KEYWORDS
Social Customs
Jacksonian Democracy
Revivalism
Economic Innovations
Ethnic Minorities
Reform Movements

COURSES FOR WHICH MODULE IS MOST APPLICABLE
American History
Political Theory
Ethnic Studies
Cultural Anthropology
Sociology
Social Policy
Social Psychology

MODULE DESCRIPTION
The period of the 1830's was a time of great economic growth, population movement, political change, and social tensions. In order to understand Tocqueville's Democracy in America, students need to become acquainted with the America Tocqueville visited.

There were a number of economic innovations during this period, including the introduction of canal travel and steamboats that eased the movement of goods and made their delivery cheaper. Some of the agricultural innovations included the reaper which revolutionized harvesting and made commercial farming more profitable. Simultaneously, subsistence farming decreased as people used the land to make money. The production of goods through the factory system during this period stimulated the growth of cities. In the 1830's most Americans still lived in rural areas, but cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, and New Orleans grew rapidly, beckoning people to move in to work in the factories and other urban-related occupations. All of this led to a host of social problems which in turn spawned various reform movements as Americans re-evaluated their society.

The market economy and increased mechanization of agriculture made some farms more profitable as they sold their goods domestically and internationally, raising issues like tariffs. And as land was used for profitable purposes, Americans looked to the West for expanded opportunities to earn a living. Changes in industry led to chronic unemployment for some, increased worker uncertainty, and ultimately the deterioration of certain sections of cities into slums where pockets of poverty existed.

Therefore, Tocqueville saw an America on the move, changing rapidly, and in social ferment. The resulting tensions led to a change in attitudes regarding religion, education, family, and social welfare institutions.

IN-CLASS DISCUSSION AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Students will be interested in how people lived in the 1830's. Bathing practices were primitive as compared to today, garbage was thrown in the middle of the streets for the hogs to consume, and when spittoons were not available the floor would do. Therefore, if students READ any of Francis Trollope or Harriet Martineaus travel accounts they will get a feel for Tocqueville's America.

A good introduction to the issue of labor in antebellum America would be to have students READ such accounts as the report from the Education Committee of the Massachusetts Senate in 1825 on child labor and a report on the labor of women submitted to the National Trades Union Convention, both of which are available in Custom Course Packs for U.S. History by Houghton Mifflin (edited by Michael Bellesiles, 1997).

In order to understand agriculture and other aspects of life in America at the time, we recommend READING relevant passages from Jack Larkin's book referenced in the bibliography.

For a discussion of the institution of slavery, students would benefit from READING Frederick Douglass' autobiography listed in the bibliography below.

Students can get an excellent overview of the role of reform movements in American society by READING the works of Alice Felt Tyler and Ronald Walters, also listed in the bibliography.

Each of the above readings lead naturally to useful in-class discussions or writing assignments.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSOCIATED VIDEOS
In the Purdue Video Archives there are a number of Booknotes programs about antebellum topics and public figures. They include the biographies of Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Abraham Lincoln. Bringing issues like race up-to-date are C-SPAN programs featuring Nathan McCall's Makes Me Want to Holler, Cornel West's Race Matters, and similar interviews.

In addition, C-SPAN's buses have toured many historical sites throughout the United States, some of which depict antebellum life and modes of transportation. Assistance in acquiring these vignettes can be obtained by calling Purdue Video Archives at (800) CSPAN98.

In 1997-98, C-SPAN will retrace Alexis de Tocqueville's American journey, featuring a number of programs depicting life in the 1830s.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bellesiles, Michael, ed. Custom Course packs for U.S. History (1997). This package contains the two documents involving child and women laborers in the 1830's.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1845).
This is one of the most significant first account stories of slavery in the South.

Larkin, Jack. The Reshaping of Everyday Life in the United States (1994). Discusses the ordinary, but frequently colorful aspects of daily living in America from 1790 to 1840.

Martineau, Harriet. Society in America (1837). American society told from the perspective of a woman traveling through the nation during that time.

Pessen, Edward. Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics (rev. ed 1979). Considers a variety of themes: the concept of equality in America, economic growth and expansion, the democratization of politics, and the American character.

Trollope, Frances. Domestic Manners of the Americans (1832). Treatment of antebellum social and cultural characteristics from the perspective of an Englishwoman who toured the country during the same year as Tocqueville.

Tyler, Alice Felt. Freedoms Ferment (1944). A comprehensive study of social reform in antebellum America.

Walters, Ronald. American Reformers (1978). Addresses the motivations of American reformers as well as being a comprehensive review of specific movements.