2 VWO TTO
history
history
Memo helps you understand major
developments in the past. The clear
texts, interesting examples and
attractive practical tasks give an
insight into people’s lives in the past,
which seem strange in our eyes today.
However, some aspects will be very
familiar.
Memo makes history real and concrete.
The transparent and structured texts in
the handbook will give you an overview
of how all the periods relate to each
other and where events fit in. Focused
assignments in the workbooks for
you and your classmates will help you
broaden your understanding.
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The digital learning environment
allows you to practise and deepen your
knowledge of the subject material.
Many moving images and beautiful
pictures bring topics to life. In Memo
you will always be aware of your level
of progress, and if necessary Memo
supports you by providing more
explanation or practice.
552652
TEXTBOOK
ISBN 978 90 345 8450 2
TEXTBOOK
Contents
Preface From hunters and farmers... to discoverers and reformers
1
The age of discoverers and reformers • A century of great change
• 1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction
8
A new world view
Problems in the Church
Problems in the Low Countries
A long war
The end of the Revolt
10
13
16
19
22
• 7
• 8
Pamphlets from the Revolt
Musketeer paintings
25
27
• 9
Review
29
Key facts
•
•
•
•
•
Close-up
Culture
4
2
The age of regents and rulers • The Golden Age
• 1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction
32
The growth of trade in the Republic
Overseas trade
The Golden Age
Burghers in control
Powerful monarchs
34
37
40
43
46
Key facts
•
•
•
•
•
Close-up
• 7
• 8
Hero worship: Michiel de Ruyter
A garden as a piece of art
49
51
• 9
Review
53
Culture
3
The age of wigs and revolutions • The French Revolution
• 1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction
56
The Ancien Régime
The Enlightenment
The beginning of the Revolution
Napoleon takes control
The Batavian Revolution
58
61
64
67
70
Key facts
•
•
•
•
•
Close-up
• 7
• 8
Fighting for Napoleon
Rousseau on education
73
75
• 9
Review
77
Culture
2
4
The age of citizens and steam engines • The Industrial Revolution
• 1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction
80
From manual labour to machines
Industrial society
The Netherlands in 1848
The rise of socialism
Emancipation and liberation
82
85
88
91
94
97
99
Key facts
•
•
•
•
•
Close-up
• 7
• 8
On the way to modern medicine
Charles Dickens
• 9
Review
Culture
5
101
The age of citizens and steam engines • Nationalism and imperialism
• 1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction
104
Congress of Vienna
The causes of modern imperialism
The race for Africa
The Dutch in the Dutch East Indies
Tensions in Europe
106
109
112
115
118
Key facts
•
•
•
•
•
Close-up
• 7
• 8
Racism
Giuseppe Verdi, opera and nationalism
121
123
• 9
Review
125
Culture
6
Key facts
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
• 1
Introduction
128
• 2
In search of a better life
Free from the motherland
The expansion of the USA
Disagreements about slavery
The American Civil War
130
133
136
139
142
145
147
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
Close-up
• 7
Culture
• 8
Slavery in Surinam
The Wild West
• 9
Review
149
Overview of historical skills
Step-by-step plan for your research
Index
Colophon
152
153
154
156
3
6
The age of monks and knights
1600-1900
Monks
and
knights
The
USA:
divided
or united?
1
Introduction
President Barack Obama granted pardon to a turkey on Thanksgiving Day (22 November) 2012.
His daughters Sasha and Malia were present when the lucky animal was presented to the press.
Source 1
In America, Thanksgiving has been celebrated since 1621. In that year, William Bradford,
the leader of a group of British settlers in Massachusetts, invited his North American
Indian neighbours round to have a festive meal together. He wanted to thank the North
American Indians for their help. Thanks to them, the settlers had had a good harvest
and had enough to eat. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in
November. It is the busiest day of the year on the roads, because everyone heads off
to visit family or friends. Millions of Americans have turkey and cranberry sauce, sweet
potatoes and pumpkin pie at the festive meal. Meanwhile, the president grants pardon
to one turkey each year. In 2011, ‘Courage’ was the lucky turkey that survived the festive
day. Courage has since lived in Disneyland, California.
This chapter is about the history of the United States of America and roughly covers the
period 1600-1900. The story fits in with the three time periods which you have already
learned about in this book.
128
Source 2
Map of the nowadays United States which shows 48 of the 50 states. (Alaska and Hawaii are not on the
map.) The dates indicate when a state became part of the United States.
NORTH
DAKOTA
SOUTH
DAKOTA
CALIFORNIA
PACIFIC
NORTH
CAROLINA
SOUTH
CAROLINA
NEW
MEXICO
AT L A NT I C
OCEAN
OCEAN
first thirteen states
GULF OF
North American Indian reservations
MEXICO
territories given up by the Indians
Now there are about 320 million people living in the
United States. Almost all those people have descended from
people who arrived from other parts of the world. This map
shows the descent of the largest group in each state.
Source 3
1000 km
Afro-American
Irish
English
German
Italian
unclear
Mexican
129
Chapter
Chapter 2
1
6
Key facts
1600-1900
The
age of the
• The
Greeks
USA: divided or united?
2
In search of a better life
In September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from the south of England. After a difficult crossing on a
crowded ship the Pilgrim Fathers reached Cape Cod on the American coast. They were grateful to God.
Source 1
Thank God; they had reached the American coast. Two months before, the Pilgrim Fathers had
set sail aboard the Mayflower, a cargo ship, to cross the ocean. Now they arrived safely in
the ‘New World’, despite severe weather at sea and a serious vitamin deficiency among the
passengers on board. And wasn’t it surprising how 102 passengers arrived, even though one
of the 102 passengers had died on the crossing? Unfortunately they did not land in Virginia, as
intended, but about 800 kilometres further north, where a harsh winter had set in early. Shortly
after arrival, Susanna White gave birth to her son Peregrine. He is considered to be the first
European child born in what is now called Massachusetts. The Pilgrim Fathers knew that this
area would finally give them the freedom they sought.
The question is: to what extent did the settlers manage to build a better life in America?
130
The first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts
in 1621. (Painting by J. Ferris, 1912-1915.)
Source 2
North American Indians and settlers
conclude a treaty. (Painting by Benjamin West, 1772.)
Source 3
In 1683 William Penn and Tamanend, the North American
Indian chief, concluded a peace treaty. Shortly before, the
leading figures had expressed their expectations. William
Penn said: ‘We meet on the broad pathway of good faith
and good-will. No advantage shall be taken on either side,
but all shall be openness and love. We are the same as if
one man’s body was to be divided into two parts. We are
of one flesh and one blood.’ Tamanend replied as follows: ‘We will live in love with William Penn and his children
as long as the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and stars endure.’ William Penn even learned the
language of the North American Indians.
New England
The puritans followed Calvin’s teachings, which
required much prayer, hard work and a frugal life.
Their circumstances also forced them to adopt this
lifestyle. The land in Massachusetts was barren and
rocky. Moreover, the climate was harsh in
winter. The new farms were small, and focused mainly
on subsistence. Most people lived in small, Englishstyle villages and watched each other. Whoever
did not behave according to their religious rules,
was harassed and accused of leading a sinful life.
They then ran the risk of being expelled from the
community. This was a harsh punishment, because
without help from fellow settlers it was hard to
survive. New England consisted of Massachusetts and
other colonies in the north-east. The name shows that
mainly English settlers arrived there.
The kings in France had absolute power in the 17th
century. In England, parliament was much stronger.
Nevertheless, English kings also tried to assert their
power. The English king was the head of the Church of
England. This Church had separated from the Church
of Rome under the influence of the Reformation. The
Church of England had however retained many Roman
Catholic traditions. For this reason many Protestants
seceded from the state church. They wanted
Protestantism in its purest form, and were therefore
called puritans.
In 1603, James I became king of England. He aspired
to absolute power even more than his predecessors.
He began a manhunt for puritans. Many of them
decided to flee England. A large group fled to the
more tolerant Republic of the Netherlands. Part of
that group then left for America on the Mayflower in
1620 to find true freedom there. They were the Pilgrim
Fathers. They founded the strict Protestant colony of
Massachusetts with other settlers.
The colonies in the centre
New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania
lie south of New England. Roman Catholics could
not practise their religion freely in England either.
131
Contract workers in London
awaiting their passage to America. The
colonies were also a place where England
sent convicts. Outside New England more
than half the settlers in the 17th century
were contract workers, voluntarily or
involuntarily. (Picture from the 18th century.)
Source 4
The back of young Mary Fisher was bared amidst
a crowd of people, who then saw that she definitely was a
witch. After all, she had the mark of the devil on her back.
Source 5
(Painting by T.H. Matteson, 1853.)
The pleasant climate and fertile soil made life in
the southern colonies generally easier than in New
England. Large plantations emerged in Virginia and
South Carolina, where tobacco, rice and cotton were
grown. Those products could be exported. First the
land was cultivated by contract workers. They were
workers who signed contracts with ship captains. The
captain took them on board ship across the ocean
and then ‘sold’ the workers to plantation owners.
After seven years of work, the workers were free and
were given small pieces of land.
The work on the plantations proved too hard for many
European workers, so the owners looked for other
workers. In 1619 a Dutch merchant ship delivered the
first twenty black Africans in Virginia. Not until the
end of the 17th century did the number of slaves grow
significantly.
Georgia was the last of the thirteen colonies to be
founded by the British in America. This happened
in 1733. The colony had to serve as a kind of buffer
against Spanish Florida.
They founded Maryland in America. Pennsylvania
was founded in 1681 by Quakers led by William Penn.
Quakers were a tolerant religious group. Because
of this tolerance, they were persecuted not only in
England, but also in New England. Unlike the strict
puritans in New England, Quakers were advocates
of religious freedom. This meant that everyone in
Pennsylvania was entirely free to choose their own
religion, or even to be non-religious. Refugees from
many different European countries felt welcome here.
The colonies in the south
The first British colony in America was actually
Virginia, which was founded in 1607. Settlers did not
move here or to other southern colonies because
of their faith, but for economic reasons. Originally
there were two groups that went southward. The first
consisted of wealthy people from England, who were
given or bought large tracts of land. The second group
consisted of very poor people, who hoped for a better
life in America.
132
Chapter 6
Key facts
Source 1
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
3
Free from the motherland
A sheet of American stamps from 1973.
English King George III said furiously: ‘The colonies must either submit or triumph.’ He was so
angry because on 16 December 1773 a group of settlers had thrown 300 to 400 chests of English
tea into Boston harbour. Fifty rebellious settlers, dressed up as North American Indians, had
boarded three British ships. Within an hour, an amount of tea worth 15,000 British pounds had
been fed to the fish. The rebels refused to be obliged to buy British products any longer. They
did not think it was justified that they had to pay taxes to England without their agreement. This
had to change! And if King George disagreed, he would no longer be their king.
The question is: how did thirteen British colonies change into thirteen American states?
133
Paul Revere became one of
the most famous faces of the American
War of Independence. He was a
silversmith, whose work had made him
very prosperous. In 1768 John Copley was
commissioned by him to paint his portrait.
Source 2
This engraving by
Paul Revere dates
from 1770. He used
it to show that the
British soldiers
aimed shots at
unarmed settlers.
Under the picture
he described the
British soldiers as
barbarians who had
caused a massacre
in Boston. In reality
there were only a
small number of
British soldiers, who were surrounded and pelted by a large
group of rebellious settlers. This print was good propaganda
to show that the British behaved like tyrants.
Source 3
Increased self-awareness
On the way to independence
Between 1756 and 1763, British soldiers in America
fought alongside armed settlers against French
settlers. Due to the high cost of that war, the
British treasury was empty in 1765. From a military
perspective, however, the war was a great success.
The French were driven out of the British colonies and
surrounding areas.
This success also contributed to greater selfawareness among the settlers. The population of the
thirteen colonies was one of the wealthiest in the
world. Especially settlers in New England felt superior
to the British soldiers. They increasingly considered
themselves more American than British and felt
chosen by God. They wanted to secede from the British
motherland. This desire was reinforced when the
British Parliament decided to raise new taxes in the
colonies without the settlers’ consent, in order to refill
the treasury. The settlers were not so much against
taxes, but in their opinion the British government
should not implement them without their consent.
Newspapers, pamphlets and cartoons were used
to encourage settlers to oppose tax officials and
British soldiers. They grew more and more united
in their dislike of British rule and taxes imposed
by London. In 1770, British soldiers killed five
insurgents in a riot in Boston. The Americans called
this incident the ‘Boston Massacre’. The situation
grew even more out of control in 1773 after the
‘Boston Tea Party’, when protesting rebels threw a
large stock of British tea into the water. King George
III and the British government were furious and shut
off Boston harbour. The right to self-government
and jurisdiction was taken from the settlers.
Representatives from the thirteen colonies then met
in New York. They stated that the colonies would
no longer pay taxes, until they were given a say in
matters.
In 1775 Britain sent 32,000 soldiers to America,
and April 1775 saw the start of the American War
of Independence. Representatives of the thirteen
134
George Washington leads his troops
across the Delaware River and surprises the British
on 27 December 1776. This painting is more than
4 metres high and 7 metres wide. (Painting by Emanuel
Source 5
Leutze, 1851.)
After they had heard about the
Declaration of Independence, New York residents
tore down the statue of King George III on 9 July
1776. The statue (4000 kilos) was melted down
and turned into cannon balls. (Painting by William
Source 4
Walcutt, 1857.)
with twelve other new states. The Founding Fathers
of the United States, however, did want this to
happen. In their eyes, the new states had to work
together in order to survive. In 1789 a constitution
was adopted, which was a compromise. On the one
hand, the constitution protected the freedoms of
the different states as much as possible: each state
had its own administration. In addition, there was
also an administration for all states combined: the
federal government. There would be a president at
the head of the federation. To prevent the president
from having too much power, he would only have
executive power. Congress was given legislative
power. This Congress continues to be the parliament
of the federation today. It consists of the House of
Representatives and the Senate. The Supreme Court,
the highest U.S. court, was given the power to check
whether laws agree with what is recorded in the
constitution. The first president was the hero of the
war against the British: George Washington.
colonies elected George Washington as their
commander-in-chief. His army consisted of over
18,000 soldiers, often poorly armed and trained.
Thirteen colonies become thirteen states
On 4 July 1776, representatives of the colonies signed
the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
The Declaration stated that the British government
no longer had any say in America. As far as the
Americans were concerned, they no longer lived
in thirteen British colonies, but in thirteen states.
Americans still celebrate the fourth of July as the
start of their country: the United States of America.
It would take another seven years, and there would
be many victims before England also recognized
their independence. In 1783 the settlers defeated the
British, supported by France and Spain.
It was far from certain at the time that the thirteen
states would become one country. Many people
wanted to be free within their own new states.
They did not want to become one country together
135
Chapter 6
Key facts
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
4
The expansion of the USA
Lady Columbia is the symbol of the United States. Here she guides the American pioneers towards
the west, holding a textbook. (Painting by John Gast, 1872.)
Source 1
‘We are chosen by God!’ Many Americans were convinced of this after the War of Independence.
They called the United States ‘the realm of freedom’. Wouldn’t it be great if this realm of
freedom could be expanded westward? First, past the Appalachian Mountains. And then across
the enormous plains and over the high Rocky Mountains, ending at the Pacific Ocean. In 1845,
someone wrote in a New York newspaper that ‘based on our Manifest Destiny, we, Americans,
have the right but also a duty to own and use the entire continent, and to develop the great
experiment of liberty’. Many Americans were inspired by the idea of Manifest Destiny: the
idea of a god-given mission to expand the American civilisation from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Ocean.
The question is: in what way were North American Indians, England, Spain, France and Mexico
involved in the American advance to the West?
136
Between the War of Independence and the end of the 19th century, the area of the
United States expanded into its current size. The first connection of one railway from the west
and one from the east was made at Promontory Point in May 1869. This created the first railway to
run all the way from the east coast to the west coast. Manifest Destiny was complete.
Source 2
NORTH DAKOTA
MO
UN
TAI
NS
SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTH
CAROLINA
HI
AN
CALIFORNIA
PACIFIC
OCEAN
L
PA
AP
NEW MEXICO
AC
SOUTH
CAROLINA
AT L A NT I C
OCEAN
GULF OF
MEXICO
first thirteen states
seceded from Spain in 1819
regions where the pioneers were the first
Texas, 1845 (former Republic of Texas)
Louisiana, 1803 (purchased from France)
acquired from Mexico in 1848 and 1853
acquired from England in 1818 and 1846
railways in 1890
Lack of space for immigrants
Napoleon sold them French Louisiana in 1803. He
did this because he needed time and money for
his wars against England and Spain, among others.
Conversely, those two countries had enough on their
plates fighting wars against Napoleon, and could
not begin a war in America as well. This gave the
Americans a chance to move much further westward.
The British had always regarded the Appalachian
Mountains, a mountain range in the east, as a natural
western border. Between 1783 and 1810, many new
immigrants arrived in the United States and the white
population increased from about four million to nearly
ten million people. Many could no longer settle in
the narrow coastal strip. Therefore they crossed the
mountains and moved further inland. Because they
entered unknown territory, they were called pioneers.
They headed west in covered wagons pulled by
oxen or horses. Once they found a good place, they
stopped and stayed there. There, they would try to
build a new life. New pioneers moved on even further.
Thus the border of the areas where the whites lived
continued to move further westward. This forever
moving border was called the frontier.
The Americans gained much territory when
North American Indians
The North American Indians, the original inhabitants
of North America, were victims of the trek westward.
They lost more and more ground. Most North
American Indian tribes were hunters and had no fixed
abode, because they followed their main animal
of prey, the bison. Other tribes lived by farming or
fishing and did have fixed abodes.
Until 1820, the U.S. government signed treaties with
individual tribes. In those treaties North American
137
Source 3
The trek to the west. (Picture by Currier and
Ives, 1868.)
An illustration of the Trail of Tears made
in 1942 (Robert Lindneaux).
Source 4
Manifest Destiny
Indians surrendered their land and agreed to moved
further west. They did so in exchange for guns, tools,
cotton clothes or alcohol. The government promised
them that they would not have to leave their new
land. Sometimes violence was used to enforce such
a treaty. The government also wanted the tribes to
adapt to the culture of the whites. This led to some
of the tribes being converted to Christianity and their
children being sent to Christian schools.
Around 1820, most North American Indians lived in
the south of the United States. There they owned
fertile farmland. Of course this land was also
attractive to white farmers. Once gold was found on
Cherokee territory, the Indian Removal Act, which
could force tribes to leave their land, was adopted in
1830. Prior treaties were no longer applicable. Many
Cherokees had converted to Christianity, but that did
not protect them either. In 1838 almost all of them
were forcefully deported by the army to a reservation
with extremely infertile soil in what is now the state
of Oklahoma. During the journey to their new territory
4000 of the 16,000 deported Cherokees died. The
journey was called the Trail of Tears.
The trek to the west was reinforced by a strong
American national consciousness which emerged
in the course of the 19th century: more and more
Americans had the feeling that they had a special
calling. In 1845 a journalist named this calling
Manifest Destiny: a God-given mission to expand
the American civilisation from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Ocean. Many Americans saw the generally poor
treatment of North American Indians as an inevitable
consequence of this mission.
In order to carry out Manifest Destiny, Britain and
Mexico would have to cede large areas of land. In
1845 the USA annexed Texas, which had until then
been Mexican. After a conflict, Britain ceded the
north-west of today’s United States in 1846. And
then the Americans even declared war on Mexico
and conquered the southwest of the United States
of today in 1848. The latter area became particularly
interesting when gold was found in the same year. It
led to a gold rush, when 300,000 prospectors moved
to California.
138
Chapter 6
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
5
Key facts
Disagreements about slavery
x 1,000,000
AT L A NT I C O C E A N
Unregulated
lands
KANSAS
TERRITORY
NORTH
CAROLINA
North American
Indian
lands
SOUTH
CAROLINA
bales of cotton produced
number of slaves
GULF OF MEXICO
free states
slave states
escape routes for slaves (the broader
the arrow, the more fugitive slaves
used that route)
Missouri Compromise (36th parallel)
The number of slaves in the Southern states grew until 1860. At the same time opposition to slavery
increased. Around 100,000 slaves used escape routes to flee to areas where they were free.
Source 1
In 1820, Harriet was born a slave in Maryland. When she was 5 years old, she had to do
housework for the plantation owner. From her 7th she had to work on the plantation, like her
parents. Many hard years followed. When she was 29, she managed to escape to Pennsylvania.
What was so wonderful is that she returned to free her relatives and take them to the North. In
total Harriet Tubman was to undertake nineteen expeditions to free slaves, mainly at night-time.
She led 300 slaves to freedom. In 1856 the Southern states put a price of $ 40,000 on her head.
She was never caught and lived until 1913.
The question is: how did slavery lead to mounting tensions between the Southern and Northern
states?
139
A cotton plantation. The owner and his wife are
in the foreground; they lived in an attractive house on the
plantation.
Source 3
Slaves operate the cotton
gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.
Source 2
(Drawing by William Sheppard, 1869.)
The South of the USA
happened predominantly after the United States
had forbidden slave trade with countries overseas
in 1808. Therefore, the increase was possible only
because slaves’ children became slaves too. So
slaves still continued to be bought and sold within
the USA.
From the end of the 17th century, thousands of
African slaves were brought in to work on the
plantations in the Southern states. At the end of the
18th century, however, slavery seemed to disappear
naturally. The price of tobacco fell sharply in that
period and slavery no longer appeared profitable. But
an invention was made in 1793 which made another
plantation product very profitable: cotton. Precisely
at that time, the emerging textile industry in England
had a great need for cotton. Thanks to the invention
of the cotton gin (the cotton engine) by Eli Whitney,
the seeds could be removed from the cotton fibers
more easily and quickly, and cotton production could
be speeded up enormously. Subsequently, hundreds
of profitable cotton plantations emerged in the
Southern states. Because cotton had to be picked
by hand and nothing was cheaper than slave labour,
the number of slaves in the USA grew in a short time
from about one million to nearly four million. This
The North of the USA
Because the plantations in the South were farmed
by slaves from the 17th century onward, there was
little need for workers from Europe. However, they
were definitely needed in the Northern states. More
and more industries arose in those states from the
early 19th century onward. Textile factories in the
Northern states bought large quantities of cotton from
the Southern states. In the textile mills and other
factories, there was a great need for workers. Many
new immigrants began to work here. This meant that
the white population grew much faster in the Northern
states than in the Southern states.
140
Source 4
The Underground Railroad. (Painting by Charles
Webber, 1891.)
An offence
Some people on the escape routes offered a bed in their homes
where they could spend the night. The Fugitive Slave Law of
1850 stated that those people might be given fines of $ 1000
and six months in prison.
Runaway slaves from the
South are recaptured in the North.
Source 5
(Drawing by Albert Bobbett.)
south of the 36th parallel. Although the Missouri
Compromise did not apply to areas so far west, the
slave states saw California’s decision as a threat. In
order to offer the South some reassurance, Congress
passed a law that year which obliged people in the
North to return fugitive slaves to the South. People
who did not cooperate would be punished severely,
according to this law. The Fugitive Slave Law was
directed primarily against abolitionists who helped
slaves escape through a network of escape routes:
the Underground Railroad.
Nevertheless, the slave states felt that they were
put under increasing pressure. They feared that
Congress would ban slavery everywhere. To prevent
this, the slave states wanted the federal government
in Washington to be less powerful and to cede power
to the individual states. They wanted the USA to be a
confederation, which is a union of independent states
which only work together in the domains of defence
and foreign policy.
Between 1777 and 1804, most Northern states banned
slavery. There were more and more abolitionists in
the North, who were in favour of complete abolition
of slavery. According to them, slavery was contrary
to the equal rights of all people, as described in the
Declaration of Independence and the constitution.
Tensions between North and South
In 1820, there were eleven free states and eleven slave states. The trek to the west led to the addition of
more and more new states. The question was whether
slavery should be allowed in each new state. To
maintain balance, it was agreed in the 1820 Missouri
Compromise that Maine would be the twelfth free
state and Missouri would be the twelfth slave state. It
was also agreed what to do with other new states. The
36th parallel was to be the boundary between free
states in the North and slave states in the South.
However, the new state of California decided to be a
free state in 1850, although its territory was mainly
141
Chapter 6
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
Key facts
Source 1
6
The American Civil War
The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The American Civil War between Southern and Northern states began in 1861. The Battle of
Gettysburg (1-3 July 1863) is one of the most famous battles during the war. Until then the
Southern General Lee had won many battles. He was also successful in Gettysburg on the
first day. The next day his army suffered losses, and the third day was, in fact, disastrous. Lee
sent his army from the woods into the open fields and left the Southern artillery unmanned.
The soldiers rushed forward and attacked the Northern troops with rifles and bayonets. They
were waiting for them with their heavy artillery and it was easy shooting. Lee lost thousands
of soldiers and realised that he had blundered. He offered his resignation as a general, but it
was refused. The battle proved to be a turning point in the war. From then on not the Southern
troops, but the Northern troops won. In 1865 Lee had to admit defeat.
The question is: how did Lincoln prevent the United States from falling apart?
142
Source 2
The United States at the time of the American Civil War.
CALIFORNIA
SOUTH
AT L A NT I C
OCEAN
PACIFIC
OCEAN
free states which fought for U.S. preservation (Northern states)
new states in 1863 and 1864 which were free states (joined Northern states)
slave states which fought for preservation of the U.S. anyway (part of Northern states)
slave states which seceded from the U.S. in 1860 and 1861 (Southern states)
sparsely populated areas which had not yet become states
capital USA
capital Southern states
NORTH CAROLINA
campaigns of Northern states
Mounting tensions
killed and many more injured. Early 1861, Kansas
became a free state.
Not long before, the Southern states had had
several other setbacks. Import duties went up and
in November 1860 a president was elected who
denounced slavery: Abraham Lincoln. Fear grew in
the South that the federal government would prohibit
slavery. From December 1860 eleven Southern states
decided in favour of secession for the aforementioned
reasons. They did not want to belong to the United
States any longer, but founded the Confederate
States of America. Jefferson Davis was their
president.
In the Northern states, many people wanted to
abolish slavery, while the Southern states were
dependent on slavery. There was also much arguing
whether import duties should be increased. In the
industrial North, many people were in favour. Their
new industry had to compete with British industry,
which could produce much more cheaply. Higher
import duties would increase the prices of British
products. The Southern states, however, were against
the increase. They feared that the British would then
also raise higher import duties on American cotton.
From 1854, tensions mounted fast over the slavery
issue. In that year a bill had been adopted which
stated that the people of Kansas could cast a majority
vote to decide whether Kansas would be a slave state
or a free state. Abolitionists were very angry, because
the area was north of the 36th parallel, and the
new bill therefore conflicted with the 1820 Missouri
Compromise. The bill led to both abolitionists and
advocates of slavery going to Kansas to form a
majority. Bloody battles resulted, in which 56 were
War
President Lincoln did not accept the secession.
He wanted to do his utmost to keep the United
States together. To prevent all the slave states from
seceding, he made a promise. Although he was
personally opposed to slavery, he would not prohibit
it. Thus he managed to persuade four slave states not
to secede.
143
A regiment of soldiers in the Northern
armies. (The photo was taken a few months after the
Source 3
Emancipation Proclamation.)
John Wilkes Booth’s assassination
of President Lincoln in a theatre in Washington.
Source 5
(Picture from 1865.)
The Northern
General Sherman left a trail
of destruction behind in the
landscape of the South. He
had the city of Atlanta burnt
down. (Painting by Alexander
Source 4
Hay Ritchie, 1868.)
would be free from 1 January 1863. The Southern
plantation owners ignored the measure, but the
Proclamation led to unrest in the South, just as
Lincoln hoped. Moreover, 200,000 former slaves
joined the Northern army. Meanwhile, Lincoln also
had a very good army commander: General Ulysses
Grant.
After the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, it was
clear that the North would win. Grant managed to
take the Mississippi River and thus split the army of
the seceded states in two. Moreover, the blockade
of Southern ports led to increasing shortages. A
Northern general advanced right across Georgia in
1864 and burned down everything. The war became
more and more horrific, and many people in the South
no longer wanted to fight.
In April 1865, Grant entered the capital of the South,
after which General Lee surrendered. Five days later,
Lincoln was assassinated in Washington. But he had
achieved his goal: the union of the United States
continued to exist. And slavery was finally banned in
December 1865.
In April 1861 Lincoln had federal troops stocked up
with food in a fortress in seceded South Carolina.
Southern rebels found it threatening. They attacked
the ships and the fort. This attack on Fort Sumter was
the start of the American Civil War, a war between 23
Northern states with 22 million inhabitants and 11
Southern states with 9 million inhabitants.
The North had a clear advantage, especially since
it also had a bigger and better industry and could
produce its own weapons and uniforms. In addition,
the Northern states had better ships, with which they
ruled the seas and blockaded Southern ports. The
South did have better commanders. Although he had
fewer soldiers at his disposal than his opponents,
Southern Commander Robert Lee was successful in
the first two years of the war. Furthermore, the will to
fight was greater in the South.
The tables turn
In December 1862, Lincoln took an important
decision. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
The declaration said that slaves in the seceded states
144
Chapter 6
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
7
Close-up
Slavery in Surinam
In the 17th century there were several wars between England and the Netherlands. In 1664 the
British seized New Amsterdam in North America from the Dutch. Three years later the Dutch
conquered an English fort on the spot where Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam, is located today.
It was agreed in a peace treaty that Surinam was to remain Dutch and New Amsterdam, now New
York, would be English from then on. Thus, Surinam became a colony of the Netherlands from
1667 to 1975.
The British had already established many plantations in Surinam. When the Dutch took control,
hundreds of plantations were added. At first the plantations were mainly cultivated by South
American Indians, the original inhabitants of Surinam. Because many of them died from European
diseases, the plantation owners brought in slaves from Africa to work on the plantations. Until
the abolition of slavery in 1863, more than 500,000 Africans were brought to Surinam.
The question is: what was life like for the slaves in Surinam and how
could they become free?
0-100 m
ATLANTIC OCEAN
100-1200 m
200-500 m
500-1000 m
above 1000 m
tropical rainforest
N AS S AU
MOU NTAI NS
Surinam
has been
independent
since 1975.
This is the
coat of arms of
Surinam.
B A KH UIS
M O UNTA INS
FRENCH
GUYANA
SURINAM
GUYANA
W I LHELMI N A
MOU NTAI NS
OR AN G E
M OU NTAI NS
BRAZIL
Surinam is approximately four times the size of the Netherlands. It lies on the northern coast of
South America between Guyana (until 1966 a British colony) in the west, Brazil in the south and French Guyana
in the east.
Source 1
145
Source 2
Working on a sugar plantation.
(Drawing by Théodore Bray, 1850.)
Different types of slaves
Source 4
Hunting runaway slaves.
(Illustration by William Blake, in stories by John
Gabriel Stedman, 1775)
Field slaves on the plantations were by far the largest
group of slaves. They had to work on the land in the tropical
heat. They had to cut sugar cane on sugar plantations and
then take it to the factory, where the factory slaves had to
squeeze the cane and boil the collected juice in large copper
pans. During the sugar harvest, factory slaves worked nonstop day and night.
House slaves did not do such hard work. They were often
women, who did the housework. Foetoeboys always had to
stay close to their owners’ feet. They had to wave fans to
provide them
with cool air, for
instance, or carry
their luggage.
Craft slaves
made clothing,
for example, and
often lived in the
cities. They had
(small) incomes of
their own.
The slave on the right is a wigmaker’s apprentice.
He did not have to hand over all of his salary to his master.
He used his part to hire the small slave who runs after him
carrying comb, powder box and curling tongs. Slaves had to
walk barefoot. (Painting by Pierre Jacques Benoit, 1839.)
Source 3
Maroons in Surinam
Runaway slaves in Surinam were called
‘maroons’, which in Spanish means
more or less ‘untamed’. Because the
plantations in Surinam bordered on forests
or wetlands, it was relatively easy to
escape. The maroons built villages deep
in the jungle and laid out fields. There
they were fairly safe from slave hunters. A
shortage of food, ammunition and women
sometimes made the maroons carry out
attacks on plantations.
From 1760 onward, the settlers concluded
peace treaties with various groups of
maroons. From then on they were called
‘bush negroes’ or ‘bush creoles’.
A slave suspended from a hook in
his ribcage. (Illustration by William Blake, in stories
Source 5
by John Gabriel Stedman, 1775)
146
Chapter 6
Culture
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
8
The Wild West
Buffalo Bill probably was the most famous American in the world around 1900. Bill
Cody, or ‘Buffalo Bill’, had already acquired his nickname when he was 20 by killing
thousands of American bison, also called buffalos, as commissioned by the railway
company. In a different age he would have remained a petty hustler, but now – with
the advent of newspapers, magazines and books for large groups of people – he was
world famous. In 1869 a journalist met Bill Cody and fell for his charm. He wrote a series
of cheap novels about Bill’s spectacular adventures in the American West. Soon they
became a huge success. A few years later stage versions were produced, in which Bill
himself performed and told his tall stories. He toured with his show for more than thirty
years: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The novels and his shows were the beginning of a Wild
West craze, which spread worldwide in movies, comic books and television series.
The question is: what was the image people had of the American West through mass
media?
The audience was presented with fantastic re-enacted drama from the history of the West,
such as robbing a stagecoach, a bison hunt, streams of galloping horses and dancing Indians. (Announcement
Source 1
poster of a Buff alo Bill show, created by A. Hoen & Co., Baltimore USA, 1893.)
147
Buff alo Bill hired the best companies to
design posters to announce his tours. (Weiners Litho.
Source 2
Co., Paris, 1905.)
Long before there were any cowboy films, people
knew what the Wild West looked like, thanks to
drawings and paintings. Frederic Remington travelled
to the West and painted wild nature, horses and
people. The horse riders often have their guns aimed
at hostile Indians, who are just out of sight. You
feel their presence. Here you see a group of scouts
reconnoitring ahead of the troops.
Remington’s work was a source of
inspiration to many producers of westerns.
Source 3
(The military sacrifice, the ambush, 1890.)
Source 4
The first western was produced in 1903:
The Great Train Robbery. This film lasted 12
minutes. At the beginning of the 20th century, it
was not yet possible to produce films with sound.
This was one of the reasons for the success of the
western. A story about good and evil, or a fight
between a cowboy and an Indian, can be easily
understood without sound. Another advantage
was that westerns could be filmed in the open air;
complicated lighting was not needed in the strong
desert sun. It saved much money.
Film poster of Custer’s Last Stand (1912).
On 25 June 1876, Indians led by Chief Sitting Bull
fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn against the
U.S. military, which was led by General Custer. The
Indians had left their reservation; the U.S. military
wanted to force them back into the reservation.
The Indians won the battle; they had about three
times as many fighters as Custer had soldiers.
In 1885, Sitting Bull participated in Buffalo Bill’s
Wild West Show, in which ‘Custer’s Last Stand’
was reproduced on stage.
Still from the film The Great Train
Robbery (1903).
Source 5
148
Chapter 6
1600-1900 • The USA: divided or united?
9
Review
What should you know and be able to do?
C Slave labour on the plantations; rise of
abolitionism
• how the plantation owners in the USA thought
about slavery;
• how it was decided whether slavery would be
allowed in a new state;
• what were the abolitionists’ motives to end
slavery;
• what were the reasons for eleven Southern states
to secede and establish the Confederate States of
America;
• that Abraham Lincoln and the Northern states did
not resign themselves to this secession;
• that the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in
the USA.
You should be able to explain:
A (European) expansion
• for what reasons Europeans migrated to America;
• how the settlers and the North American Indians
responded to each other;
• what the pioneers’ reasons were to move further
westward, and how Manifest Destiny played a
part;
• how the North American Indians were increasingly
driven into a corner.
B In America, citizens want basic rights and
political influence
• for what reasons settlers rebelled against British
rule;
• how the War of Independence transpired;
• how the government of the United States is set up;
• which enlightened ideas are reflected in the U.S.
constitution.
Skill
You should be able to place events and sources
about events in time correctly and also be able to
indicate how an event is, or might be, caused by
another event.
Keywords
Congress
The elected representative body of all U.S. states,
which drafts bills.
contract workers
Labourers who had to pay for their passage to
America by working for a master.
cotton gin
Invention by Eli Whitney in 1793, which enabled
them to process cotton faster.
Declaration of Independence
A statement (4 July 1776) in which settlers claimed
that the British government no longer had any say
in America.
Emancipation Proclamation
Declaration in which Lincoln stated that slaves in
the seceded states would be free from 1 January
1863.
abolitionists
People who fought for the ending of slavery.
American Civil War
War between the Northern states, which wanted
to maintain the union of the USA, and the
Southern states, which wanted to secede
(1861-1865).
American War of Independence
War in which thirteen English colonies in America
freed themselves from England (1775-1783).
Confederate States of America
Eleven Southern states which separated from the
USA from December 1860 and then went to war
with the Northern states in 1861.
confederation
A union of independent states, which only work
together in the domains of defence and foreign
policy.
149
secession
Between December 1860 and April 1861 eleven
Southern states decided to separate from the
United States.
Supreme Court
Highest U.S. court, which checks whether laws are
consistent with the content of the constitution.
Trail of Tears
A route which the Cherokees were forced to follow
in 1838 to move from their land to a reservation in
Oklahoma.
United States of America
The federation in which thirteen former colonies
in North America were united in 1789. It initially
consisted of thirteen states and now consists of
fifty states.
federation
A country which has an administration that
is controlled partly by the central or national
government, and partly by the states.
frontier
The boundary between the areas where
immigrants lived in the USA and the home
territories of the North American Indians. This
boundary moved further and further west.
gold rush
Gold fever, such as in California in 1848.
import duties
Tax on products shipped from abroad, which
makes these products more expensive.
Manifest Destiny
The concept that Americans have a calling to
expand American civilisation from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Ocean.
Missouri Compromise
Compromise in 1830 between the Northern states
(without slaves) and the Southern states (with
slaves) to ensure that an equal number of slave
states and free states was maintained.
New England
Collective name for the Protestant colonies
founded by the British in the North-East of North
America.
parliament
People’s assembly with legislative power
(Congress in the USA).
Pilgrim Fathers
Protestants who went to America in 1620.
pioneers
In North America: the first whites to move west.
president
An elected head of state. The president of the
United States has executive power.
puritans
Followers of Protestantism in its purest form. They
followed Calvin’s teachings, which required much
prayer, hard work and a frugal life.
religious freedom
The freedom to choose a religion.
reservation
A habitat shut off from its immediate
environment, allocated to North American
Indians.
Source 1
Pilgrims on the way to church. (Painting
by George Henry Boughton, 1867.)
Emancipation. Drawing by Thomas Nast,
who was opposed to slavery. (Harpers Weekly, January
Source 2
1863)
150
1500
Timeline
The Statue of Liberty in New York.
The height of the statue is 46 metres, and over
93 metres if one includes the pedestal. It was
presented by France in honour of the American
centenary and as a token of friendship. A bronze
tablet in her right hand bears the text ‘JULY IV
MDCCLXXVI’.
Source 3
1607
First British colony
in North America:
Virginia
The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated
to President Abraham Lincoln in 1922. The seated
figure of Lincoln is 5.8 metres tall. The supporting
pedestal adds another 3 metres. The 36 solid
pillars, each 10 metres high, stand for the 36 U.S.
states at the time of Lincoln’s death.
Source 4
Text on the memorial: In this
temple as in the hearts of the
people for whom he saved the
union the memory of Abraham
Lincoln is enshrined forever.
1900
151
1950
AGE OF CITIZENS
AND STEAM ENGINES
1800-1900
1800
AGE OF WIGS
AND REVOLUTIONS
1700-1800
1700
AGE OF REGENTS
AND RULERS
1600-1700
1600
1620
Pilgrim Fathers set
sail to America
1775-1783
American War of
Independence
1776
Declaration of
Independence
1789
USA has its first
constitution and
president: George
Washington
1838
Trail of Tears
1861-1865
American Civil War