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Expansion of Opportunities - The Big Ditch

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The Erie Canal was built to connect the Hudson River to Lake Erie, thus connecting New York to the trade of the Midwest. This video describes the process of building the canal and the way it revolutionized the movement of goods and people. When watching the video, consider why was the Erie Canal built? How was it built? How did it affect the movement of goods? What effect did it have on New York City?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Expansion of Industry - Progress in Print

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This video briefly examines the personal, social, and political effects of newspapers and printed works in the early nineteenth century. When watching the video, consider how did writings published at Lowell reflect the progress in printing during this era? How did the press affect literacy? In general, how did the press, public life, and popular amusements affect culture?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Expansion of Industry - The Working Women of Lowell

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Towns built around large textile mills began to appear in the northeastern United States as a result of the cotton boom in the early nineteenth century. The Working Women of Lowell focuses on one such town, Lowell, Massachusetts, the female laborers who worked there, and the economic and social changes that resulted. When watching the video, consider why did women enter the factory labor force at this time? What was life like for women working in the textile mills?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

The Market Revolution

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Many social and technological changes were associated with the market revolution occurring in the United States in the early nineteenth century. When watching the video, consider what were these changes and what did they contribute to economic growth?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

The Long Road

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By mid-century, political leaders of the slave South had largely closed the region to any discussion about eradicating slavery and were defending the institution as a "positive good." The nation was becoming half slave and half free, and whether a nation so divided could survive would ultimately be answered by a civil war. That war would abolish slavery, but the effects of that institution would continue to shape America for generations.

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Slave Culture - Runaways and Rebellion

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This video examines both runaway slaves and those who chose to rebel. In particular, the slave rebellion led by Virginia slave Nat Turner is analyzed. In 1831, Turner led a slave rebellion that would last for two days. However, the effects of this rebellion and its consequences would last much longer. When watching the video, consider why did slaves run away? How common were the instances of runaways? Where did they go?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Slave Culture - The Slave World

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The lives of slaves varied greatly depending on the kind of work they did and the circumstances in which they lived. This video analyzes the diverse lives of slaves and the unique culture they created within the confines of their world. When watching the video, consider what was a typical day like for a slave? How hard were they worked? At what age did they start working? How did gender and age affect work assignments? What were these assignments? How and why did work conditions vary? How did slaves cope with daily life?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Shaped by Slavery

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Slavery defined the Southern way of life in the first half of the nineteenth century. This video examines the expansion of slavery and the political, economic, social, and philosophical arguments used to defend the institution. When watching the video, consider what was the relationship between the spread of cotton and the spread of slavery? Why did non-slaveholding southern whites support slavery? How did the defense of slavery evolve?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

North and South–Two Ways of Life

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During the first half of the nineteenth century, the economies of both the North and the South were moving in very different directions. The North's economy was diversifying while the South was becoming increasingly dependent on cotton and slavery. When you watch the video, consider how would you describe the economic relationship between the North and the South?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

"In the Name of Majority Rule..."

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As scholar Richard Ellis observes in the video, historians have difficulty coming to terms with Andrew Jackson. On one hand, his appeal attracted a wide following among his constituents. On the other hand, the narrowness of his appeal meant that only white men had a direct role in the democratic process.

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Jacksonian Democracy - Trail of Tears

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The horrific forced march of Cherokee Indians from their home in Georgia to reservation territory west of the Mississippi River is described in Trail of Tears. The analysis of President Jackson's controversial decision and its effects are also discussed. When watching the video, consider what factors explain Jackson's Indian policy?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Jacksonian Democracy - The Jackson Presidency

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The Jackson Presidency examines President Jackson's core beliefs and analyzes his actions during the nullification crisis and the Bank War. President Jackson's decision to kill the Bank of the United States was a classic case of liberty vs. power, a dispute that is examined in the latter part of the video. When watching the video, consider what were Andrew Jackson's core beliefs? What was his agenda as president? What was the philosophical and political basis for nullification?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

The People's Politician

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This video analyzes Andrew Jackson's rise from frontiersman to President of the United States. When watching the video, consider why was Andrew Jackson an appealing presidential candidate in the 1820s? What distinguishes Jacksonian democracy from Jeffersonian democracy? Why was the outcome of the 1824 presidential election decided by the House of Representatives? From which regions of the country did the respective candidates gain their support? What is important about the "corrupt bargain"?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Democracy Flourishes

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The economic transformations in the North and the movement of settlers westward during the early nineteenth century brought about new opportunities and challenges for many Americans. This video provides the context for a broader discussion of the changing political climate of the 1820s and 1830s.

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

A City on a Hill?

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A City on a Hill? provides a unit summary analysis of the development of American identity in the colonial period and the degree of freedom being exercised during that era. Even though southern and northern colonies had developed along different paths, America itself was becoming more distinctive. Colonists still recognized themselves as British subjects, but they were also becoming "American" in many other ways.

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

A Distinctive Society

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By the mid-eighteenth century, the expansion of slavery in the southern colonies was having profound effects on the shaping of a class system in the South and on the emerging racial society in America. A Distinctive Society is a lesson summary that analyzes the influence of the slave labor system on the southern economy, politics, and social system.

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

Gullah

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Gullah describes the development of Gullah language, the language that became the primary means of communication among slaves in South Carolina during the eighteenth century, and Gullah culture. Gullah language and traditions continue to be preserved today, especially in the South Carolina coastal regions. When watching the video, consider wow did African cultures affect South Carolina? What is the Gullah culture? How is it reflected in America?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

African American Culture

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The development of African American culture and the reciprocal effects of that development are analyzed in this video along with a brief examination of the Stono Rebellion. When watching the video, consider what characterized the slave labor system? How did the slaves cope? What choices did they have? To what extent was an African American culture emerging in colonial America? What characterized this culture? What happened during the Stono rebellion? How did white southerners react to it?

Material Type: Module

Author: William Black

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