Antebellum AmericaThe Antebellum epoch in American history is considered to be the period after the War of 1812 and before the Civil War. The major issue during this time was the polarization between the northern and southern states as the rise of abolitionists and the supporters of slavery clashed.
At the same time, the north's economy began shifting to manufacturing as the Industrial Revolution began with the textile industry. In the south, the center of the economy was in cotton, as demand grew in England as well as New England. The printing business also prospered, as renditions of Gutenberg's printing press advanced, producing newspapers faster and at a cheaper price. The 1830s also saw booms in Turnpike companies, railroads, and canals because of the need to further unify the country with roads after the Revolutionary War. The abolitionist movement in New York was inspired by the Second Awakening, a religious movement in which the popular belief was that individuals had a direct relationship with God that unmediated by church officials. Church membership increased which intensified evangelism in America, causing a shift in morality and rise of abolitionist and temperance movements. Many people began to see slavery and drinking as a sin, and this fueled the movements. Slave rebellions were also organized, all ranging from passive protests, like damaging equipment and working slowly, to violent rebellions where salves and owners alike were killed. Technological advances and religious and social movements during the Antebellum era had a prodigious effect on American history, which included a shift from farms to industrial centers, sectional divisions that resulted in the Civil War, the abolition of slavery, the growth of feminist and temperance movements, and the prison and asylum reform, led by Dorothea Dix. |