Question

“In the years between 1815 and 1848, two rival political programs appeared, reflecting rival sets of hopes. Some Americans felt largely satisfied with their society the way it was, slavery and all, especially with the autonomy it provided to so many individual white men and their local communities. They wanted their familiar America extended across space. Other Americans, however, were beguiled by the prospect of improvement to pursue economic diversification and social reform, even at the risk of compromising some precious personal and local independence. They envisioned qualitative, not just quantitative, progress for America.”

Explain this passage from Daniel Walker Howe in a more or less narrative style essay. What are these “rival political programs,” what specifically did they want America to look like, and in what ways did they advocate for their respective visions? Furthermore, what is the difference between “qualitative” and “quantitative” progress and how do they differ? Finally, how does the Civil War, and it's lead up, figure in these conflicting visions?

Answer 1

SOLUTION

DANIEL WALKER HOWE

Prominent historians Daniel Walker Howe and the Richard White developed the Keynote presentations at Humanities Texas June 2014 teacher institutes on " America in the 1860's ". Dr. Howe's lecture," The controversial transformation of America, and the consequent transformation of Americans in 1850 launched our institution at the North Texas Dr. White's lecture , " the nation 1865 ", opened our program at the university of Texas at San Antonio. Together these stimulating presentations explored the technological, political and social upheavals that influenced the country in the periods immediately preceding, during and following the civil war.

THE RIVAL POLITICAL PROGRAMS, THE WAY AMERICA LOOK LIKE, AND THE ADVOCATION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE VISIONS

The decades leading up in the civil war witnessed many dramatic  changes in the united states. To go back to the year 1815, America might been what we called as third- world country. Most people then lived on isolated farmsteads. Their lives revolved around the weather and the hours of daylight. Many people grow their own food. Many wives made their own cloth for their family. It was the difficulty of transportation, communication and manufacturing that kept their lives so primitive. Only people who live near navigable waterways could easily market their crops and get the money that would enable them to buy the commodities that were not produced locally, for which they could barter with neighbors or the local store keep. On the other hand, by 1860, United states were no longer a third world company - it had become a major transcontinental power. Revolutionary innovations in communications, transportation, and manufacturing facilitated the change. Americans were more and more intergrated into the global economy, Improvements from transportation and communication liberated from the tyranny of distance. Meanwhile America extended its territory, until it stretched from sea to sea, creating a transcontinental economy. So the America of 1860 was significantly more likely than it has been in 1815.   

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE PROGRESS AND HOW THEY DIFFER

Qualitative progress is the qualitative growth in living organisms, ecosystems and economies, and it can be sustainable if it involves a dynamic balance between growth, decline, and if also includes the stages of development in terms of learning and maturing. It devoid of measurements and is only mathematical.

The distinction is basically in terms of measurement. Quantitative progress rely on measurement and it provides data based on both statistics and mathematics (how many, how much and how often )

HOW THE CIVIL WAR AND ITS LEAD UP FIGURING CONFLICTING VISIONS

Since the founding of the US, the North, and the South have held the different political views. In 1850 and 1860s, various disagreements lead to political factors that lead to civil war, the war that lasted from 1861 to 1865 between the northern and southern territories of the united states and finally their factors include

* Federal power versus state power

* Representation in congress

* Slavery expansions in the territories

The north and south were not just different politically, their economics were economically different

Two economic factors that led to the civil war includes

* Industrial and agriculture

* Tarrifs