8 Concepts That Studying US History To 1865 Taught Historians

Consider the Colonial Era to the Civil War. What are some concepts or ideas that come to mind? Perhaps the first word that comes to your mind is slavery, or the American Revolution, or even women's suffrage. Whatever comes to mind, these 8 main concepts of the Colonial Era to the Civil War period taught historians many things such as freedom, democracy, race and class. This Buzzfeed Article will analyze and introduce these topics, emphasizing the importance and significance these topics had in the US.

1. Race

This is a political cartoon drawn in the Andrew Jackson Era. ["Indian Removal Act." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. .]

This is rather a broad topic, but in particular, I am referring to Indians and African Americans discriminated against during the Colonial Era and Civil War period. What gave Americans the right to discriminate to such an extent to killing Indians for land and imprisoning other humans? The concept of race has changed throughout the centuries, as people are considered more "equal" than they were in the 1800's. American's believed in Manifest Destiny, or that they had the God given right to the land in the West. In a letter to a tribe of Cherokee Indians in 1835, Andrew Jackson says: "You are now placed in the midst of a white population... and you are now subject to the same laws which govern the other citizens..." (Jackson). Jackson assumes that Americans, or specifically, white men, are entitled to the land despite the Indians already occupying the and. Racism and prejudice was often justified by religion and Christianity, and Americans thought Indians were "encompassed by evils, moral and physical" because they were not Christian and had their own religion (Jackson). This can also be applied to slavery - white men justified slavery using bible quotes, saying that African Americans and people of color were meant to be slaves appointed by God for white men. This political cartoon depicts a Cherokee Indian because captured and tied down by American people, eventually immobilizing the Cherokee Nation and making it bend to the American's will. This political cartoon is synonymous with the Indian Removal Act, passed by Congress on 1830 under Andrew Jackson's presidency, removing Indians from their territory. Regardless of this, the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, and no where does it include the word slavery. It may have taken centuries, but all race were eventually recognized as being truly equal.

[Jackson, Andrew. "Document E." Letter to Cherokee Tribe of Indians. 1835. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.]

2. Women's Rights

[Grant, Gordon. "When Women Vote. What Will Happen If The Polling Place Is Located In A Millinery Shop." Library of Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. .]

This highly sexist cartoon depicts women in a hat shop, more interested in shopping than voting. This was a highly misinterpreted, sexist image of women - that they are more interested in "feminine" things and duties than politics. During the Colonial Era and the Civil War period, women were highly misinterpreted as domestic names that should not be involved in either the war or political matters. A letter correspondence between John Adams and wife Abigail Adams in 1776 has Abigail reminding John Adams to "Remember the Ladies" because "all Men would be tyrants if they could", insinuating that men needed women for order, and within time women will rise "to forment a Rebellion" in order to be heard. John Adam's response to this involves a variety of sexist, condescending remarks such as "As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh". Women were not being represented in politics and were not given basic rights as men. In a world where women are getting more recognition in more than just the voting polls, it is interesting to consider the lack of recognition they were given in the Colonial Era and Civil War times - little to none.

[Adams, Abigail. "Abigail and John Adams On Women's Rights." Letter to John Adams. 31 Mar. 1776. MS. N.p.]

3. Civil Rights

[Milai, Sam. "Can This Happen In Our Great Democracy?" Museum of Fun Cut Funk. N.p., n.d. Web. .]

Civil rights - something that still has relevancy today, and was in a sense highly controversial during the Civil War. The Civil War can be synonymous with two things: states rights and slavery. The novel "Apostles of Disunion" goes even further to point out that when prospective American citizens are asked what important issue the Civil War was fought over on an exam, "According to the INS [Immigration and Natural Services] , you are correct if you offer either one of the following answers: Slavery or state's rights" (Dew). Though it can be argued either way, it is understood that the issue was states' rights, but the right was slavery, and in no way was this excusable, but at the time, this was the battle. The Civil War and the Southern State's succession from the Union taught historians the concept of what civil rights really was, and what it really had to do with. During this era, civil rights were the rights given to people as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and people were entitled to these rights. The Union and Confederacy interpreted this important document very differently, which lead to the Civil War. In modern times, civil rights give everyone, men and women of different race and ethnicity all equal opportune and representatives in the US nation, though things can get dirty still, depicted by the "Haynsworth Appointment" written on the knife stabbing the African American women depicted as "Civil Rights". This case received controversy in the 70's because of Nixon's judge nomination of Clement Haysnworth, who was a Republican Southerner who spoke out against civil rights groups. This political cartoon can in a sense be applied to both eras - the critique of civil rights during the Civil War, and the controversy of Nixon hiring a seemingly prejudice judge that is supposed to represent the American court.

[Dew, Charles B. "Slavery, States' Rights, and Secession Commissioners." Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War. Charlottesville: U of Virginia, 2001. N. pag. Print.]

4. Representation

So who gets represented, and who does not? What gives people the right to be represented more than another person, and is it justifiable? Representation has always been in issue in American history, and even today can cause controversy, as there are always groups, people, laws and even states that want to be recognized for one thing or another. During the Colonial Era and Civil War period, there were many accounts where representation was debated upon. In "Speeches from the New York Ratification Center", people debated on how people would accurately be represented. Bernard Bailyn said: "It was remarked yesterday that a numerous representation was necessary to obtain the confidence of the people". People of the states wanted to be recognized by the government after previously being taxed without representation by the British. Once the American people acquired their own representatives within the government, they were taxed via the government - hence the political cartoon above, depicting an American being bombarded by war taxes during the American Revolution. The subtitle says "War Tacks vs. Patriotism: This Patriot Was Whooping For War Until He Came In Contact With the War Tacks." This political cartoon seems rather ironic as American broke away from the British and therefore their taxes, only to meet a wall of taxes for the American people because of the war.

5. Interpretation

[http://www.theragblog.com/david-p-hamilton-citizens-united-and-the-corruption-of-american-politics/]

It may be hard to think interpretation as a concept, but when you think about it, what and how people have interpreted things largely affected society and history as we know it. Interpretation can be applied to the Colonial Era and the Civil War period as well as modern times. In modern times, there are such people called strict constructionists and judicial activists. They are judges of the US Court system, the people who review cases and make important decisions. Strict constructionists and judicial activists are not modern terms or practices - they existed during the Colonial Era and Civil War period as well. It all depended and varied on their view and interpretation of a document or case. "Strict constructionists, those scholars and judges who believe that the power of the federal government should extend no further than its explicitly stated in the Constitution" (Brown and Shannon 118). This excerpt from the Ratification Debates refers to strict constructionists as people who directly interpret things as they are written, while loos constructionists (or judicial activists) "believe that the Constitution is a 'living document' that needs to be reinterpreted by each generation..." (Shannon and Brown 118). This practice is still present in modern times, introduced first when the Constitution was born. The political cartoon drawn by David Hamilton is an example of interpretation of the Declaration of Independence. Many people debate the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence, as sometimes the American system does not uphold the words on the page, such as "All men were created equal", and written at the time, meant all white men who owned land. The political cartoon depicts someone crossing out the word "people" of "we the people" and replacing with corporations, another example of someone interpreting a document as something as depending on the case or situation.

[Brown, Victoria B., and Timothy J. Shannon, eds. "Debating the Constitution." Speeches from the New York Ratification Convention. Boston: Bedford, 2012. 118. Print.]

6. Politics

Political cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast between the years 1861-1886.Nast, Thomas. ["The Opening of Congress." Cartoon Stock. N.p., n.d. Web..]

This political cartoon drawn in the mid to late 1800's depicts (quite accurately) how the government really works - with politics. This cartoon shows the creation of congress and the ever-present lure and trap of debate, something inevitable within the new-found (and current) democracy. Even from the beginning of the creation of an independent country, politics was right behind, ready to influence and sway people's opinions and views. Now that America has gained independence from the British monarchy, they need an established government to avoid exactly what they broke away from - a figurehead with too much power over the local people. Hence, the Declaration of Independence (formally declaring independence), the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These three important documents were formed by a number of people with varying opinions and views. American's argued against each other on the creation of government and the Constitution, leading to the first division of political parties - ant-federalist and federalists. Anti-federalists "feared that the rich... could easily monopolize power in such a government" and they needed a Bill of Rights to accurately depict American's rights and needs. (Brown and Shannon 116). Federalists believed there wasn't a need for a Bill of Rights because the Constitution "would create a more centralized and stable union between states" (Brown and Shannon 115). These two parties started the century long debate between factions that have nearly opposite views, or varying opinions, of the same thing. Thus, politics were born, fueling debate among the democratic creation of the government for centuries to come.

[Brown, Victoria B., and Timothy J. Shannon, eds. "Debating the Constitution." Speeches from the New York Ratification Convention. Boston: Bedford, 2012. 115-116. Print.]

7. Democracy

[Duffy. "Occupying Democracy." Art Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. .]

There is a lot going on in this political cartoon drawn by Duffy - just as there is a lot of corruption in democracy. A democracy is about the people representing the government by electing representatives to, well, represent their interests. Democracy was created when Americans declared their independence from the British monarchy , allowing Americans to decide in the Declaration of Independence "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it" (US 1776). Democracy gives people their own right to establish the form of government that fits their choosing, and the creation of the Declaration of Independence along with the Constitution creates a democracy where power is distributed between three branches to avoid corruption and adhere to the people (the American's) best interests. However, according to this political cartoon, and contrary to the more simpler times when America was born out of independence, democracy is more than corrupted by large political powers and corporations that can influence politics with money and public bias. Despite the corruption that may be present today, democracy was born when American's stepped up and formed their own government.

[U.S. Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia: Thomas Jefferson. 1776.]

8. Freedom and Independence

This political cartoon was drawn by Paul Revere for the Royal American Magazine, Number 10, Volume 1. [Revere, Paul. The Able Doctor or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught. Digital image. The New Independent Whig. N.p., 28 Nov. 2012. Web.]

This political cartoon depicts the British forcing the American to drink their tea. This is a metaphor for the political control the monarchy has on Americans struggling for independence. Americans are trying to break away from the British hold, but King George lll is against the colonists from breaking away. Ahhh, freedom. A concept the took centuries to attain, but is still not yet perfected. So how did the Colonial Era and the Civil War period teach us freedom and independence? The clear answer is the American Revolution - colonists breaking away from the British monarchy to really expand their sense of independence and freedom of being their own country. I'm sure you remember your history teacher explaining the Boston Tea Party and taxation without representation. In retrospect, the American Revolution was the beginning; the basis for American freedom and independence. According to Thomas Paine in his controversial yet thought-provoking documents, "It is the pride of kings which throw mankind into confusion" (79). He speculates the amount of power is placed on one person of hierarchical decent, and that one man should not have all the power. The breakaway from the British monarchy can be directly correlated with the creation of our three-branch government, a government with checks and balances to keep power under control, allowing Americans to experience freedom and independence without oppression.

[Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: William Bradford, 1776. 79. Print.]