early national society & culture
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Early National Society & Culture. Rise of Democracy. Founding Fathers saw themselves as disinterested gentlemanly elites Common people rejected this & claimed full equality Leisure now seen as aristocratic & immoral Virtue associated with productive labor - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Early National Society & Culture
Rise of Democracy Founding Fathers saw themselves as
disinterested gentlemanly elites Common people rejected this & claimed full
equality Leisure now seen as aristocratic & immoral Virtue associated with productive labor
Loss of personal, trust-based relationships led to disbelief in possibility of disinterestedness Long-distance trade relied on paper money & legal
contracts Economic necessity forced founders to abandon
ideal of elected officials serving without pay
Middle Class Culture Middle class replaced gentlemanly elite as
new cultural standard in America Combined virtue & taste of aristocracy with
hard work of commoners Wealthy factory & plantation owners
downplayed their wealth Public opinion replaced views of educated elites
as controlling source of truth Concept of “republican motherhood” gave
women role as educators and guardians of morality
Restrictions on Women Legal doctrine of coverture said women
were covered by their fathers or husbands Women could only own property, make
contracts & sue if unmarried Only in New Jersey were property-owning
widows allowed to vote, & ended in 1807. Educating women seen as impractical &
potentially dangerous
Marriage & Family Sentimentalism in novels,
poems & plays helped give rise to companionate marriage Fathers had less land to give to
sons, so less control over whom they would marry
Fathers could still sue for damages over the loss of daughter’s virginity
Divorce difficult to obtain – often required special act of the legislature
Immigration & Westward Expansion
Immigration increased rapidly after 1815, although dependent on economic conditions Attracted by available land and religious & political
freedom “America letters” from family & friends convinced
many to come Tecumseh’s Indian confederation defeated by
William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe (1811)
Government sold public lands cheaply Minimum land allotment lowered to 160 acres in 1804 Lowered to 80 acres in 1820, at $1.25 an acre
Indian Land Cessions