American Studies 1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Seneca Falls Convention, Individualism, Paternalism

• School: Western University
• Department: American Studies
• Course: American Studies 1020
• Professor: Tom Cull

Document Summary

Manifest destiny: united states was destined to expand throughout the continent as an empire of liberty. City on a hill (john winthrop): the model nation, watched by the world. Special commission: puritans had a covenant with god and were supposed to strictly adhere to it. American exceptionalism (winthrop and crevecour): the special character of the united states as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty. Melting pot: people would come to america and give up old customs, to receive new ones. It created this idea of shared identity, of being an. White supremacy: belief that white people are superior to other people of other racial backgrounds and that they should dominate both politically, economically, and socially. Transcendentalism: the inherent goodness of both people and nature, looking for answers through nature. Literature also changed with transcendentalism because people started to write the ideas of realizing the power of self and individuality.