Week 4 Discussions
Question 1: Decisions and viewpoints during the Nullification crisis
Generally, the Nullification Crisis of 1832 was primarily focused around Southerners protest against the various protective tariffs (taxes) policies that had been enforced to tax all the foreign products in a bid to boost the sales of US items and equally safeguard manufacturers in the North from inexpensive products (Tindall, 1989). That said, I do consider that Calhoun’s decision to reject the concept of imposing tariffs to the Southerners as appropriate, even though his position was unconstitutional. This to some extent agrees that the most avert reason for the South Carolinas disagreements encompassed the protective tariffs of the late 1820s. Ideally, in the event of the War of 1812, Congress anticipated to enhance American production and equally decrease the United States reliance on foreign products, particularly those generated in England. Yes, given the lengthy time of industrialization, the British men could produce item at relatively fewer costs than the American domestic firms, so without tariffs, there was a likelihood that the Americans would purchase the inexpensive products.
Question 2: Experiences and conditions of the African slaves
Indeed the African slaves were just victims of circumstances: primarily, many of the African slaves worked in plantations labor. Approximately more than half of all the slaves in the year 1860 were in plantations, working as field hands. Some of the better jobs were those of home servant as well as skilled employees, consisting of blacksmiths’, coopers and carpenters. Besides, some were involved in unique assignments such as boatmen and or cooks. Seemingly, these trends were necessitated by the fact that there were huge chunks of agricultural land along with the Boston belts. The experience was devastating, given that they were oppressed to force to work from dusk till dawn.
Question 3: Movements during the antebellum era
- Religious:
One of the religious movements was the Unitarianism; this occurred at the end of the 18th century, this particular belie stressed on the concept of the ones of God and put logic as well as conscience at forefront of the creeds and confessions. It appears that the Unitarian had faith in the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man and equally its neighbours. Well, the centre of this movement was Boston, and it spread within the Congregational churches which stood for on the developed order up to when controversy came about. In an opposition movement on the Unitarian Harvard, Rev. Jedediah was in the forefront to put-up Andover Theological Seminary to be the ore of orthodoxy. More church eventually acknowledged the concept of Unitarianism.
- Literacy
One cannot talk about literacy and fail to mention the aspect of education; perhaps one of the notable movements was the lyceum movement. This movement ensured that knowledge was diffused via public lecture; in which professional entities and speakers offered talks of all sort ranging from literature, science, music, travel as well as humour; with the opening of the Boston Public Library in the year 1851 being the turning point (Tindall, 1989). Some of the speakers included but not limited to: Emerson, Lyman, Webster and Louis, among others. In a society that yearned for knowledge, this movement expanded to the constituted home-talent generation of essay, debates and lectures, among others. The American lyceums heavily contribute to the expansion of schools’ curricula and the growth of local museums as well as libraries in the U.S.
- Reform movements
Just after the panic of 1837, the nascent labour movement was on a decline, and within the 1840s the emphasis of its radical motivation was geared towards the establishment and enhancing of the existing cooperative societies. It is important to note that during the 1830s, several efforts were towards self-employment via producers’ cooperatives; these reforms led to the establishment of a cooperative workshop at Boston which employed a total of about thirty men (Tindall, 1989). The significance of these labor reforms is that they led to better wages, remunerations and championing for workers’ rights and freedom. Just imagine a community without knowledge, how would it look like? I consider the lyceum movement as the most significant, given that it promoted the education standards of the Americans, which of course still stands in terms of quality globally.
References
Tindall, G. B. (1989). America: A Narrative History. Volume 1. Norton & Company.