abolitionist individual who supported national legislation outlawing slavery, either gradually or immediately, with or without compensation to slave owners

Alexis de Toqueville French traveler and historian who toured the US in 1831 and wrote Democracy in America , a classic study of American institutions and the American character

allegory story in which characters and events stand for abstract ideas and suggest a deep, symbolic meaning

American Colonization Society organization founded in 1817 to end slavery by gradually assisting individual slave owners to liberate their slaves and then transporting them to Africa






block voting the practice of organized groups of people to coordinate their voting so that all members vote the same way, thereby enhancing the group’s political influence

border states slaves states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, which shared a border with states in which slavery was illegal

Brook Farm aexperimental farm based on cooperative living; established in 1841, it first attracted transcendentalists and then serious farmers before fire destroyed it in 1845






Christian benevolence tenet in some Christian theology teaching that the essence of God is self-sacrificing love and that the ultimate duty for Christians is to perform acts of kindness with no expectation of reward in return

cupidity extreme desire for wealth; greed






Dorothea Dix philanthropist, reformer, and educator who was a pioneer in the movement for specialized treatment of the mentally ill






evangelical sects Protestant groups that emphasized the sole authority of the Bible and the necessity of actively striving to convert others

extended family family group consisting of various close relatives as well as the parents and children






favorite son candidate nominate for office by delegates from his or her own region or state

Fourierism social system advanced by Charles Fourier, who argued that people were capable of living in perfect harmony under the right conditions, which included communal life and republican government

Frances (Fanny) Wright infamous 19th-century woman who advocated what at the time were considered radical causes, including racial equality, equality for women, birth control, and open sexuality






gag rule rule that limits or prevents debate on an issue






Henry David Thoreau writer and naturalist and friend of Emerson; his best known work is Walden (1854)

Horace Mann educator who called for publicly funded education for all children and was head of the public board of education in the US

Hudson River school 1st native school of landscape painting in the US (1825-1875); attracted artists rebelling against the neoclassical tradition






irreligious hostile or indifferent to religion






John Tyler Virginia senator who left the Democrat Party after conflicts with Andrew Jackson; he was elected vice president in 1840 and became president when William Henry Harrison died in office

Joseph Smith, Jr. founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, who transcribed the Book of Mormon and led his congregation westward from New York to Illinois; he was later murdered by an anti-Mormon mob






lay exhorter church member who preaches but is not an ordained minister

Lydia Sigourney 19TH-century romantic and sentimental author who was one of the first women in American history to make a living as a professional writer






machine politics aggressive use of influence, favors, or tradeoffs by a political organization, or “machine,” to mobilize support among its followers

Mason-Dixon Line boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland; it marked the northern division between free and slave states before the Civil War

minstrel show a variety show in which white actors made up as blacks presented jokes, songs, dances, and comic skits






National Traders’ Union 1st national association of trade unions in the United States; it was formed in 1834

neoclassicism revival in architecture and art in the 18th and 19th centuries inspired by Greek and Roman models and characterized by order, symmetry, and simplicity of style

New Harmony utopian community that Robert Owen established in Indiana in 1825; economic problems and discord among members led to its failure 2 years later

nonconformity refusal to accept or conform tot he beliefs and practices of the majority






Oneida Community religious community established in central New York in 1848; its members shared property, practiced group marriage, and reared children under communal care






Panic of 1837 economic collapse that came as the result of Andrew Jackson’s fiscal policies and led to an extended national economic depression

parochial school school supported by a church parish; often refers to a Catholic school

party platform formal statement of the principles, policies, and promises on which a political party bases its appeal to the public

passive resistance resistance by nonviolent methods

post-millennialism tenet in some Christian theology teaching that Christ will return to Earth after religious activists have succeeded in converting all people to Christianity and following a thousand years under godly rule






Ralph Waldo Emerson philosopher, writer, and poet whose essays and poems made him a central figure in the transcendentalist movement and an important figure in the development of literary expression in the US

revival meeting meeting for the purpose of reawakening religious faith, often characterized by impassioned preaching and emotional public testimony by converted sinners

Romanticism artistic and intellectual movement characterized by an interest in nature, emphasis on emotion and imagination over rationality, and rebellion against social conventions






Second Great Awakening upsurge in religious fervor that began around 1800 and was characterized by revival meetings

Shakers mid-18th-century offshoot of the Quakers founded in England by Mother Ann Lee; Shakers practiced communal living and strict celibacy

socialist practicing socialism, the public ownership of manufacturing, farming, and other forms of production so that they benefit society rather than produce individual or corporate profits

Specie Circular order issued by President Jackson in 1836 stating that the federal government would accept only specie—gold and silver—as payment for public land; one of the causes of the Panic of 1837

spiritual religious folksong originated by African Americans, often expressing a longing for deliverance from the constraints and hardships of their lives






temperance moderation or abstinence in the consumption of alcoholic drinks

trade union labor organization whose members work in a specific trade or craft

transcendent lying beyond the normal range of experience

transcendentalism philosophical and literary movement asserting the existence of God within human beings and in nature and the belief that intuition is the highest source of knowledge

trickster tales stories that feature a clever figure as a central character, like Br’er Rabbit, who uses his wits to escape form often amusing but dangerous situations; used by traditional societies, including African cultures, to teach important cultural lessons






vigilance committees groups of armed private citizens who use the threat of mob violence to enforce their own interpretation of the law






ward child who is legally put in the care of someone other than a parent

Whig Party political party that came into being in 1834 as an anti-Jackson coalition and that charged “King Andrew” with executive tyranny

William Lloyd Garrison abolitionist leader who founded and published The Liberator, an antislavery newspaper