The Antebellum Period

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This section deals with the forming of the Republic following the revolution through the events immediately preceding the War Between the States which is commonly referred to as the antebellum period of American history. Cultural differences between people of European decent remained prominent and are a critical aspect of understanding the flow of American history during this era.  This period of history saw rapid industrialization, development of a worldwide demand for raw materials and agricultural products produced mainly in the southern states, very rapid population growth from both birth rate and immigration, mass European immigration that was predominantly from Germanic areas and eastern Europe and was predominantly Catholic, rapid population of western regions, and the expansion of slavery in the south while the institution died an economic and then moral death in the north.  It also saw a rapid growth in religious affiliation which was largely Evangelical and spread Congregationalist style worship from the northeast to other regions. Meanwhile amongst elite society in the New England and the northeast, Calvinist beliefs were replaced with secularist beliefs generally imported from Europe and spread through the educational system leading to a period of progressive social activism. Out of this time, one cultural group would become economically, militarily, and socially dominant leading to the development of a centralized nation state in place of voluntary union of largely independent states.

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Key Questions

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• Did the Articles of Confederation really fail?

• Was the Constitution seen during the early Republic as being a radical departure from English law and traditions and how did the founders view the role of church and religion?

• How and why did voting rights expand to ever increasing numbers of people?

• What caused the rise of the Methodists and Baptists and how rapidly did the Evangelical faiths spread south and west? What and who drove the 2nd Awakening?

• What were the effects of mass immigration in the 1800’s on religion, culture, political alliances, and the job markets?

• How religious were Catholic immigrants when they arrived in America, what prejudices did they encounter, and how did this strengthen the establishment of the Catholic Church in America?

• How did slavery survive in the South and what relation did this have to demand created from the initial industrial revolution?

• Was abolition a broadly supported political movement in the North and did it really drive political debate in the Antebellum period? What was its relation to the church and other forms of social activism?

• What level of support was there for colonization or deportation?

• Can slavery rightfully be seen as a regional problem or issue or were Free states heavily involved with the financing and logistics of slavery?