Purchase Solution

Movements in American History and Culture

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

1. Discuss the reform movements of the first half of the nineteenth century.
2. What exactly was the "romantic impulse" and what did it mean for American culture?
3. In what ways was the abolitionist movement similar to the other reform movements discussed in this chapter? How was it different?
4. What were some of the arguments of the anti-abolitionists? How did they present their case?
5. Discuss the influence of Manifest Destiny on Americans during the period, and how it shaped American policies.
6. How did the Westward migration change American society?
7. What caused the Mexican-American War? What were the domestic consequences of the American?
8. What factors (besides slavery) caused the deep divisions between the North and South during the 1850s?
9. What were the results, and subsequent effects, of the Compromise of 1850?
10. Compare and contrast the Presidencies of Zachary Taylor and James Polk.
11. There was arguably as much change in America in the years prior to the Civil War as during any other time period in America's history. Please discuss the social, cultural and economic changes in the decades leading up to the Civil War. What impact did this have on the concepts of Manifest Destiny, the Abolitionist movement and the growing sectional differences between the North and South.

Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary

The solution discusses movements in American history and culture.

Solution Preview

1. Discuss the reform movements of the first half of the nineteenth century.
There were many different reform movements in the first half of the 19th century most of which stemmed from the religious fervor surrounding the 2nd great awakening. Some of the religious movements were the Mormons or LDS church, The Millerites, and the Oniedia Community that tried to form a "utopian society. As the movement became more democratic and more and more people began participating (including women) other movements gained momentum. These include the Temperance movement against the drinking of alcohol. The education reform movement influenced by Horace Mann. The Transcendentalists believing that stressed the relationship between humans and nature. The Transcendental movement was influence by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, And that knowledge can be gained through your inner light. In the arts there was the Hudson River School which was known for painting landscapes and helping to draw people to the West. Two of the largest reform movements were the women's rights movement and the Abolition movement. The women's rights movement culminated with the Seneca Fall's convention and the Declaration of Sentiments. The Abolition movement took a stance on the institution of slavery and swept the country.

2. What exactly was the "romantic impulse" and what did it mean for American culture?
The romantic impulse comes from the romantic movement that is the idea developed in Europe and came to America during the Antebellum Era. This idea emphasized finding truth through nature, the significance of the individual and the liberation of the human spirit. Some Americans who expressed this idea were the Hudson River School painters, and writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman, through their works The Last of the Mohicans, Moby Dick and Leaves of Grass, respectively. What it meant for American Culture was that American Artists started to develop there own sense of identity and not have to borrow ...

Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
German Wars of Unification

A short quiz to determine the student's knowledge of events and figures associated with the mid 19th Century German Wars of Unification

Native American Removal

This quiz covers the history surrounding the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Vocabulary Quiz: Europe

Quiz yourself with basic vocabulary related to Europe! These questions are important for understanding history in social studies.

America After WWII

This quiz will access your knowledge of America after WWII and the new age that the country was entering into.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Basic quiz about the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

View More Free Quizzes
Related BrainMass Solutions

  • How does history influence culture?

    Following the moral awakening and legal changes that accompanied the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, black Americans truly entered into mainstream American life and this has affected American culture in numerous ways.

  • Social Movements that Change American Culture

    396774 The Tea Party movement in the U.S. and how it has changed our culture. Throughout history there have been numerous social movements that have changed American culture forever. In the last decade, the Tea Party movement has done this.

  • Latin American Philosophy

    As a result of these differences, the caudillos created an unstable political environment in South American countries. The European imperialism had a large impact on South American culture and society.

  • Social Movements and Today's Culture

    268426 Examples of the social changes in the past decade and their effects on the american culture. In the last decade what social movements have been noted in the United States? What implications have these movements had on today's culture?

  • Toni Morison and Contemporary America Literature

    Americans are constantly trying to understand who they are and this is especially true in the 21st century. It's because our history is relatively short compared to other societies and culture.

  • Costco's movement and lean processes

    It gives the history, vision, SWOT Analysis in the form of a chart, it's buying methods, how it makes profit, Planning Policies, Job Designs, and Work Environment Issues, Movements Towards Lean Processes and the Effect on Culture, Efficiency, and Success

  • Reform Movements (Compare and Contrast)

    Chapter 15: The Ferment of Reform and Culture, 1790-1860. (2012). http://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/outlines/chapter-15-the-ferment-of-reform-and-culture-1790-1860/ Discusses four reform movements, i.e., public education, feminism, temperance, and

  • Works of Art: Baroque, Pop Art and Abstract expressionism

    The images that are used in Pop art by the artists are: irony, mixture of humor, and appreciation (Art History: Pop Art: (1958 - 1975), 2006). A visual art movement in Pop art utilizes the techniques of consumerism and popular culture.

  • Cross-cultural cognition

    In addition, African American culture is comprised of African cultural beliefs. The notion that African American culture is tied to their home base in Africa is evidenced in their clothing, language, music dance, religion, and worldviews.

View More Related Solutions