3.Antebellum1800-1860.ppt

ThefrontierisanideaofhugeimportanceinAmericanculture TheAmericanfrontieralsohadspiritualsignificance itcametostandfortheidentityof America Itdisappearedattheendofthe19thcenturywhenthewholelandwassettled TheFrontierwasthetermusedtodescribetheunexploredareaoflandbeyondtheregionwhereEuropeanshadsettleddowntolive Aspioneersmovedintothefrontierzonetheywerechangedsignificantlybytheexperience FrederickJacksonTurner s TheSignificanceoftheFrontierinAmericanHistory 1893 celebratedthefreedomthattheAmericanWestcouldprovide Hepraisedtheuniquequalitiesofthefrontierexperience thatcoarsenessandstrengthcombinedwithacutenessandinquisitiveness thatpractical inventiveturnofmind quicktofindexpedients thatmasterfulgraspofmaterialthings lackingintheartisticbutpowerfultoeffectgreatends thatrestless nervousenergy thatdominantindividualism workingforgoodandforevil andwithalthatbuoyancyandexuberancewhichcomefromfreedom Inotherwords strength curiosity invention energy andindividualism thesewerecharacteristicsthatthefrontiergavetopeopleandwhichbecameimportantpartsofthenationalcharacter TheGardenoftheWorldTheGardenoftheWorld oneoftheoldestmythsofAmericanculture shapedpoliticalandbusinessaims andspeededupexplorationandwestwardsettlement Thisideaofawesternparadise 乐园 expressedfertility growth increase andhappylaborintheearth andtheheroicfigureoftheidealfrontierfarmer ManypoliticiansandartistssawthefarmerasrepresentingtheideaofAmericamovingwestandturningthewholelandintoanewAmericanparadise Theyconsideredhiswork simplicityandmoralandeconomicindependencecentraltotheideasofanewandperfectAmericanRepublic Formany theWestpromisedasimpleagriculturalsociety TheHomesteadActof1862gaveordinarypeopletherighttoownupto160acresoffarmingland ThiswasahugestepforwardintheideaofAmericandemocracy andthepowerof thecommonman Theshiftfromthepowerofan elite tothecommonmanaffectedalmosteveryareaofAmericanlife includingeducation work politics humanitarianendeavorsandtherelationshipsbetweenmenandwomen Toreducepoverty unemployment socialandeconomicproblemsintheEast theWesternsettlementhelpedbytheHomesteadActwasseenasawayofeasingsocialproblems WhentheActwaspassedin1862 itwasbelievedthatthathundredsofthousandsofpoorpeoplefromthecitieswouldgoWesttomakehomesfortheirfamilies Aswhitesettlementwasexpanding conflictswithNativeAmericansbecameinevitable Theseconflictswereeconomic racialandcultural NativeAmericanoppositiontowhiteAmericanexpansionintotheirterritoryshoweditselfbytheirresistancetoremovaltreaties AremovaltreatywasasignedagreementbetweenthegovernmentandtheNativeAmericanstosaythatthenativeswouldmovefromtheirhomestoaplacechosenforthembythegovernment Often thewhitemanforcedthenativestoagree Wars suchastheBlackHawkWarof1832 theSecondCreekWarof1836andthelongandcostlySecondSeminoleWar 1835 1842 showhowbadrelationsbetweenthetwocultureswere andhowitwasalmostimpossibletomakethembetter IndianRemovalTreatiesThehistoryofIndianremovalsoonbecamefullofviolenceandsadness Intheearliestenforced agreement betweenthegovernmentandnatives theTreatyofNewEchotaof1835 thearmyforced17 000CherokeestoleavetheirlandinGeorgiaandmovetoOklahoma MostoftheNativeAmericansperishedfromdiseases andmanydidnotsurvivethehardshipsofthelongjourney theinfamous TrailofTears in1838 destroyed4 000Indians About100 000NativeAmericansemigratedfromtheirtriballands mostoftheminthe1830s OneimportantthingtounderstandisthatNativeAmericansdidnotunderstandtheideaof owning theland Theybelievedtheybelongedtothelandinapurespiritualandculturalwaythatwhitepeopledidnotunderstand Byforcingthemtoleavetheirhomes thewhitepeoplewereactuallydestroyingNativeAmericancultureandrippingtheheartoutoftheirlives TheEmergenceofaDistinctAmericanCultureThefirsthalfofthe19thcenturysawtheemergenceofadistinctlyAmericanculture ThoughstillregardedbyEuropeansasinferiortoBritishandEuropeanculture itwasnolongerdismissedasthebarbarianandexotic other Characteristicsofthe American culturewereseenbyEuropeansasincludingquestioningofoldandtraditionalbeliefsadistasteforwhatisancientandaloveof thenew theideathatmenareallverymuchalike OneofthemajorliteraryfiguresinthisperiodwasRalphWaldoEmerson 1803 1882 whose TheAmericanScholar 1837 isregardedasAmerica s DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence CallingforthecreationofanAmericanliteratureratherthanalwayscopyingothercultures EmersonwasahugeinfluenceonthedevelopmentofanindependentAmericanculture In ThePoet hecalledforanAmericanpoetwhowouldwriteanewpoetrythatwastrulyAmerican HiscallwasansweredbyWaltWhitman TheHudsonRiverSchoolAgroupofartistsknownasTheHudsonRiverSchoolgaveadistinctvisualexpressionofAmerica Theywantedtoshowapowerful optimisticandself reliantnationbytheirpaintingsofthecountryintheHudsonRiverarea SunnyMorningontheHudsonRiver 1827 TheAmericanSouthandSlaveryTheslavetradebecamealargepartofEuropeanandNorth Americanbusinessfromthe1400sandwaspartofthegreateconomicgrowthinvolvingrisinglivingstandardsamongthemiddleandlowerclassesinEuropeandBritishNorthAmerica ThePlantationEconomyintheSouthernStateswasbasedonagriculturalmassproductionbyAfricanslavelaboronlargefarms calledplantations andbythemid 19thcenturyitwasmakinglotsofmoney Ithadahugeimpactonthefuturehistoryandcultureofthecountry Treatmentofslavesdifferedgreatly Someofthemweretaughttoreadandwrite someofthembecamefamouscraftsmenandfoundersandleadersoffreeblackcommunities Butmostslavesonplantationswereconsideredlittlemorethananimals andnothumanbeings TheJudgeinthe1857DredScottv StanfordcasedecidedthatDredScott aformerslave alreadyestablishedandsettledasafreemaninIllinois remainedaslavenevertheless HesaidScottwasnottoberegardedasacitizenoftheUnitedStatesbecausehewasaNegro andthemakersoftheConstitutionhadnotconsideredNegroescitizens ThislegalvictoryfortheSouthalsoshowedastrengtheningsouthcapableofmaintainingracialsegregationandthereforethreateningtheunionofthecountryasawhole Blackresistancetoslaverytooktheformofconspiracies rebellions escapesandpoliticalorganizations IntheNorth whereslaverydidnotexistbecausebusinesstherewasnotagricultural theAmericanAnti SlaverySocietyformedin1833pressedforthelegalemancipation toemancipate means tosetfree ofAfrican Americanslavesbyproducingnewspapersandmagazines speeches andstoriesofwhataslave slifewaslike Perhapsthemostfamousexampleofanti slaverywritingisUncleTom sCabin anovelbyHarrietBeecherStowe Publishedin1852 thenovelwasverypopularandshowedpeopleintheNorththetruthaboutslavery AbrahamLincolnwaselectedPresidentoftheUnitedStatesin1860 Duringtheelection hehadspokenoutstronglyagainstthespreadofslaveryandhopedthatonedayitwouldend Lincolnhopedtopreventawar Wearenotenemies butfriends LincolntoldSouthernersaftertakingtheoathofoffice Wemustnotbeenemies ShortlyaftertheelectionofLincoln oneofthesouthernstates SouthCarolinadeclared theUnitedStatesofAmericaisherebydissolved andsecededfromtheUnion Secede meanstoformallywithdrawfromanorganization Inthiscase fromtheUnionofStates Sixotherstatessoonfollowed Themainreasonswereslavery andthequestionofwherethepoliticalandeconomicpowerofthecountrylay withtheNorthortheSouth ANewCountryFormed Togetherthesesevenstatesformedanewcountry TheycalledthenewcountrytheConfederateStatesofAmerica TheyelectedJeffersonDavisasPresident TheCivilWar 1861 65 TheCivilWarwasthebloodiestAmericanwar resultingin1millioncasualtiesinacountrywherethetotalpopulationwasonlyabout30million Itwasalsothefirst modernwar inatleasttwoways forthefirsttime hugelydestructivemilitarytechnologywasusedbymassedarmiesonbothsides sothelossoflifewasstaggeringlyhighwithindays evenhours e g atAntietam 26 000casualties atGettysburg 51 000casualties 2 theCivilWarwasthefirstphotographedwarduetothetechniquesinventedbybattlefieldphotographersMathewBrady TimothyO SullivanandAlexanderGardner Peoplecouldseephotographsofthehorrorsofthewarintheirnewspapers Afamousdocumentofthewar PresidentLincoln s GettysburgAddress deliveredwhenhevisitedthebattlefieldofGettysburgisonlytensentenceslongbutisoneofthemostfamous