1. CHAPTER 8 Creating a Republican Culture 1790–1820
James A. Henretta
Eric Hinderaker
Rebecca Edwards
Robert O. Self
America’s History Eighth Edition America: A Concise History Sixth Edition
CHAPTER 8
Creating a Republican Culture
1790–1820
Copyright © 2014 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

2. 1. What are some of the ways this painting of Grace Allison McCurdy and her daughters, Mary Jane and Letitia Grace, reflects the influences of republican culture in the early nineteenth century? (Answer: The subjects are simply but elegantly dressed, suggesting their embrace of republican simplicity. The family portrait that includes only women and girls shows the influence of new ideas about their importance and value for families.)
2. What does the portrait suggest about the relationships between mothers and their children in the republican families of this era? (Answer: The portrait is a classic depiction of republican motherhood and sentimentalism. The physical connections and matching dresses convey the intimacy and affection that existed between mothers and children.)

3. I. The Capitalist Commonwealth
A. Banks, Manufacturing, and Markets 1. Banking and Credit 2. Rural Manufacturing 3. New Transportation Systems
I. The Capitalist Commonwealth
A. Banks, Manufacturing, and Markets
1. Banking and Credit – Many Americans believed republicanism should advance capitalism; to finance economic ventures, people needed banks; Boston and New York founded institutions similar to the Bank of the U.S., which issued notes and commercial loans; in 1816, Congress chartered Second Bank of the U.S., joining 246 banks in the nation; not all banking institutions were trustworthy. The Panic of 1819 caused by “dubious” banking policies and a 30 percent drop in agricultural prices; Americans were learning the dangers of the up and down capitalist “business cycle.”
2. Rural Manufacturing – By 1820, many small artisans were selling their products nationwide; rural manufacturing networks aided in this process; innovations were made in production and marketing; water-powered mills in New England and the Middle Atlantic states (1780s) increased output; some farmers began to change their focus; in New England, switched from growing crops for subsistence to raising livestock to sell; had environmental repercussions: foul production-induced smells, cutting down of trees, mills inhibited the existence of fish; wage labor became increasingly important.
3. New Transportation Systems – States issued charters for “turnpike companies” with special rights to transportation routes; improved transportation aided in the distribution of products; creation of roads boosted economy; water was the quickest and cheapest way to transport goods; land near waterways became increasingly expensive; speculators bought up land in cities with waterways: Cincinnati, Louisville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis.

7. I. The Capitalist Commonwealth
B. Public Enterprise: The Commonwealth System 1. “Public utility” 2. Critics
I. The Capitalist Commonwealth
B. Public Enterprise: The Commonwealth System
1. “Public utility” – Increased production and transportation methods would add to the “common wealth” or “public utility”; transportation charters included the power of “eminent domain” (allowing the forced sale of land along routes).
2. Critics – Some argued that statutes like eminent domain gave privileges to corporations and violated the rights of individuals; Supreme Court upheld these statutes as good for all.

8. II. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
A. Opportunity and Equality — for White Men 1. Social divisions 2. Discrimination
II. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
A. Opportunity and Equality — for White Men
1. Social Divisions – An emerging middle class after the new nation was formed publicly celebrated political equality and social mobility; European visitors viewed the U.S. as different culturally and socially from Europe; the U.S. had no aristocracy in their view; social division did exist, as some used their talents to achieve personal advancement; some criticized the nouveau riche who seemed to grow their own wealth and rose from nothing; reality was that great majority of those who achieved success were white and male.
2. Discrimination – Laws in the new nation and cultural rules long existent in Europe kept women and African American men from advancing as white men did; race and gender restrictions were written into law, keeping women and black men/women from being able to vote (suffrage) and own property; politicians used both biology and custom to make their discriminatory arguments.

10. II. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
B. Toward Republican Families 1. Republican Marriages 2. Republican Motherhood
II. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
B. Toward Republican Families
1. Republican Marriages – Debate over authority within American households mirrored the controversy over women’s political rights; postwar Americans did not arrange marriages for children as colonial parents had when land was abundant; chose their own partners, influenced by “sentimentalism”: the importance of feeling or appreciation of God, nature, and fellow humans; led to consent-based companionate marriage; relationships were based on intimacy and celebrated “falling in love”; marriages based on love; in theory, they were supposed to be more republican, but reality was that husbands remained authoritarian; after 1800, divorce petitions cited emotional turmoil in marriages; several states expanded the legal grounds for divorce to include drunkenness and personal cruelty.
2. Republican Motherhood – Later marriages, deliberate limiting of family size, and new ideology of individual led to a sharp decline in the birthrate after 1800; women accepted greater responsibility for family welfare, as republican mothers were charged with educating children and preparing sons to be virtuous republican citizens. 10

11. II. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
C. Raising Republican Children 1. Two Modes of Parenting 2. Debates over Education 3. Promoting Cultural Independence
I. Toward a Democratic Republican Culture
C. Raising Republican Children
1. Two Modes of Parenting – Unlike Europeans, who generally left property to eldest son, Americans were now encouraged to divide their property equally; parenting among the middle class appeared to observers more permissive than traditional European practices; yeoman and tenant farmers tended toward a stricter approach with authoritarian practices.
2. Debates over Education – Post-Revolution emphasis on public schooling increased significantly; among the elite, the importance of primary, secondary, and potentially college training were emphasized; most American families needed the income their children could provide; farmers, artisans, and laborers wanted their children to know how to read, write, and do basic math; until the 1820s, few children attended school for extended periods of time; post-1820s legislatures included provisions for public schools in local areas.
3. Promoting Cultural Independence – Noah Webster argued that education should raise the “nation’s intellectual reputation”; literary culture was slow to catch on; only Washington Irving was popular outside of the U.S. (“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”); 1830s/1840s was an “American Renaissance” (Emerson). 11

13. III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
A. The Revolution and Slavery, 1776–1800
1. Manumission and Gradual Emancipation
2. Slavery Defended
III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
A. The Revolution and Slavery, 1776–1800
1. Manumission and Gradual Emancipation – One-third of population of South were slaves; some believed that the Revolution would end slavery; many black Loyalists fled to Canada at war’s end; others stayed in the States supporting the Patriots; free blacks in New England volunteered for service; some slaves in Maryland and Virginia bargained service in local militias for postwar freedom; in 1782, Virginia passed a manumission act that allowed for the release of slaves by their owners; condemnation of slavery by Quakers and Enlightenment thinkers increased after war; in 1784, Massachusetts abolished slavery; all states north of Delaware followed by 1804; some states promised freedom after a period of service; even where slavery was abolished, discrimination continued.
2. Slavery Defended – Financial investment in slaves made linking republicanism to their condition difficult for most slaveholders; some did release slaves or allow them to buy freedom; slavery was a “necessary evil” in the South, most contended; maintenance of white supremacy and planter lifestyle was critical; in 1800, a planned uprising by Gabriel Prosser (VA) resulted in him and 30 others being hanged; increased argument among southerners that republicanism was meant for whites only.

14. 1. What is happening in this 1828 painting of a family in York, Pennsylvania? Who are the people depicted in the portrait? (Answer: This is a family portrait, depicting a family gathering in front of the hearth in a well-appointed drawing room. The mother is seated, reading to the two young children. The father stands by, admiring the scene. In the corner, an African American servant takes care of the family infant who is too young to take part in the family’s activity. The servant and baby are separate, but not removed from the family.)
2. What can you determine about the social and economic status of the family, based on the scene? (Answer: This is clearly a well-to-do family. Their drawing room is appointed with colorful rugs, wallpaper, glass windows, finely made furniture, art, and lace curtains. The family is dressed in elegant clothing. They have the funds to employ domestic help.)
3. Which elements of republican family life are evident in this portrait? (Answer: Companionate marriage, republican motherhood with the mother taking charge of education for both male and female children, smaller family size with three children instead of many more; more intimate family life.)

16. III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
B. The North and South Grow Apart 1. Slavery and National Politics 2. African Americans Speak Out
III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
B. The North and South Grow Apart
1. Slavery and National Politics – Foreign visitors noticed distinct cultural differences between North and South; during Constitution debate, it was accepted that Congress not interfere in slavery; became a growing national issue of debate; slave trade was outlawed by Congress in 1808, but the institution remained.
2. African Americans Speak Out – Black abolitionists became more vocal after trade ended; used the Haitian Revolution as evidence of the ability of a people to overthrow the institution; for collective support, they joined secret antislavery societies; demand for slaves continued to increase with cotton boom; in 1817, the American Colonization Society was founded by white men with the goal of freeing the slaves and sending them back to Africa; about 6,000 African Americans resettled in Liberia; most free blacks opposed such colonization schemes, as they saw themselves as Americans.

18. III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
C. The Missouri Crisis, 1819– Constitutional Issues 2. The Missouri Compromise
III. Aristocratic Republicanism and Slavery
C. The Missouri Crisis,
1. Constitutional Issues – Debate ensued over whether Missouri would enter the Union in 1819 as a slave state; northern congressional majority blocked attempts to allow slavery in its constitution; southerners threatened to keep Maine from entering the Union as a free state. Southerners argued: 1) the principle of “equal rights” (Missouri could not be held to a different standard than other new states), 2) the Constitution guaranteed a state’s sovereignty, and 3) Congress had no authority to infringe on property rights of individual slaveholders in Missouri.
2. The Missouri Compromise – After two years of debate, Henry Clay devised a series of agreements collectively known as the Missouri Compromise; Maine would be admitted free (1820) and Missouri would be slave (1821); preserved a balance between North and South but also created a precedent for future admissions.

19. IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
A. A Republican Religious Order 1. Religious Freedom 2. Church-State Relations 3. Republican Church Institutions
IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
A. A Republican Religious Order
1. Religious Freedom – Prior to the Revolution, only Rhode Island and Pennsylvania did not have state churches/religious taxes; postwar changes led other states to debate religious tolerance and an end to such taxation; newer states did offer religious tolerance because they had members of many different denominations; Congregationalism remained the official church in New England until the 1830s.
2. Church-State Relations – Virginia prohibited religion as a qualification for holding office; other states disqualified candidates who were Catholics and/or Jews; Enlightenment thinking influenced states to advocate freedom of conscience and encouraged “voluntarism” (funding churches through membership).
3. Republican Church Institutions – After the Revolution, Americans embraced churches that preached spiritual equality and governed themselves democratically, ignoring those with hierarchal and authoritarian institutions; the Presbyterian Church attracted many; “unchurched” Americans gravitated toward the evangelical Methodist and Baptist churches, which formed a dynamic new force in American religion.

22. IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
B. The Second Great Awakening 1. A New Religious Landscape 2. Black Christianity
IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
B. The Second Great Awakening
1. A New Religious Landscape – Methodist and Baptist churches grew dramatically during the Second Great Awakening; evangelical preachers copied “practical preaching” techniques pioneered by George Whitefield and others in the eighteenth century; in the South, evangelical religion initially preached spiritual equality and criticized slavery; angry planters and husbands led churches to adapt their messages in order to retain white men.
2. Black Christianity – Some planters were convinced to allow Christianity to spread among their slaves; over time, free blacks and the enslaved adapted these teachings to their own beliefs, teaching that as slaves they had a special relationship with the Christian God.

24. IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
C. Religion and Reform 1. Benevolence and reform 2. In political life
IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
C. Religion and Reform
1. Benevolence and reform – Some ministers linked individual salvation to religious benevolence, preaching of a duty to do for others; pious merchants in NYC founded the Humane Society and other such organizations; was common among devout women to adopt charitable causes in their community; cooperation among churches led to the founding of religious societies to produce pamphlets and disseminate information.
2. In political life – Religion became increasingly important in the political life of the nation even as it became separate from the state; some ministers advocated the election of Christian leaders and converting non-Christians in the U.S. and abroad.

25. 1. Describe the scene depicted in this painting
1. Describe the scene depicted in this painting. What is taking place here? (Answer: Image depicts a religious camp meeting. Itinerant evangelical preachers are speaking from the stage while hundreds of the faithful gather to listen. Their tents surround the stage. Many of the listeners appear to be women, and many seem to be overcome by the power of the preachers’ messages.)
2. What impression does this illustration give of the camp meetings that took place during the Second Great Awakening? (Answer: Event looks quite informal. Stage and benches appear to be rough and temporary structures. The preachers themselves look quite staid, while the audience looks more raucous. The painting conveys the notion that the scene was noisy with preachers’ speech and listeners’ responses.)
3. Does this painting give any hint of the artists’ view of the evangelical movement and its revivals? (Answer: Painting might be simply representative, showing the size of the crowds and the emotionality of the scene. It might be judgmental, however. The artist could be insinuating that the audience is irrationally moved by the preachers’ religious messages.)

26. IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
D. Women’s New Religious Roles 1. A Growing Public Presence 2. Spiritual authority vs. political power
IV. Protestant Christianity as a Social Force
D. Women’s New Religious Roles
1. A Growing Public Presence – Numerous public activities of women in mainstream churches gave females the opportunity to participate in an acceptable arena of public life (charity); some congregations were as much as 70 percent female; ministers stopped segregating men and women in prayer groups and instead encouraged them to pray together; ministers argued that these men and women showed surprising restraint in their sexual relationships; led to a decrease in the number of women pregnant before marriage in these communities.
2. Spiritual authority vs. political power – In both North and South, men feared the power women were gaining within the churches; women were prevented from being voting members of churches even when they outnumbered male church participation; ministers and husbands encouraged them to focus on being mothers; this participation did encourage more girls to attend school as the churches sponsored female academies for academic and moral instruction; women educated in these schools became school teachers in the 1820s.