American Civilization 21.11.11

There was the Trail of Tears in the 1830's. Andrew Jackson proved he could make a good government policy. When he did run, he wanted to give back the government to the people, he really tried to change something. He's also the one who made every men be able to vote, not according a certain amount of money. In the 1830's, the whigs ( national republicans), the main fear was the one of central government. Federalist were scared of this whearas the whigs were not, they lost. Martin Van Buren ( 1836) carried out Andrew Jackson's policy. He was known for his skills as a political analyst. However, He couldn't be president. When he took over, Great Brtitain was going through a deep national crisis. British banksreduces the specie, that means reduced the coin currency. This had an effect on the USA, US blacks began to panic, they limited the amount of bank notes.AT the same time, the American farmers were suffering and thoughout the 1840's, there were bad years for farmers ( the crop failure). Van Buren didn't manage to embody the managing and to be the man who could US be out of recession. Van Buren cut the working days down top 10 hours. In 1835, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote " Democracy in America"= a river flows but there are two different courants, these 2 courants are nationalism and sectionalism. In 1840, the presidential campaign started, therewere muslingings, empty political promises and it was a dirty campaign actually. John Tyler and William Henry Harrison were part of the campaign. Tyler had for slogan ' Tippecanoe and Tyler too'=

Problems between the north and the south due to developments and technology and industry. Political and economic problems also. There was the start of the industrial period with a lot of factories. 1792= Samuel Sdlater set up the first textile factory, he had spendles. He employed children. He began the factory with 9 children. T this time there were many accidents especially in textile. With a growing population, modern conviniences were set up. Instead of making, people bought example :soap. In the early 19^th century, americans started to get interested in money, they used cash and credit to buy goods. The change in the way that people bought , sell and consume is known as the market revolution. They learnt to be demanders of goods and also spenders. Entreprenors were taking a business risk for profit ( Schumpeter). It is actually the development of capitalism : supply of wealth that can be used to produce goods and money. There was a larger need of labour force. Several men revolutionized the industrial revolution , the factory system ( Francis Cabot Lowell and Samuel Slater). Book = " Carrie": she worked in the factory system, a lot of young single women from the countryside went to the city to work, they also employed a lot of children. Movies = " It's a wonderful life" ( villes champignons). The idealic factory system didn't last long, the work was hard and sometimes dangerous, the wages were low. Many people were criticized for owning slavers. In the north, there was a wage slavery, nobody took care of them when they were not useful anymore, no social security. This is an example of sectionalism. In the 19^th century, there was an influx of an Irish immigration because of the potatoes famin. They were looking for the Promised land. The leading industry in the USA in the 1830's-1860's, the biggest import : people. During the 1820's, there was a lot of immigrants = 500 000 immligrants. But to 1820 to 1850, 2.7 million. Most of the immigrants came from Ireland and Germany. Many of the immigrants came to NYC and settled in tenements. New traditions werre brough, so in Baltimore for example, there were in neighbourhoods. There was also a transportation revolution. Building boom ! ( Till 1860's). National Road system = many roads, paths or bridges, turnpikes, canal

20 cent = 1 mile. Canal buffalo area to albany. 1825 : first canal from buffalo to albany, it was a success, a lot of other canals were built right after. 3300 of canal system. Cheap way to travel.

• the railroad system. Built in Pennsylvania in 1830's at first. There were tracks built in the midwest usally from chicago.

" middleman" producer who could sell prioduct to someone who could sell far.

• Telegraph lines followed the railroad system : Samuel FB Morse invented it. A lot of people made money on all those developments. The first telegraph line was built in 1834 and it was built from Washington to Baltimore.

With the progress, thousands of americans became land-frenzied ( crazy). John O' sullivan ( 1845) : Manifest Destiny. Term used for the USA to conquer, obssesive desire and greed to american to control the whole american territory. Many people took their chance and went west. In 1810, There was one out of 7 americans lived west. By 1840's, more than 1 out of every 3 american lived west. Immigrants were very hopeful for the future and he wrote " only in america a man builds a house in which to spend its old age and he sells it before the roof is on". Example of capitalism.

A young nation grew very fast even though there were many problems. To 1860's, there was a lot o agitation. Imligration so more people you have, more needs you have. Factories were being built everywhere. When a society changes rapidly, there is a kinf od nedd of break. Tensions : some people took the territory of the native americans. The question of slavery was exploding.

After Tyler :

• James polk : democrat, noth carolina, 1845-1849.
• Zackary Taylor, Whig from Virginia, died in 1850, his vice president took over.
• Millard Fillmore l: shig from NYC 1850- 1853. He had to deal with a lot of policitcal party'scandals. " Compromise" of 1850.
• Franklin Pierce : Democrat from the New Hampshire, 1833-1857.
• James Buchanan from Pennsylvania, democrat, 1857-1861.

issues leading up to the civil war:

USA was experiencing the market revolution ( with development of transportation especially). The north was a flory of industry, mass producing goods. 1851 : Isaac Singer, sewing machine, was produced massively. 1834 : Cyrus Mc Cormick : he invented the horse-drawn reaper : revolutionized agriculture. 1837 : John Deere : invented a steel-tipped plow. Eli Whitney improved coton-gin,inventions with " moving interchangeable parts". Kingpins = leader but with a negative conotation.1790 = 700 000 slaves ( concentrated in the north)

1860 : 3.5 million of slaves ( 95% in thr south).

Between 1820's, 30's ==> reformers were people who thought about the cay to purify and make american back on track, that means educating the masses. Temperance movement !