WordPress.com



April 15, 2021 History NotesFrom the early 1800s and the Jacksonian Era until the beginning of the Civil War, America made great strides in transportation, manufacturing, communication, medicine, and other areas. Chapters 10, 11, and 12 are not about Presidents or wars. They are about our development as a prosperous country, the revival that ‘broke-out’ in much of our country, and about life and culture in our country. The notes are just a summary of some extraordinary developments from this time in our history.CHAPTER 10: INNOVATIONS AND INVENTIONSCANALSCanals are man-made waterways for inland shipping. Canals were much more efficient in moving freight from place to another than were wagonsCanals aided in the development of new settlements—primarily in the northeastERIE CANAL connected the Hudson River to Lake ErieThe Erie Canal helped make New York City the commercial center of the north STEAMBOATSROBERT FULTON built the first steamboat in AmericaOnce perfected, the steamboat was used by southern farmers to get their crops to marketSmall steamboats could be found on the Forked Deer and Hatchie Rivers in W. TNLarge steamboats regularly used the Ohio and Mississippi RiversSteamboats were so efficient in hauling freight that NEW ORLEANS became the commercial center of the southCLIPPER SHIPSClipper ships were powered by the wind in their sailsClipper ships were the fastest ships built in that eraClipper ships cut travel time by water from New York to San Francisco in halfRAILROADSRailroads (iron horses) were the most important development in transportation for most of AmericaTrains were powered by steam locomotives that could haul large volumes of freightRailroads could be built to go just about any place Railroads were built over or tunneled through the Appalachian Mountains Railroads were very expensive to build Even the most wealthy investors needed land grants from the government to build the RR tracksSettlement of the Midwest—Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota—was greatly aided by the railroadsFARM MACHINES/EQUIPMENTJOHN DEERE built the first steel plowsteel plows greatly aided farmers in the MidwestMore acres could be plowed and at a much faster pace CYRUS MCCORMICK is given credit for building the first mechanical reaper A reaper was a machine used to harvest grains such as wheatReapers speeded up the harvest of grains so that farmers could grow more grain than before Page 2FAMILY FARMSTransportation developments and improvements in farm equipment spurred growth in farmingIn the north and west, most people lived and worked on farmsThese farms were privately owned and were called family farmsMost of the towns were small, but even townspeople at times worked in agricultureLife on family farms in the 1800s was generally good but the entire family engaged in HARD workHard work built discipline and responsibility in familiesAlthough they worked hard, farm families generally had an abundance of everything they neededPLANTATIONSPlantation was a large farm located primarily in the south (There were small farms in the south also)Plantations generally produced one primary crop such as cotton or tobacco Plantation crops were usually labor intensive—meaning lots of work had to be donePlantation owners relied heavily on slave laborFamily Farms and plantations were extremely productiveIn 1850 Americans produced about 90% of the world’s cotton and 50% of the corn TELEGRAPHSAMUEL F.B. MORSE invented the telegraph, a ‘revolutionary’ development in communicationsHe learned to send coded messages over an electric wire—called ‘telegrams’In 1843 the government aided him in building a telegraph line from Washington to BaltimoreUsing his code (MORSE CODE) he sent the first message “What hath God wrought?”With the telegraph, messages that took days before could be sent in seconds Morse’s invention was the basis for all telecommunications for the next 150 years (until the cell phone)TRANSATLANTIC CABLEThe Transatlantic Cable was a thick wire telegraph line laid across the Atlantic Ocean Once the line had been completed, there were great celebrations in AmericaTo Americans of this time, the transatlantic cable was an ‘unthinkable’ achievementCYRUS FIELD, an entrepreneur, spent considerable time and money on this projectAn entrepreneur is one who risks personal loss to develop and market new products in hopes of eventually making money from his or her efforts Much was accomplished in the field of medicine:WILLIAM MORTON, a Boston doctor, began using ETHER to induce a deep sleep so that patients would not feel pain during surgery. Dentists also began using NITROUS OXIDE to help patients avoid pain.There were many other developments in medicine as well.GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE Page 3During this period, Americans learned how to provide CLEAN WATER to residents in cities.Americans began using STEAM TO HEAT THEIR HOMES.Larger cities began to use GAS STREET LIGHTS at night, making the cities safer for its citizens.KEROSENE began to be used instead of whale oil for indoor lightingLadies could now cook on IRON STOVES rather than over an open flame.TECHNOLOGY—applying scientific knowledge in practical way—was certainly changing the way Americans were living.CHAPTER 11: THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; BEHOLD, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17If, as the scripture proclaims, all things become new when Jesus is our savior, then there should be evidence of change—both for our country and for us personally. As we discuss chapter 11, look for specific historical evidences that our country underwent revival in the first part of the 1800s. Did this revival that our book references improve our country? Did it make the lives of American citizens better?As you know the Constitution forbids government interference into religious activities. We call this principle ‘SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE’. Separation of church from government is a good thing because it insures religious freedom. But does this constitutional principle keep Christians from holding public office. Does it mean that our government shouldn’t use Christian principles in making important decisions?As we discuss this chapter, try to answer this question: did we mix religion and politics, or did the faith of Americans in God affect our politics? Did those Americans violate the ‘separation of church and state principle that we hold dear? Think about this statement…sometimes attributed to de Tocqueville: “AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE AMERICA IS GOOD; WHEN AMERICA CEASES TO BE GOOD, AMERICA WILL CEASE TO BE GREAT.”THE GREAT AWAKENING (revival) began on the frontier with circuit riders. CIRCUIT RIDERSCircuit Riders were trained (usually) Methodist ministers They preached God’s word by traveling on horseback to families living west of the mountainsWhere there were only a few families in an area, they would actually go from cabin to cabinCircuit Riders carried the gospel to many who otherwise would never have had religious teachingFRANCIS ASBURY was responsible for training many Circuit RidersHe believed that sharing simple Bible truth was just what frontiersmen needed to hear Page 4PETER CARTWRIGHT, a circuit rider in TN and KY, might have been the most effective.Cartwright went to individual cabins preaching the gospel.Cartwright ‘lamented’ that he wished the church had done more to stop slavery.CAMP MEETINGSCamp meetings generally were held in more populated areas west of the mountainsFamilies would come from miles around for several days of preachingIn the year 1811 there were more than 400 camp meetings in the western United StatesA camp meeting in Cane Ridge, KY lasted for weeks and reportedly drew more than 25,000 peopleJAMES MCGREADY was famous for holding meetings in Tenn, Ky, and the Carolinas, CITY REVIVALS CHARLES FINNEY was a lawyer who felt the call to preach revivals in America’s largest citiesHe could make a compelling case for every individual to see their need for a forgiving saviorFinney is said to have been the person most responsible for nationwide revivalFinney was an abolitionist, but he was opposed ‘radical’ abolitionFinney argued that the way to end slavery was to change the hearts of slave ownersFinney was a supporter of higher education (college) for blacksHe was president of Oberlin College, the first American college to award a degree to a black womanSIGNS OF REVIVALGreat number of citizens attending camp meetings and revivalsFrontiersmen gave an enthusiastic reception to circuit ridersThe gospel was carried to numerous INDIAN TRIBES The gospel was carried to SLAVESHAWAII, after its discovery by CAPTAIN COOK, became ChristianizedThe gospel was carried to BURMA (Asia) by ADONIRAM JUDSON, the father of American missionsThe gospel was carried to LIBERIA (Africa) by former slavesLOTT CAREY, one of the former slaves, is referred to as the ‘father of W. African missions’JAPAN was introduced to the gospel by COMMODORE MATTHEW PERRY and his men THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY attempted to provide scripture to everyone in the USTEMPERANCE SOCIETIES were formed all over the country to convince Americans that drinking alcoholic beverages was destructive to people both physically and spiritually(Be sure to read Abraham Lincoln’s statement about alcohol and slavery found on p. 207)WOMEN’S RIGHTS were championed by ELIZABETH CADY STANTON and LUCRETIA MOTTSUSAN B. ANTHONY was especially active in women’s SUFFAGE-the right to vote Page 5 ABOLiTION--SOJOURNER TRUTH, an escaped slave from New York, was an effective abolitionist.She has been named by some as being one of the 100 most important AmericansMENTALLY ILL RIGHTS were fought for by DOROTHEA DIXCARE OF THE POOR AND ORPHANS was championed by PHOEBE PALMERIdeas expressed in the Declaration of Independence totally agree with scripture in that all men are CREATED EQUAL BY GOD. Our realization that blacks, Indians, Hawaiians, Japanese, Burmese, orphans, widows, poor people, the mentally ill…EVERYONE was important and EQUAL in God’s sight, so they should be respected and assisted as needed by Christians. CHAPTER 12: EDUCATION AND CULTURECulture—customs, beliefs, and arts of a peopleFactors that made America’s culture different from that of Europe 1. Geography (We had more space to grow and more resources to use) 2. Immigration 3. Love of freedom 4. Economic opportunityThe earliest Americans had repudiated socialism in favor of capitalismAmericans judged each other on what they did, not what family they came fromEDUCATION Education was important to Americans because 1. Americans were generally Christian—they thought it important to be able to read scripture 2. Americans knew that to remain free, they must be educatedEarly in our history schools were primarily 1 room cabinsStudents of all ages learned in the same environmentTeachers were hired by the parentsTeachers were generally highly respected members of the community TEXTBOOKSNOAH WEBSTER’S Blue Backed Speller was the only textbook for many frontier childrenThe book incorporated reading spelling, geography, economics, and scripture teachingsWebster sold a huge number of these booksWebster produced the first dictionary of the English language MCGUFFEY’S READERS were also widely used by American children during this periodMcGuffey’s books were similar in content to Webster’s “Blue Backed Speller” An estimated 120,000,000 of these books were publishedHORACE MANN, a Massachusetts teacher, was a key figure in providing free ‘public’ schools for elementary students; he is called the ‘father of education” in the USA Page 6He also advocated for free public high schools, but it was not until after the civil war that public high schools became common placeHIGHER EDUCATIONThe UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA was the first public universityOBERLIN COLLEGE (Ohio) was the first to award a degree to a black female WESLEYAN (Georgia) was the first college for women LITERATURE, MUSIC, ARTThe period from 1800 – 1860 produced an abundance of very high quality literature, music, and art LONGFELLOW-poet who wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride”, “Hiawatha”, and many other great poems p. 6OLIVER WENDELL HOMES-wrote “Old Ironsides” and other great worksWASHINGTON IRVING-wrote ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and other notable short storiesHERMAN MELVILLE- wrote ‘Moby Dick’ and other great novelsEDGAR ALLEN POE-wrote mysterious short stories and poemsHORACE GREELEY-was the editor of the New York Tribune and used his paper to support abolition and temperanceSTEPHEN FOSTER-wrote “My Old Kentucky Home” and other familiar songs. SMALL TOWNSPrior to the civil war, 80% of Americans lived on family farms or in small towns.Typical country towns consisted of a general store, church, post office, bank, school, and a few houses. Many small towns also had a doctor. General stores sold goods that farmers could not make: tools, nails, salt, sugar, candy, etc.Barter was often used rather than the exchange of moneyGeneral stores were a social gathering place where people got together to discuss politics and any other subjects of interestChurches also provided social gathering placesCITIES—only about 20% of Americans lived in cities in 1860The largest cities in the US were New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, and New OrleansCities were busy places that were full of activityStreets were filled with horses, buggies, carts, peopleCitizens could find most anything they wanted in these cities: cobblers made and/or repaired shoes and boots tailors made clothes milliners made hats butchers sold meatBy the 1860s, cities had gas street lights, sources of clean water, and waste disposal Page 7FAMILY FARMSLife on a family farm meant lots of hard work that involved every family member Land had to be cleared, plowed, and plantedFarmers who did not own an ox or mule had to pull his plow himselfFarmers also had to build a cabin and a barnLivestock had to be taken care of—often by the childrenMom took care of the garden and made clothes for the familyFrequently, neighbors would get together to help a farmer build a barn or a cabin The ladies might get together to make quilts or to shuck the cornThe family farm required much work but provided families with plenty of everything needed Family farms provided a good environment in which to raise childrenFamily farms promoted discipline and self-reliance Hunting, fishing, playing games, and telling stories provided recreation ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download