Unit 2 A Growing Nation America 1800-1870

Snapshot of the Period 1831 French writer Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to America and wrote about American culture By 1870 industrialism, population growth, economic changes, and the Civil War had all aged the nation’s spirit Distinctly American writers were produced

Industrialism

Walt Whitman

Henry David Thoreau

Edgar Allan Poe

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emily Dickinson

Essential Questions What is the relationship between place and literature? How does literature shape or reflect society? What makes American Literature American?

Historical Background The American Renaissance (1800-1870) European Renaissance – Rebirth of classical art and learning. Took place in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries 1800 America’s capital moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. 1800 Library of Congress established.

Philadelphia

Washington D.C.

Library of Congress

Steam, Steel, and Spirit 1803 Thomas Jefferson doubled the nations size by signing the Louisiana Purchase Canals, turnpikes steamboats and railroads multiplied After California was added the gold rush of 1849 drew thousands of people to CA looking to get rich

Factories sprang up in the Northeast, new farm tools encouraged aggressive settlement of the new territories Telegraph made almost instant communication possible across America

The Slow March of Democracy 1828 President Andrew Jackson ushered in the era of the common man as property rights for voting had been eliminated Only white men could vote; women and Native Americans could not vote, and most African Americans remained slaves. Native Americans forced to move west because of the policy of “Indian Removal”

Andrew Jackson

On The World Stag War or 1812 1823 The Monroe Doctrine - warned Europe not to intervene with new Latin American Nations 1830’s Texas succeeded from Mexico – became a state in 1845 – U.S. goes to war with Mexico and wins, adds more territory to the nation, including california.

Winds of Change America becomes divided because of slavery Abolitionists argued that slavery was morally wrong Advocates of states’ rights argued that the issue of slavery was not a federal issue Conflict over states’ rights eventually led to the war between the states

Next Time… The American Renaissance What is the relationship between place and literature?

Exit Slip This period has three major historical developments: Physical expansion and technological progress lay the foundation for an american cultural flowering. Democracy advanced, although women, Native Americans, and African Americans did not fully share in it. The conflict over Slavery eventually led to a civil war Come up with a short news paper headline for each of these developments