Timeline:
Trigger Words:
- American Colonization Society: The American Colonization Society was founded in 1817. It purchased land in Africa (Liberia) with the intention of solving the "Negro problem" by transporting freed slaves there. Society backers were convinced that both blacks and whites would benefit from racial separation. Few blacks wished to migrate to Africa and the society accomplished little.
- Corrupt Bargain: In the controversial Election of 1824, John Quincy Adams laid himself open to the charge of having won the presidency by virtue of a "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay. Employing his great influence in the House of Representatives, Clay swung the House vote for Adams for president. Adams then appointed Clay as his secretary of state.
- Eli Whitney: a skilled and prolific inventor, invented the cotton gin in 1793. It almost immediately transformed southern agriculture and revitalized slavery. Whitney also was successful in manufacturing rifles for the government by employing the idea of interchangeable parts.
- Great Western Frontiers: Uninhabited land in the West where people went to for a new life and "free" land, was quickly inhabited when the Gold Rush started.
- Grimke Sisters: Angelina and Sarah Grimke, sisters from South Carolina, began their public careers in the abolitionist movement. Male abolitionists objected to their prominence in the movement, and the sisters turned to advocacy of women's rights.
- Henry Clay: The US Congress' Speaker of the House, had influence on who would become president in the 1824 election, negotiated with John Quincy Adams and made him president, where he became Secretary of State in exchange.
- Indian Removal Act: This legislation passed by Congress in 1830 provided funds for removing and resettling eastern Indians in the West. It granted the president the authority to use force if necessary.
- Manifest Destiny: Manifest destiny was the belief of nineteenth-century Americans that their nation's territorial expansion was inevitable and ultimately a good thing, even for those being conquered. This conviction helped Americans justify the aggressive acquisition of new territories in the 1840s and later in the 1890s.
- Mexican American War: The Mexican War was fought between the United States and Mexico from May 1846 to February 1848. See also Mexican Cession of 1848 and Guadalupe Hidalgo, Treaty of.
- Republican Motherhood: Where the government encouraged mothers to teach their children about how great a Republic government is for their future.
- Seneca Falls: The Seneca Falls Convention was held in 1848. It drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, patterned on the Declaration of Independence, but declared that "all men and women are created equal."
Primary Sources:
Summary: Cherokee Chief john Ross is protesting the Treaty of New Echota in this primary source. The treaty had been made between the U.S. government and certain individuals of the Cherokee nation, but not the legitimate authorities of their nation. It was an injustice to their people and robbed them of their liberties and possessions. The Cherokee nations will not enforce or recognize the treaty according to this letter.
Significance: This document is significant because it represents the widespread injustice that was happening to the Native Americans at that time. Also, it were these so-called "treaties" between them that led to their forcible removal on the Trail of Tears and the wars and violent encounters between the two separate nations. Student: Megan J. |
Summary: In this document it talks about the specific rules between husbands and wives, which really effects the relationship within the houshold. It goes into a list that specifies the rules.
Significance:This is significant because it gives our generation an idea of how the household was viewed and more insight into reasons of future disagreements between the male and female society. The description of women is portrayed in a household maid not in a leader of the household. this causes women to be looked down upon and gives them a status only above slaves. This document explains motives for the women of that period when they wanted to their rights to be equal to the men. Student: Rilley R, |
Summary: This article is about the United States' largest slave rebellion and how little recognition it had for the plantation slaves that had participated in it. This started in 1835 with the Black Seminoles - allies of the Seminole Indians - in Florida. Them, along with 385 slaves, destroyed over twenty sugar plantations in Central Florida. Despite the size and damage, this slave rebellion is rarely mentioned and gains little recognition.
Significance: This is significant because of the lack of recognition this rebellion had when it comes to history. This rebellion was the largest in American History - and semi-successful - and yet, it gets little to no praise from history. Despite the impact, many believe that the Whites did not want to show the world their failure and loss against the Blacks and Indians. Student: Priscilla L. |
Summary: Jackson explains to congress all of the positive aspects of the Indian Removal Act, ranging from the Indians' safety to the unification of the South. By moving these people he claims it will keep them safer from whites who don't respect their inhabitance and help them become more civilized and Christianized. It will allow the Indians freedom from the United States government and have a larger area of land where they will be able to prosper for many years to come.
Significance: It's important to note what a positive tone Jackson puts to something opposed by many, and eventual leading to the death of thousands as they migrated to this newly allotted land. It's unfair for the United States to think they know what is best for the Indians, because in the end, it is an act put into place for the benefit of the U.S. even though they claim it is purely for the natives. Student: Melissa H. |