APUSH Chapters 11-12 FRQ: Question #4
Dalton Chambers A1 10/25/14 APUSH
During the second quarter of the 19th century America was undergoing yet another revolution, one that would reshape the future of the entire country. However, the revolution was to take place without armed conflict involving European nations. It was a democratic revolution that swept through the nation, splitting it in two. Social and economic changes were also integrated during this time period, influenced by a multitude of different individuals. From 1820-1860 America certainly did undergo a revolution involving social, political, and economic changes.
Starting in the early 1820's and spanning the remainder of the 19th century, America was introduced to radical social changes splitting the country in two. The largest of these changes was the introduction of the importance of individualism. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a pioneer in this field with his idea of transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is a religious based movement that originated in New England, stressing the importance of ideas including individualism and free thinking.
Emerson's influence led to the creation of communal settlements, in which all the citizens lived equally, sharing property and working for the interest of the communal. These ideas were the most popular in the North and West, avoiding the South for opposition to slavery. However, the rise of free thought created the abolitionist movement; belief that slavery is evil and completely unjust, in the North and parts of the West as well. American society saw monumental changes from 1820-1860 that truly were revolutionary.
American politics saw drastic transformations throughout the first half of the 19th century, which undoubtedly reshaped the future of America. Starting with the election of 1824, in which the Federalist Party virtually disappeared and the Republican Party divided into the National Republicans and the Democratic Republicans. Adams is elected in...