In 1817, the American Colonization Society was formed. They were anti-slavery in that they wanted to keep the U.S. open to white workers as opposed to abolitionists who wanted to outlaw slavery because they thought it was a sin. The Colonization Society hated slavery, but also did not welcome a nation of free Blacks. To … Continue reading Class Notes →

With the start of the nation, it looked as if slavery might just fade away.  It had in the North and it looked, especially in the upper South, like it might there too.  However, the invention of the cotton gin changed everything.  Where it once took a slave a day to pick 50 pounds of … Continue reading Class Notes →

After the Cherokees were ordered to leave their lands and move to Indian Territory, only about 2,000 had left by the designated date. The tribe had divided into those who felt they had no choice and left and those who stayed and fought. Those who stayed were later forced out at gun point and forced … Continue reading Class Notes →

If you think politics are strange now, in 1828 southern legislatures pushed through a bill that would raise tariffs to an incredibly high rate. John Quincy Adams did not agree with the high rate in the bill but passed it anyway because he did not see it as his responsibility to veto a bill simply … Continue reading Class Notes →

One major difference between politics today and politics from around the turn of the century to about the 1980s was some of the major conflicts were not between parties but within parties. During the Progressive Era, there were progressives and conservatives within both parties, TR and Wilson were not that different.  The same is true … Continue reading Class Notes →

Remember that voting requirements are done state by state, but the first time a popular vote was ever recorded for the nation was in 1824. This new popular vote is what is responsible for the power of Andrew Jackson, a new type of politician, and one who would use the power of the people to … Continue reading Class Notes →

Surprisingly, the 1944 election was only the second time a president had campaigned during a war and this gave FDR a huge advantage. Not was he already incredibly popular, but it set up his slogan perfectly, "Don’t switch horses in mid-stream." Americans will remain with FDR for a fourth term, but it is the smallest … Continue reading Class Notes →

Not everyone sees it this way, but I think there was a dark side of the Transcendentalist movement. My own definition of Transcendentalism is romanticism set in the American wilderness and I see authors like Herman Melville as part of the movement. The entire point of Moby Dick was that Ahab was obsessed with conquering … Continue reading Class Notes →

The Second Great Awakening and the reform movements that came out of it had one very large unintended consequence, the first women’s movement. It was women that were organizing the religious revivals and running the reform movements and it turned out they were doing a good job. It was not a far jump to go … Continue reading Class Notes →

WWII brought new internal issues for the Democratic Party.  FDR knew that we would need to get involved in some way, but conservative Democrats feared that the War would allow the government to grow even larger. There were enough concerned Democrats still left in the party that they were able to pass a series of … Continue reading Class Notes →