1800-1850

Throughout the first half of the 19th century, and especially after the War of 1812, America has taken on yet another revolution. In this time period, the country saw a rapid expansion in territory and economics, as well as the extension of democratic politics; the spread of evangelical revivalism; the rise of the nation’s first labor and reform movements; the growth of cities and industrial ways of life; a rise in abolitionism and reduction in the power of slavery; and radical shifts in the roles and status of women.

Early into the 1800’s, president Andrew Jackson was a bit of a catalyst to the alteration of politics. Through his actions of Indian removal, confounding the nullifiers, and destroying the “Monster Bank” he had immeasurably enlarged the power of the presidency. Jackson also converted the veto into an effective presidential power. During his term, Jackson had vetoes 12 bills, compared to a collective 9 vetoes from all the previous presidents combined. Around the same time period, a new two-party system developed differing from the Democrats and the Federalists. The Jacksonian Party System was directly shaped by the social and economic strains of an expanding nation. Democrats at this time viewed society as a continuing conflict between “the people” -workers, planters, and farmers- and a group of greedy aristocrats. These greedy aristocrats were part of a “paper money aristocracy” consisting of bankers and investors who manipulated the banking system for profit. Democrats saw the Bank War as a battle to restore the old Jeffersonian republic with its values of simplicity, frugality, hard work, and independence. Jackson knew the dangers of private banking yet the Democrats wanted the rewards of the market without losin...

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...wrote a Declaration of Sentiments, using points from the declaration of independence, which began: “All men and women are created equal.” Garrison’s position on women’s rights was the thing that finally split the antislavery ranks already divided by his growing radicalism. The schism of 1840 decreased the influence of abolitionism as a reform movement.

The time period between 1800 and 1850 was an incredible revolution of America. Everything had altered; America had even taken on forms of things we have today like modern forms of political parties. Women have just as many rights as any man, some day we could see a woman as president; which would be a joke of a statement at the time. There is no more slavery in America and African Americans have just as many rights as any other American. The things we see change in the 19th century shaped America as a country today.