Social Conditions In The 19th Century

‘Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850.’

America by far is the most diverse country on the face of the earth. America today is known for freedom, equality, democracy, and a defender against tyranny. The foundation of American values lay in a belief of independence, nationalism, capitalism, and religion. However, many conflicts have arisen over these values in the past. Capitalism and other characteristics have made America great, but they have brought about their own set of inequalities. Those inequalities have deep roots in race, culture, gender, and wealth. In the 1800s two of the biggest conflict lies with the issue of slavery and women’s rights.

During the 1845 till as late as the 1920s pioneer living conditions for women was harsh and rough. Their biggest task was helping to feed the family. In addition to preparing meals and cleaning up after them, they planted large gardens. Vegetables like potatoes, carrots and turnips were stored in root cellars. Cabbage was made into sauerkraut and stored in large crocks. Some vegetables like cucumbers were pickled in vinegar. Apples and sometimes pumpkins and squash were cut into small slices and dried. In the winter they could be soaked in water and cooked. When canning jars became available, they preserved corn, green beans and tomatoes. Farm women also raised large flocks of chickens. The hens supplied eggs which were an important part of

The statement “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals” is proven valid in context to every reform in the time period 1825-1850 except the naturalization act, The only movement in that period contradicting democratic ideals. Besides this act, every other act displayed grand interest in civilizing the United States and emphasizing equality and liberty for all, the core democratic ideals. The nation eventually picked up and expanded all of these, but only after the effect of these reforms took their toll

While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education

The period between Reconstruction and World War I was a time of tremendous social, economic, and cultural change in the United States. The end of the Civil War, the shrinking of the frontier, the rise of immigration, and the rapid growth of industry that characterized this time period brought many issues of race, class, and status to the forefront of politics. Many different opinions came to light about what it means to be an American and the dynamic between the American individual and American society. The differing answers to these questions created both divisions and unifications between different races, classes, and political parties. Through careful analysis of historical documents from the period, it is evident that society owes all individuals basic civil rights and the ability to make a living through harnessing their skills in the workplace. Conversely, the individual owes society work that benefits society as a whole and participation in government through suffrage.

The Jacksonian period (1824-1841) is widely recognized as the era of the “common man”. To an extent, this statement is true due to the numerous political advancements that increased the rights of the “common man”. However, the political developments alone do not form a full picture of this period. In contrast with the progress in the political sphere, the economic developments during this era oppressed the people as America plunged into the worst financial depression it had seen to that point.

Charles Kettering once said that “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” Many difficult changes occurred between the years of 1820 and 1848. This era brought vibrant political movements towards a greater democracy and was a time of advancements and reformation, which forever impacted American ideals. Issues with slavery, women’s rights, and the common man indicate a large shift in American society due to political and economic changes from 1820 to 1848.

The end of the 1820’s marked the ending of a period in the United States that indicated a desire for harmony among Americans known as “Era of Good Feeling.” This era ended after Andrew Jackson became president. During this time period, the Industrial Revolution came to the United States as merchants and manufacturers restructured work routines, develop factories, and utilized a wide range of natural resources. Between 1820 and 1848, American society was drastically reshaped by the contrasting political and economic ideologies between various groups such as slaves, women, and the common man; however the political and economic changes did not affect all groups similarly.

The 1800s to 1820s, America was still in its growing phase; it had gained independence only 25 years prior and was already becoming a great nation filled with proud, hard working men. Arts, architecture, business, and books were all a large part of society. Eighty percent of the population was farmers and the import of slaves to America was banned. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had each been elected as President, in a government that was beginning to build a nation. “During this decade we were once again at war with England, in the War of 1812” (Sutton, 2008). Colleges were for the privileged, “The cost of education at Harvard was $300 a year” (Sutton, 2008). Slavery was still ramped in America and women had no

“There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully” (Chopin 129). One can interpret this to mean that parents in the 1800s (and to some extent today) desired a higher marital status for their daughters, so they could be well positioned for a stable life. As discussed in class, social status still exists in modern America which can significantly attract many candidates who want to marry a person for social status but not necessarily for love. These attitudes that continue to dominate America today stem from the aristocratic Old South as a means to achieve control of wealth for the few at the expense of impoverishing the masses.

Social class systems in the nineteenth century were comprised of the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the underclass. The different social classes can be “distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture” (Cody). The poor, also known as peasants, were usually mistreated and segregated from the wealthy, or those of higher class. During his time, Charles Dickens “seen as a champion of “the poor” by some of the poor themselves” (“What was”). It is said that one of his greatest achievements “was to bring the problem of poverty to the attention of his readers through introducing varieties of poor persons into almost all of his novels, and showing the “deserving” majority of the poor, bravely struggling against the forces arrayed against them” (“What was”). This is clearly evident in A Tale of Two Cities. During the nineteenth century Victorian era, social class systems were a common excuse for the division and mistreatment of many individuals, as evidenced in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

This quote explains how the congress is unable to agree on the location of the world’s fair. The Congress was able to decide that they wanted to take on the fair as a unanimous and sure surface vote, but on a deeper subtler level they still bicker over the exact location and other details, unable to cooperate. This reflects the political situation on a larger scale for the time period, therefore qualifying the quote to fit under the theme of politics.

The 19th century was the start of many innovative ideologies that changed history. Not only have these ideologies helped shape the structure of our lives, but they have also changed the way our people and historians view the world around us. Powerful advanced ideas about science, philosophy, religion, psychology and sociology were formed during this century. It can be disputed that no other time period in the world had so many ideas about the best ways integrate themselves in the ever-changing world and have such a positive impact. On the outskirt of the Enlightenment, 19th century activists and thinkers came up with new ways to approach society, economics, and political systems. Out of all the incredible ideas that came from the 19th century Socialism and Liberalism are two of the most important. They are ideas that can still be seen in parts of today’s society and have had dramatic effects on the shaping of our world.

The first half of the 19th century was a time of sweeping changes. With transportation, and factories increasing, North America was in for a major upgrade. While all of those things are going on, the two regions that made up the growing nation was the North and South. These two sides were very different in their approach of lifestyle which would soon lead to conflicts. Two issues stood out more than others as the North and South headed towards civil war. One reason increase of tariffs and taxes the Congress placed on the south to ship goods to other countries. The other was the idea of keeping slavery in the country. The tariffs placed economic inequality between the northern states and the southern states.