HY 1110 Unit VI Assessment

Describe the political impact and innovation in the following events: the American System, the Corrupt Bargain, and the Era of Good Feelings. Discuss which you feel had the greatest impact on Jackson’s administration and/or early 19th-century America.

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

The American System was promoted in 1814 and implemented in 1816 to do three things: regulate the national currency, revise foreign tariffs (taxes), and expand on the Transportation Revolution projects. The Madison Administration used the repeal of the Embargo Act and the Transportation and Market revolutions as a way to settle the economy and create a good faith with political rivals. Innovations from the American System were the transportation revolution, the creation of the second National Bank, and the Market Revolution. The Corrupt Bargain of 1824 hand-delivered the presidential election to John Quincy Adams. It was viewed as an out-right theft of the position and all but secured the election of 1828 for Andrew Jackson. A innovation from the Corrupt Bargain was an updated version of the voting system with new laws that guaranteed that the voices of the votes would count for something. Also, the advent of new print media and mailing systems helped spread the pressure for people to vote. The Era of Good Feelings political impact was essentially a return from a two-party system to a one-party system. The American System had the greatest impact on the early 19th century America because it introduced easier travel across the United Stated. Until this point in the United States travel from north to south and east to west was hard and cumbersome which in turn limited its economic growth. With the success of easier travel, the United States was able to more easily expand in to the western territories.

References:

CSU History Department. Unit IV Study Guide. Orange Beach, AL: Columbia Southern University, 2016.

Considering each of the factors that impacted women at this time, was this a beneficial period for women’s rights? Your answer should include some reference to reform, the Market Revolution (industrial technologies), and expansion. 

Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

Although this was a hard time period for women it was beneficial for women’s rights. The period of the Market Revolution was a time of technological innovations but also a turning point for women. The time of pre-industry were common factories such as the mill first opened the doors for women to work helped them get out and help support their families in more than their previous roles such as house mothers. These mills used women in the same roles that men had previously filled, but would reap rewards by giving them a fraction of the pay. During this time women were able to fill that new role but were drastically underpaid for the work they did and the efforts they gave. This led to some of the first strikes in the United States. Although these strikes were considered unsuccessful at the times there would lead to the eventual stand for equal rights amongst the sexes. An early look at this would be when women were inspired to look at their own situations by the actions of reform leaders Sarah and Angelina Grimké, daughters of a prosperous plantation owner, who spoke on behalf of abolitionist crusade. One such event at Lowell mill were women banded together and held a strike against the mill following pay cuts and requests for greater outputs. Though unsuccessful due to being replaced by immigrant labor, this event spread the spirit of equality to other mills in an effort for the first feminist equality attempt.

References:

CSU History Department. Unit IV Study Guide. Orange Beach, AL: Columbia Southern University, 2016.