Glossary
American Literature
A distinct literary style that emerged in the early 19th century, moving beyond European influences to explore uniquely American themes, landscapes, and characters. Key figures included James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving.
Example:
Washington Irving's tales of Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane helped establish a unique American Literature by drawing on local folklore and settings.
Civil Disobedience
The active, nonviolent refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government or occupying power. It was famously advocated by Henry David Thoreau as a means of protesting unjust policies.
Example:
When activists peacefully protest a discriminatory law by refusing to comply with it, they are engaging in an act of civil disobedience.
Democracy
A system of government where power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives. In the early 19th century, principles of self-government and individual liberty became central to American identity.
Example:
The expansion of voting rights to more white men in the Jacksonian era exemplified the growing emphasis on popular democracy in the United States.
Enlightenment Ideals
Philosophical concepts from 18th-century Europe emphasizing reason, individualism, and human rights. These ideals significantly influenced American thought, particularly in the formation of its political and cultural identity.
Example:
The belief that individuals possess inherent rights, like those articulated by John Locke, is a direct reflection of Enlightenment Ideals that shaped the American Revolution and subsequent cultural development.
German Immigrants
A significant group of immigrants arriving in the mid-19th century, often fleeing economic hardship and failed democratic revolutions in Europe. Many possessed skills and resources, enabling them to move westward and establish farms.
Example:
Unlike some other groups, many German Immigrants were able to purchase land in the Midwest, establishing prosperous farms and contributing to the region's agricultural development.
Henry David Thoreau
A prominent Transcendentalist writer and philosopher, known for his experiment in simple living at Walden Pond and his advocacy for civil disobedience against unjust laws.
Example:
Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay a poll tax in protest of the Mexican-American War and slavery is a classic example of his commitment to civil disobedience.
Hudson River School
The first prominent American art movement, active from the mid-19th century, known for its romantic landscape paintings. Artists like Thomas Cole and Asher Durand depicted the beauty and grandeur of American wilderness, often with a sense of awe and national pride.
Example:
A painting of a majestic waterfall cascading through a pristine forest, emphasizing the vastness of the American wilderness, would be characteristic of the Hudson River School.
Irish Immigrants
A large wave of immigrants who came to the United States in the mid-19th century, primarily fleeing the Great Potato Famine. They often faced discrimination due to their Catholic faith and competed for low-paying jobs.
Example:
Many Irish Immigrants settled in East Coast cities, finding work as laborers on canals and railroads, and often forming tight-knit communities.
Mother Ann Lee
The founder and leader of the Shakers, who believed herself to be the feminine incarnation of Christ. She established the core tenets of the Shaker faith, including celibacy and communal ownership.
Example:
Followers of Mother Ann Lee believed her teachings offered a path to spiritual purity and a new social order.
Nativism
A political policy promoting the interests of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants. In the mid-19th century, it manifested as fear and mistrust of new immigrant groups, particularly Catholics.
Example:
The widespread fear that Catholic immigrants would undermine American Protestant values was a key aspect of Nativism during this period.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A central figure of the Transcendentalist movement, known for his essays and lectures that championed individualism, self-reliance, and the importance of intuition over societal conventions.
Example:
Students reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay 'Self-Reliance' would encounter his powerful argument for trusting one's own inner voice and rejecting conformity.
Regional Differences
Distinct cultural and economic characteristics that developed in different parts of the United States, notably between the industrializing North and the agrarian, slave-holding South. These differences contributed to the evolving national culture.
Example:
The contrasting economies of the textile mills in Massachusetts and the cotton plantations in Georgia highlighted the significant regional differences that defined American society.
Romanticism
An artistic and intellectual movement emphasizing emotion, imagination, individualism, and the glorification of nature. It influenced American literature and art, promoting a belief in the perfectibility of humanity.
Example:
The poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, with its focus on intense emotions and the mysterious, embodies the spirit of Romanticism in American literature.
Supreme Order of the Star Spangled Banner
A secret anti-immigrant society formed in the 1840s, reflecting the nativist sentiments of the era. Its members later formed the core of the Know-Nothing Party.
Example:
Members of the Supreme Order of the Star Spangled Banner would often vote only for native-born Protestants, demonstrating their strong anti-immigrant stance.
The Shakers
A religious sect founded by Mother Ann Lee, known for their communal living, strict celibacy, sexual equality, and distinctive ritual dances. Their practice of celibacy ultimately led to their decline.
Example:
Visitors to a Shaker village would observe separate living quarters for men and women, reflecting their commitment to celibacy and gender segregation.
Transcendentalism
A philosophical and literary movement of the 1830s and 1840s that emphasized intuition, spiritual connection to nature, and the inherent goodness and self-reliance of the individual. It challenged traditional religious and societal norms.
Example:
A person choosing to live simply in a cabin by a pond, seeking truth through personal reflection and communion with nature, would be practicing the ideals of Transcendentalism.
Utopian Communities
Experimental communities formed in the antebellum period with the goal of creating ideal societies. These groups often withdrew from conventional society to pursue specific social, religious, or economic ideals.
Example:
The Oneida Community, which practiced communal living and complex marriage, was one of many Utopian Communities seeking to perfect human society.