American literature - přednášky

The Lewis and Clark Expedition – he asked them to explore and map the territory, to explore what was there to settle – it took them 2 years

War of 1812

• June 1812 – February 1815

• Causes:

  • Trade restrictions brought about by the British war with France

  • The impressment of as many as 10 thousand American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy

  • British support for Native American tribes fighting European American settlers on the frontier

  • Outrage over insults to national honour

  • Interest in the United States in expanding its borders west

Trail of Tears – series of removal of Native Americans – they were forced to leave their own land – many people died during this removal (that’s why “trail of tears”)

The Indian Removal Act in 1830

People who were in charge of administration could remove Indians – it was lawful (after 1830)

Treaty of Ghent – War of 1812 ended with this treaty - it is a peace treaty to end the war

Jacksonian democracy - Andrew Jackson – became the president – demanded elected (not appointed) judges (because he wanted to be democratic) and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values

• Manifest Destiny

  • The special virtues of the American people and their institutions

  • They believed that they were destined by God to rule North America, they believed it was their duty (that they were better than Native Americans)

  • The mission of the United States to redeem and remake the west in the image of agrarian America

  • An irresistible destiny to accomplish this essential duty

The Second Party System (1828 – 1854) – rapidly rising levels of voter interest, beginning in 1828, as demonstrated by Election Day turnouts, rallies, partisan newspapers, and high degrees of personal loyalty to parties

The Third Party System (1854 until the mid-1890s) - it’s connected with racial questions, growing nationalist feeling

Industrial revolution – if you have better machines and so on, you have more money

• Immigration of Samuel Slater from Great Britain and arrival of textile mills beginning in Lowell, Massachusetts

• The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney (it cleans cotton)

• The “frontier spirit” → movement through the west increased (later called American dream – America is a land of opportunities)

The “Era of Good Feelings” – peaceful period

Monroe doctrine – president Monroe – early 19th century → Americans tried to limit the power of European empires (they wanted to protect themselves)

The Second Great Awakening – reflected romanticism characterized by enthusiasm, emotion and an appeal to the super-natural (mainly movement in arts)