to obey the Mexican government when they went there? Many favored the Texans because of Manifest Destiny.
Harper's Ferry town ? tourist center ? founded by Robert Harper ? operated a armory and ferry ? assisted US in War of 1812 and Civil War.
Ostend Manifesto title of a document drawn by James Buchanan on Oct 9. 1854. The U.S. demanded that Spain sell Cuba. If they refused, it implied that the U.S. would use force to seize it.
Sumner-Brooks Affair Sumner severely criticized the senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler. Two days later he was caned in the Senate chamber by Butler's nephew, Preston Brooks, a member of the House, also from South Carolina. Severely injured, Sumner was absent from the Senate for several years.
"Copperheads?-name popularly applied during the American Civil War to Northern members of the Demoratic party. They were partisans who obstructed the war effort. They advocated compromise with the Confederate states.
13th Amendment - After the Civil War the slaves freed by the Emancipation Proclamation would have risked re-enslavement but Lincoln play a large part in adopting this amendment which abolished slavery.
Gettysburg-battle fought on July 1-3, 1863. Considered by most military historians to be the turning point in the American Civil War. The union army, number 85,000, decisively beat the Confederate army under General Lee, which had 75,000 troops. It destroyed the South's offensive capabilities.
Pacific Railway Act 1862, 1864. Two measures that provided federal subsidies in land and loans for the construction of a transcontinental railroad across the United States.
Crop-Lien System a legal claim that one person has on the property of another for the security of debt. The main type of Lien are common law liens and statutory liens. A general Lien gives the holder the right to property other than that which is the basis of the debt due, like sharecropping.
14th Amendment civil rights for ex-slaves, settlement after the Civil War.
Darwin's Theory Theory of Natural Selection. He formed the idea that species change and those that fit the best into their environment survive.
Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 court battle that declared that "separate but equal" facilities were allowable under the Constitution.
Haymarket Riot confrontation between police and protesters in Haymarket Square in Chicago. A strike was in progress at the McCormick repear works in Chicago, and the previous day several men had been shot by the police during a riot at the plant. A meeting was called at Haymarket square as a protest against police violence, another gun battle ensued.
Ku Klux Klan a secret terrorist organization that originated in the southern states during the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War. They are dedicated to the harassment of minorities--blacks, Catholics, Jews.
W.E.B. DuBois American sociologist, the most important black protest leader in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century. He shared in the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and edited Crisis, its magazine, from 1910-1934. Late in life he became identified with Communist causes.
Charles Pillsbury 1842-1899. American businessman, a small flour mill in Minneapolis and developed it into the largest flour producer in the world (C.A. Pillsbury &Co.); sold mills to English syndicate.
James Fiske 183401872. American financier. Founded brokerage house Fisk & Belen. Made a fortune in stock manipulations that ruined the Erie Railroad; cooperated with Drew and Jay Gould to raise the price of gold, reaping a fortune for themselves but causing countrywide depression and loss of millions to others; attempted to corner the gold market and failed when pres. Grant released government gold.
Wabash Case Supreme Court decreed that individual states had no right to regulate interstate commerce. Led to the passing of an act that prohibited rebates and pools and required the railroads to publish their rates openly.
National Labor Union the NLU began in 1866 with a convention in Baltimore, called to organize skilled and unskilled laborers, farmers, and reformers into a coalition that would pressure Congress to pass a law limiting the workday to eight hours.
Social Gospel a liberal movement in American Protestantism, prominent in the late 19th century, which sought to apply Christian principles to a variety of social problems engendered by industrialization. Its founders and leaders included the clergymen Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch, who tried to counteract the efforts of expanding capitalism by teaching religion and human dignity to the working class.
Hull House American social settlement, founded in 1889 in Chicago by the social reformer, Jane Adams and her associates. It was established primarily as a welfare agency for needy families and also to combat juvenile delinquency by providing recreational facilities for children living in the slums.
"Trust" legal term for monopoly. A group of individuals trying to control a particular business.
"Rebate" American Farmer, farmers agreed to use shipping line if those lines would lower their price
Oliver H. Kelley 1826-1913. American agricultural organizer. An organizer and secretary of National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry; zealous in promiting its growth; wrote Origin and Progress of the Patrons of Husbandry.
Sherman Anti-trust Act-basic federal enactment regulating the operations of corporate trusts, passed by the U.S. Congress in July 1890. The act declared illegal "every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restrant of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations."
Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1835-1899. American politician. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri. Leader of congressional free silver bloc of Democratic Party; coauthor of Bland-Allison Act and remonetizing silver. Deafed by W. J. Bryan for Presidential nomination.
Samuel Gompers pres. of the American Federation of Labor, believed a healthy open relationship between management staff and work force would prevent strikes and benefit everyone
"Molly Maguires? -secret society formed about 1854 by the Irish coal miners of the anthracite regions of Pennsylvania. It was organized for the planning and execution of a concerted campaign of physical violence against those whom the miners considerd their oppressors, including the mineowners, their superintendents, and state and municipal police under the virtual control of the mineowners.
George Washington Plunkitt known for a famous series of newspaper interviews; a political "boss" in the Tammany Hall "machine"; candidly described his ethical and political principles.
McKinley Tariff Twenty-fifth president of the U.S.; this tariff promoted tariff protectionism and opposed free silver. It committed the country to the gold standard and promoted business confidence
Gilded Age period of gross materialism and blatant political corruption in U.S. history during the 1870s that gave rise to important novels of social and political criticism. The period takes its name from the earliest of these, The Gilded Age, by Mark Twain with Charles Dudley Warner.
Greenbacks members of the Greenback Labor party. Farmers found a vent for their grievances here. In 1878 they election 14 members to Congress and in the election of 1880 they ran Weaver for president.
"Stalwarts" A faction of the Republican Party that opposed the civil-service reform policies of President Hayes and sought unsuccessfully a third presidential term for Ulysses Grant. They vied with the generally more liberal Half-Breeds for control of the party in the 1870s and 1880s.
10% Plan Lincoln proclaimed this in 1863 that a state could be reintegrated into the Union when 10% of its voters had taken oaths of allegiance to the U.S. and pledged to abide by emancipation.
Tenure of Office Act A law forbidding the president to remove civil officers without senatorial consent. The law was possed over Pres. Johnson's veto by Radical Republicans in Congress in their struggle to wrest control of Reconstruction from Johnson.
Southern Strategy in Civil War - Main objective was to capture Washington and then to negotiate for peace and return the capital to the Union and be left alone as an independent nation. If they had kept with this plan they would have won. They just wanted to get the Union out of their territories, they did not want to attack the Union.
Morill Land Grant land-grant college, any of numerous American institutions of higher learning that were established under the first Morrill Act (1862). This act was passed by the U.S. Congress and was named for the act's sponsor, Vermont congressman Justin Smith Morill.
15th Amendment Male blacks allowed to vote- cannot discriminate against race, color, or previous servitude.
Sharecropping popular in SE U.S. from the end of the Civil War until widespread mechanization of the production of cotton and tobacco made the system unprofitable. By this system, the sharecropper and their family provided their labor in return for a share in the profits from the crop they produced. The owner of the land provided not only the land but equipment, animals, seed and living accommodations for the sharecropper and family.
Social Darwinism the theory that both people and entire societies follow Darwin?s theories of evolution and natural selection among the society.
Comstock Lode metal-yielding vein rich in gold in silver located in Nevada - a find of over 340 million dollars in silver and gold was unearthed.
Black Codes these were brought into effect under the Southern governments after the Civil War they listed things that blacks were not allowed to do.
Jim Crowism - it is a legislation passed in 1865 meant to further segregate different races. It came to become a term that came to be derogatory epithet for blacks and a designation for their segregated life.
Gustavus Swift 1839-1903. American meat packer. He commissioned the development of the refrigerator car; made the first shipment of dressed beef to the eastern market; and profited by utilization of by-products to make oleomargarine, soap, glue, fertilizer, etc. He was the leading man in meat industry whose business did well with the coming of the Meat Trust.
George Pullman 1831-97. American inventor. Originally trained as a cabinetmaker, he became a building contractor in Chicago in 1855. In 1863 he designed the first modern railroad sleeping car and patented his innovations folding upper berths and seats that could extent into lower berths. He developed a monopoly.
Jay Gould 1836-1892. American financier. Engaged in stock market manipulation of railroad securities. Associated with James Fisk and Daniel Drew in a struggle against Cornelius Vanderbilt for control of Erie Railroad, looted the Erie's treasury. Attempted to corner gold, causing panic of Black Friday.
William M. Tweed 1823-1878. American politician. He gained absolute power of Tammany Hall (1868) and controlled nominations and patronage. Became head of a group of New York City politicians known as the Tweed Ring, which gained control of New York City finances and swindled the treasury of between 30 and 200 million dollars; exposed by Harper's Weekly (with powerful cartoons by Thomas Nast).
Homestead Steel Strike-Strike in which 300 detectives were brought into put the strike down but were forced to surrender by the factory workers, hurt Republicans in 1892 election.
John D. Rockefeller -1839-1937. American industrialist. By 1878 Rockefeller had control of 90 percent of the oil refineries in the U.S. and soon afterward a virtual monopoly of the marketing facilities. In 1882 he formed the Standard Oil Trust. This, the first corporate trust, was declared an illegal monopoly and ordered dissolved by the Ohio Supreme Court. At its peak, Rockefeller's personal fortune was estimated at almost $1 billion. The total amount of his philanthropic contributions was about $550 million.
"Pool" among other meanings, a trust pool is synonymous with a monopoly.
U.S. v. E.C. Knight Co. legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. E.C. Knight Co. owned American Sugar Refining Company who owned a virtual monopoly of sugar refining in the U.S., controlling 98% of the industry. The court ruled 8 to 1 against the government, declaring that manufacturing was a local activity not subject to congressional regulation of interstate commerce.
Knights of Labor American Labor union, originally established as a secret fraternal order. It is notable in U.S. labor history as the first organization of workers to advocate the inclusion in one union of all workers in the country.
American Federation of Labor Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1886, during a period of widespread strikes by workers seeking an 8-hour work day. Its primary objectives were unionization of workers, support of legislation beneficial to labor, reduction of working hours, and improvement of working conditions and wages.
Eugene V. Debs 1855-1926. American socialist leader, pacifist, labor organizer, and Socialist candidate for U.S. president five times. President of the American Railway Union. Under his leadership the union won an important strike on the Great Northern Railway.
William J. Bryan 1860-1925. American political leader, editor, and lecturer, known for his spellbinding oratory. He became a leader of the movement for the unlimited coinage of silver. At the Democratic National Convention of 1896 he delivered his most famous speech, generally known as the "cross of gold" speech, in behalf of the bimetallic theory. His last years were devoted largely to activities in behalf of the American religious movement known as fundamentalist.
Wilson-Gorman Tariff 1894. Imposed a direct tax on the incomes of American citizens and corporations, thus declaring the federal income tax unconstitutional. The decision was unsettled in 1913 by ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution, giving Congress the power "to pay and collect taxes on incomes."
"Half-Breeds" faction of Republican party during the 1870's and 80's when infighting beset, who flirted coyly with civil reform service. Main fight with the Stalwarts was who should grasp the ladle that dished out the spoils. Champion was James G. Blaine.
Pendelton Act Jan. 16, 1883. Landmark U.S. legislation establishing the tradition and mechanism of permanent federal employment based on merit rather than on political party affiliation (spoils system). More than 90 percent of federal employees by 1980 were protected by the act.
Granger Movement-agrarian movement in the U.S., initiated shortly after the American Civil War with the aim of improving the social, economic, and political status of farmers. The even that marked the beginning of the granger movement was the formation, in 1867, of Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
Wade-Davis Bill 1864. Unsuccessful attempt by Radical Republicans and others in the U.S. Congress to set Reconstruction policy before the end of the Civil War. The bill provided for the appointment of provisional military governors in the seceded states. President Lincoln's pocket veto of the bill presaged the struggle that was to take place after the war between President Johnson and the Radical Republicans in Congress.
Northern Strategy in Civil War 1. Blockades of the South to prevent trade with foreign countries especially England. 2. Control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans thus dividing the South. #. The capture of Richmond, the Confederate capital thus forcing a surrender.
Compromise of 1877 Released election deadlock between Hays and Tilden- Democrat Hays takes office in return for removal of his troops. Republicans get support for bill subsidizing the Texas and Pacific Railroad.
Little Big Horn commonly known as Custer's Last Stand, American military engagement fought on Jun 25, 1876, in what is now Montana. Custer met with the Indians and lost.
Freedman's Bureau school for a time after the Civil War for blacks.
Booker T. Washington 1856-1915. American educator, who urged blacks to attempt to uplift themselves through education attainments and economic advancement. Appointed organizer and principal of a black normal school in Tuskegee, ala. He urged blacks to accept their inferior social position for the present and to strive to raise themselves through vocational training and economic self-reliance. Many whites and blacks accepted Washington as the chief spokesperson of the American black.
Philip Armour1832-1901. American meat packer. In 1863 he became head of the pork-packing firm of Armour, Pankington & Co. He acquired a large interest in the grain business belonging to his brother Herman Armour. He was a pioneer in the use of refrigeration and in the canning of meat. In 1892 he founded and endowed the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Cornelius Vanderbilt 1794-1877. American industrialist. He entered the transportation business at the age of 16 when he established a freight-and-passenger ferry service between Staten Island and Manhattan. Later, he invested in railroads. When he died he was estimated to be worth over $100 million.
Munn v. Illinois 1877. Case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the power of government to regulate private industries. It was developed as a result of the Illinois legislature?s responding in 1871 to pressure from the National Grange, an association of farmers, by setting maximum rates that proviate companies could charge for the storage and transport of agricultural products.
Nativism a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants.
Acres of Diamonds Lecture given by Russel Herman Conwell; given no less than 6,000 times. The theme of the lecture was that everyone had an opportunity to get rich and then could use their money to help others. ?Keep clean, fight hard, pick your openings judiciously, and have your eyes forever fixed on the heights toward which you are headed,? was his simple formula for success and the central emphasis of his preaching.
Populist Party Through the 1880s local political action groups known as Farmers? Alliances sprang up among Middle Westerners and Southerners. In 1892 their leaders organized the Populist, or People?, Party. They demanded an increase in the circulating currency (to be achieved by the unlimited coinage of silver), a graduated income tax, government ownership of the railroads, a tariff for revenue only, and the direct election of U.S. senators. They also demanded other measures designed to strengthen political democracy and give farmers economic parity with business and industry.
Interstate Commerce Act-federal law comprising a number of congressional enactments that provide for the regulation by the U.S. government of domestic surface transportation in interstate commerce. The first of these congressional enactments created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and established reasonable and just rates.
Bland-Allison Act Remonetizing silver. Allowed the government to purchase a set amount of silver monthly to coin
Henry Cabot Lodge 1850-1924. American statesman who led the opposition to U.S. membership in the League of Nations after World War I. During the Spanish-American War he gave his full support to the policies of President William McKinley.
Coxey?s Army A group of unemployed went to Washington, D.C. to protest unemployment and demonstrate in fav