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failed to follow directions WMA- Chapter 13 As immigrants poured into the United States in the early 1800s prejudices gave birth to nativist societies. The majority of discrimination was initially directed towards Catholic Europeans, due to America's Protestant roots. Most early Americans were English Protestants who despised Catholics, thus this loathing was passed to their descendents. Rumors, circulated amongst Protestant communities, and sometimes the media, fostered additional animosity. Occasionally hatred for Catholics erupted in violence or vandalism; in an event now called "Bloody Monday" on Aug 6, 1855 over twenty Catholics were murdered by rioters in Louisville, Kentucky. During the 1830s and 1850s nativist beliefs flourished, coinciding with a large influx of Irish and German immigrants. Before this era almost every American could be considered an immigrant, mitigating most prejudices. Following the War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine American nationalism was beginning to form in American society. When new immigrants started to appear in Northeastern ports, Americans were disturbed and did not welcome the newcomers.

Furthermore, the contiution of immigration in large numbers caused nativist societies to develope hatred towards groups other than Catholics. Irish families began displacing American families in textile mills and other factories. Families that lost their jobs resented those that seemingly "stole" their positions. German immigrants were also disliked, but for different reasons. German immigrants tended to isolate themselves from Americans and developed clannish behavior. Americans grew wary of the secretive Germans becaue they did not understand them. In some cases, such as Levi Strauss, Americans were jealous of the economic success of Germans. Nativism and anti-German beliefs lingered in American society beyond the 19th century and even contributed to Prohibition because Germans were widely associated with beer.

Although immigration certainly encouraged distrust from Americans, some prejudices may have existed beforehand. John Adam's 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts display the presence of American discrimination previous to the 19th century. French and Irish immigrants suffered from a limitation of rights due to possible radical beliefs.

Nativist societies, such as the American Republicans and the eventual "Know-Nothing" party, rose in response to a strong increase in immigration. These political groups' beliefs primarily targeted Catholics, but evolved into universal discrimination towards immigrants.

CHE- Chapter 12 Although the institution of slavery had many downsides, the situations that slaves experienced led to the maturity of a unique culture that altered both African and American factors of their customs. The culture started developing in colonial America, and by the antebellum time period the traditions underwent significant changes in language, religion, and the arts. Though it was ridiculed by whites, the “pidgin English” developed by Africans was essential for communication between slaves and it even contributed to southern dialect. Since slaves came from a variety of tribes and groups, thus they did were unable to communicate with each other right away, they developed a common language that dropped certain words that did not have African translations; this is where the dialect that differed from whites came from. Slaves introduced the word “banjo” to the English language, as well as other words like “goober” that added to American slang. Years after blacks had settled in America as slaves, their traditional native religions died out as they were forgotten. Many slaves were introduced to Christianity (specifically the Baptist and Methodist denominations) through revivalists from the Second Great Awakening. The Methodist and Baptist denominations appealed to slaves as they did not distinguish the sacred and the secular very much, which was similar to the native African religions that believed that supernatural forces were responsible for occurrences on earth. While some argued that Christianity would pacify slaves, it actually caused them to further seek freedom as they were taught the bible and learned that God values all men. They idealized “The Promise Land” which symbolized freedom, heaven, and was similar to Israel for ancient civilization Jews.

To deal with unhappiness and oppression of slavery, Africans sang and danced their troubles away. Mastered allowed songs because they believed that the music was incentive for slaves to work harder and it was proof that slaves were satisfied. The songs and dances were in fact methods of portraying hope that someday slaves would be free. “Spirituals” were songs that incorporated the faith that slaves had. Using hand-clapping, banjos, and tin bucket drums for a beat, the slaves added instruments to their unique culture. The language, religion, and arts of Africans all mixed together to create the African-American culture that was significant in the lives of slaves.

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 * week one**

KHW ~ Ch. 13 Section 4: Life Under Slavery: Historians endlessly debate whether slavery was an inhumane and cruel system or a way of life where blacks lived contently under their masters. The south called it “Our Peculiar Institution” while the north called it a crime against humanity. There was truth to both sides but in the end only one was viewed as true throughout history. Today slavery is paired with the south as a horrible mistake by many but at the time slavery was entirely necessary and was a lot less cruel than some make it out to be. The idea that slaves were horribly mistreated is false. Surely there were some cases of mistreatment but in general slaves were well taken care of because if slaves were healthy they would be better workers. The northern abolitionists made slavery out to be cruel but in reality some slaves had an affectionate relationship with their masters. Though it is true that overseer’s were paid by the plantation owners to get as much work as possible out of the slaves they were not told to harm the slaves purposefully and without cause. Also slaves were not forced to do labor they couldn’t handle but rather were placed in jobs that were best suited for their skill level. Of course there are always exceptions but in general slaves were treated with respect and though they were viewed as property they were treated as human beings.

EPLT Ch.13 "American Settlements in California, New Mexico, and Oregon" and "The Overland Trials" (the first article was pretty short and they both relate to each other, I hope this is okay)

During the mid nineteenth century, western expansion boomed and America began their push to explore their new land. Although the land was difficult and dangerous to cross, travel did not cease, in fact it grew. Travel to western states such as California and Oregon were encouraged by the few hundreds of Hispanics already living there. The Americans who had moved there were also doing the same, sending back highly favourable reports of the region in order to induce more immigration. As a result, many Americans set forth on their journey to the vast West. Even though the trip was grueling, more and more Americans came not only in hopes to strike it rich with the Gold Rush of the 1840s, but also because they had herd of all its splendors from the people living there. It was because of the people of California and Oregon that immigration towards the West flourished. Had it not been for them and their positive testimonies of the western states, immigration from the East may have taken much longer since there were also horrid tales of the Overland Trails- the Donner Party being a classic example. These tales told of gruesome Indian massacres. However in reality, most of these rumors were fictitious and the pros of the West outweighed the cons of the journey- all thanks to the Americans and Hispanic settlers who were the start of the good news.

CHE- Chapter 15 While the Civil War did take a larger human toll than any other war in United States history, the Civil War also had lasting effects on in the nation’s economy, politics, and slave system. A Union war goal was emancipation, which allowed slaves who came into the Union line to be free. Slaves who came into the Union line often also helped fight for the Union, and served as a label of citizenship to blacks. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not conclude slavery immediately, it did lead to the ultimate end of the institution. Because the South made the majority of its money off of farming and what slaves did, the end of slavery transformed the United States’ main profit sources. Straying from being the largest slave-owning power, America had to turn to industrialization to stay economically afloat. After the Civil War came investments in coal as energy, innovation in transportation and communication, and changes in factory operations. After the Civil War, states did not exercise the range of powers that they did in the Antebellum Period. State Banks were replaced by a national bank. The National Banking System created in 1863 led to development of a much needed national currency. Although the Civil War had negative impacts on the South and the economy at first, it eventually would be recognized as a gateway to important changes in the United States. checked