Victorian America

The Making of Victorian AmericaAmerica up to and in the nineteenth centuryJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Historical (Global) ContextCulture and Society in 19th-century America

Question

What are the repeating trends and significant ideas in American history?OverviewJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Historical (Global) ContextThe Making of a NationRethinking GlobalisationJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Spain and Portugal: global naval powersEuropean rivalries1492: Columbus sailed the ocean blueHe died refusing to believe he hadnt found India!Destruction of the Aztec empire1524 onwards: French exploration of North American continentBefore 1550J. Phay / American Lit / 2013English navigators make attempts to claim land1587: Roanoke colonyThe lost colony1588: Spanish Armada defeatedDecline of Spanish supremacy1500 - 1600

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J. Phay / American Lit / 2013from Thomas Hariot's A briefe and true report of the new found land of Virginia (1590)

6The English are SailingReasons for colonial enterprise:Only the eldest son inheritsPoor flooding into the citiesExcess workersChallenge Spanish dominationReligious differencesProblem: wholl pay to set up a colony?Solution: Joint-stock companies

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Virginia company1607: Jamestown colonySearched for gold, ignored farmingJohn Smith: Work or starveInvalided back to EnglandThe First English Colonies

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J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Failure?1609-10: The Starving TimeFinancial failure1624: Virginia Company bankruptColony came under royal rule

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Growth of tobacco tradeVirginia settlement flourishesIndentured servitude to man tobacco plantationsHouse of BurgessesThe New England colonies1620: the Mayflower and Plymouth colony1600 - 1700J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Another accident: supposed to join Jamestown colonistsLost at seaLanded near Cape CodNo charter to rule them1620: Mayflower compactIndependent rule!Plymouth Colony

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J. Phay / American Lit / 2013ThanksgivingLanded in November = no harvest44 survived out of 102How did the colony survive?SquantoAlliance with Massasoit IndiansWilliam BradfordHarvest festivalDeclared by Lincoln to be a national holidayJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

The 13 ColoniesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013The Middle Colonies (1)Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, DelawareMore multiculturalEnglishSwedesDutchScotsIrishFrenchAfrican slavesNative American tribes

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Middle ground between the Puritan North and the plantation SouthMore tolerant than their neighbours?Fertile groundLiterallyIn terms of mixing of ideas, religions, etc.Benjamin Franklin: printer and philanthropistThe Middle Colonies (2)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013PrinterPennsylvania GazettePoor Richards AlmanacPhilanthropistFirehouseHospitalCollege of PennsylvaniaInventorThe lightning experimentWood burning stoveBifocal glassesBenjamin Franklin

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Plantation economyTobacco, rice, indigo, cottonLabour intensiveIndentured servitude to slavery1661: Virginia legally established slaveryAll early colonies had slaves, but more in the Southern colonies because of economic demand!The Southern ColoniesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

The Trans-Atlantic Slave TradeJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013 Journey from West Africa to West IndiesThree weeksLoose packingTight packingBy 1700: tens of thousands of slavesAfrican diasporaThe Middle PassageJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Slave CodesIncreasing number of slaves = increasing anxiety for their white mastersSlave rebellionsSlave CodesSlaves are propertySlaves cannot own propertyNot allowed to assemble without the presence of a white personNo slave can give testimony against a white personNo slave can be taught to read or writeSlave marriages are not recognisedJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Setting the stage for RevolutionEnlightenment ideas in EuropeNewtonJohn LockeJean-Jacques RousseauDistance from EnglandWhat is the American?Tradition of independent ruleSmugglersImmigrants who never owed allegiance to England in the first placeThe Zenger Trial: freedom of the press!

1700 - 1763J. Phay / American Lit / 2013From ushistory.org:

Many events transpired between the years of 1763 and 1776 that served as short-term causes of the Revolution. But the roots had already been firmly planted. In many ways, the American Revolution had been completed before any of the actual fighting began.(The Beginnings of Revolutionary Thinking)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Run Up to RevolutionEngland and France at war (again)France loses her possessions in North AmericaAnd develops a desire to humiliate EnglandEngland incurs huge debtsAnd tries to recover by taxing her coloniesAmerican colonists gain fighting experienceJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Meanwhile, Back in EuropeI cannot tell a lie.Born 1732 in VirginiaWealthy plantation owners sonApprenticed to a surveyorColonel in the French-Indian WarJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013George Washington

Disagreement over Ohio settlementFrench lost ceded the Ohio Valley to the BritishBritain did not want American colonists to move inRoyal Proclamation of 1763Colonists are not to cross the AppalachiansTo the British: Im protecting you.To the colonists: You just want to control my movements and restrict my success.J. Phay / American Lit / 20131763 - 1776

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Writs of AssistanceBritish customs officials started exercising their right to search American shipsNo courtsBritish troops stationed in AmericaTo the British: Im protecting you, shouldnt you play your part?To the colonists: Youre sending troops to watch me.Boycott of British goodsStamp Act repealedJ. Phay / American Lit / 20131763 - 1776The Boston Patriots1766: Second attempt to tax American goods directly1770: Boston MassacreAngry mob at customs houseBritish soldiers fired without orders5 men killedAll taxes repealed except that on teaJ. Phay / American Lit / 20131763 - 1776

I dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, . . . [and] after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea...

We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water. In about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship. . . .

Anonymous, "Account of the Boston Tea Party by a Participant," (1773)

J. Phay / American Lit / 20131773: Boston Tea PartySeries of punishing ActsStop sea tradeBritish gain control over legislative system in BostonDirect rule over Quebec1774: British take over Boston1775: Fighting beginsThe American Revolution has startedFought by local militias!1776: Declaration of Independence approved by coloniesJ. Phay / American Lit / 20131773 - 17761781: British general Cornwallis surrenders in VirginiaImpact on slavery:Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness1775: First anti-slavery society formedNorthern states begin to ban slaveryBritish army freed slavesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Impact of the Revolution: SlaveryFree to change/add lawsLand laws: No more primogenitureSeparation of church and stateBy 1833: even Puritan states no longer used tax dollars to support the churchJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Impact of the Revolution: LegislatureMen fought in the RevolutionWomen became heads of their householdsRepublican motherhoodTo have strong nation, you need enlightened citizensTo have enlightened citizens, you need enlightened mothersEducation + new roles = growing class of outspoken womenJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Impact of the Revolution: Gender NormsI long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. -Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, March 31, 1776J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Abigail Adams

The French RevolutionDeep political divide in AmericaEmergence of two parties:FederalistsDemocratic-RepublicansElection of 1796:Adams (Northern states)Thomas Jefferson (Southern states)Growing North-South divideJ. Phay / American Lit / 20131980s - 1800Culture and Society of Nineteenth-Century AmericaEconomicsPoliticsGenderRaceLiteratureJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013A growing nation (literally)1776: 13 colonies on the Eastern coastBy 1821: 11 new states addedGrowing regional distinctiveness1823: Monroe DeclarationA bold new national identity

(Social Change and National Development, ushistory.org)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A New CenturyIndustrialisationFactory systemFemale workersConcentrated in the northeastRise of wage labourGrowth of banking industrySouth: crisis in tobacco industryEli Whitneys cotton ginCotton industry takes off to feed Northern mills

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A New Century: EconomicsFed the industrial revolutionRail magnatesTranscontinental railroadsChineseIrishJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013The Railroads

Religious revivalsEmphasis on humans ability to change for the betterEmphasis on free willMore public roles for women and African Americans

The noise was like the roar of Niagara. The vast sea of human beings seemed to be agitated as if by a storm ... Some of the people were singing, others praying, some crying for mercy. A peculiarly strange sensation came over me. My heart beat tumultuously, my knees trembled, my lips quivered, and I felt as though I must fall to the ground.- (Religious Transformation, ushistory.org)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A New Century: ReligionThe politics of languageWebsters dictionaryEmergence of American writersWashington IrvingJames Fenimor CooperAmerican paintersThomas ColeJohn James AudubonWhat does it mean to be an American artist?J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A New Century: Arts and Culture

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Egalitarian principlesWomens greater participation in religious lifeWomen moving slowly into public space1830s: female schoolteachers outnumber maleStill paid less than menStill few optionsNew gender norms?J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A New Century: GenderGrowth of industrial cities and townsMoney as a sign of statusDisease, poverty, crimeInfrastructure and social services cannot copeHaven neededCult of the HomeIdeals: True Manhood and True WomanhoodJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Changing Ways of LifeBinary worldview

GenderMenWomenMasculineFeminineRational, logicalEmotional, irrational, intuitiveHarsh world of businessDomestic world of the homeCompetitive, aggressiveProtective, nurturingStrong guides and teachersWeak need guidanceDeal with important mattersDeal with trivial mattersJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Without ignoring accomplishments, or casting a slur upon any of the graces which serve to adorn society, we must look deeper for the acquirements which serve to form our ideal of a perfect woman. The companion of man should be able thoroughly to sympathize with him her intellect should be as well developed as his. We do not believe in the mental inequality of the sexes; we believe that the man and the woman have each a work to do, for which they are specially qualified, and in which they are called to excel. Though the work is not the same, it is equally noble, and demands an equal exercise of capacity.

From Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. LIII, July to December, 1856.

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013True WomanhoodLaws that stem from and reinforce inequality?Divorce lawsProperty lawsRight to voteBut apart from law?Systemic Oppression (1)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Not seen as important = overlooked?Domestic technologyWomens healthcareSocial expectationsWomen and marriageWomen and childrenWomen and other women?

Systemic Oppression (2)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013EconomicLower wages for womenSocial sentiment keeps women out of real jobsMoney seen as a marker of statusWomen cannot bring in money, therefore?Systemic Oppression (3)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013It is apparent that even the women think of themselves as having less important roles than men.Widespread IssueJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Growth of cotton industryIncreasing numbers of AbolitionistsFirst solution: ship slaves back to AfricaAfrican Americans: But we built this nation too. Why should we leave?Increasingly outspokenGag RuleAttacks on AbolitionistsJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Changing Social NormsHelped slaves escape to freedom in the NorthOperated at nightHarriet TubmanBorn a slaveEscapedReturned 19 times to help other slavesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013The Underground Railroad

Harriet Beecher StoweSerialised, then published as a novelPortrays in vivid detail the pain and trauma suffered by slaves separated from their families

"So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war."-Abraham Lincoln to Beecher StoweJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Uncle Toms Cabin

1840: Western territories still controlled by countries like Mexico1845 onwards: manifest destinyDesire for landDiscovery of gold in CaliforniaMission to Christianise the nativesImperialism1846: War against Mexico1847: California secured by the United StatesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Westward Ho!North vs SouthShould slaveholding be allowed in the new territories?Balancing actMore states = more say in the federal governmentEach new slaveholding state must be balanced with an Abolitionist stateKansas-Nebraska Act1860: Abraham Lincoln becomes PresidentSouth Carolina secedesJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Regional ConflictFrom ushistory.org, A House Divided

The Civil War was a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. For four long and bloody years, Americans were killed at the hands of other Americans. One of every 25 American men perished in the war. Over 640,000 soldiers were killed. Many civilians also died in numbers often unrecorded.J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Civil WarAt the battle of Antietam, more Americans were killed than on any other single day in all of American history. On that day, 22,719 soldiers fell to their deaths four times the number of Americans lost during the D-Day assault on Normandy in WWII. In fact, more American soldiers died in the Civil War than in all other American wars combined.

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Civil War (2)J. Phay / American Lit / 2013

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1865: North wins, war endsBattles fought predominantly in Southern landsDeath tollRunaway inflation in the SouthDestruction of propertyEmotional trauma: Way of life destroyed?J. Phay / American Lit / 2013AftermathJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

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From ushistory.orh, Reconstruction:

It was a time of great pain and endless questions. On what terms would the Confederacy be allowed back into the Union? Who would establish the terms, Congress or the President? What was to be the place of freed blacks in the South? Did Abolition mean that black men would now enjoy the same status as white men? What was to be done with the Confederate leaders, who were seen as traitors by many in the North?J. Phay / American Lit / 2013Reconstruction: A Nation DividedNew economic boomFactories built for the war continued operations1877-1893: American economy doubled in sizeRise of the tycoonsJohn D. Rockefeller Standard OilAndrew Carnegie Carnegie SteelJ. Pierpont Morgan banker extraordinaireThe American DreamHoratio Algers dime novelsJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Toward the Twentieth CenturyEdgar Allan PoeRalph Waldo EmersonHenry David ThoreauNathaniel HawthorneMark TwainCharlotte Perkins GilmanKate ChopinHenry JamesEdith WhartonJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Rise of American WritersYOU don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly -- Tom's Aunt Polly, she is -- and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before.- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, chapter 1J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A Distinctive LanguageThere even are places where English completely disappears; in America they haven't used it for years.

- Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair LadyJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Other Reactions?

An ideal or convenient label rather than objective truth?Represents the spirit of America at that particular ageContentForm (language)E.g., Herman Melvilles Moby DickE.g., Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnE.g., F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013The Great American NovelJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

The Awakening and Other Stories

Kate ChopinPoetry + short storiesHorror + detective

The Fall of the House of UsherThe Cask of AmontilladoThe Purloined Letter

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

Henry James

Critic, novelist, short story writer

Portrait of a LadyTurn of the Screw

Edith Wharton

Novelist, interior designer?

The Age of InnocenceEthan FromeGhost StoriesUrbanization overtakes the agricultural lifeNew lifestylesA new understanding of familyNew attitudes toward wealthNew attitudes toward educationCompulsory schooling for childrenHigher education for womenPrint explosion: new ideas, new cosmopolitanismMore time for leisure: baseball

J. Phay / American Lit / 2013A Brave New WorldJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013

Freedom of the individualFreedom of the individual versus societyRelationship with the Old WorldWhat is the American?Money, wealth, and their relationship with the spiritualThe American dreamJ. Phay / American Lit / 2013Some Important Ideas?