Boom/Bust Cycles: 1790-1860Boom/Bust Cycles: 1790-1860

The blue line shows, for comparison, the price of a year’s tuition at Harvard College. In 1790 it was $24, but by 1860 had risen to $104.

Creating a Business-Friendly Climate

Creating a Business-Friendly ClimateSupreme Court Rulings:

* Fletcher v. Peck (1810) * Dartmouth v. Woodward (1819) * McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) * Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) * Charles Rivers Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1835)General Incorporation Law passed in New York, 1848.

Laissez faire BUT, govt. did much to assist capitalism!

Distribution of WealthDistribution of Wealthv During the American

Revolution,45% of all wealth in the top 10% ofthe population.

v 1845 Boston top 4% owned over 65% of the wealth.v 1860 Philadelphia top 1% owned over 50% of the wealth.v The gap between rich and poor was widening!

Polarization of Wealth in the 20c

Polarization of Wealth in the 20c

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

The Lowell/Waltham System:

First Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

The Lowell/Waltham System:

First Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814

Lowell in 1850Lowell in 1850

Lowell MillLowell Mill

Early Textile Mill Loom FloorEarly Textile Mill Loom Floor

Early Textile LoomEarly Textile Loom

New EnglandTextile

Centers:

1830s

New EnglandTextile

Centers:

1830s

New England Dominance in Textiles

New England Dominance in Textiles

Starting for LowellStarting for Lowell

Lowell GirlsLowell Girls

What was their typical “profile?”

Lowell Boarding HousesLowell Boarding Houses

What was boardinghouse life like?

Lowell Mills Time Table

Lowell Mills Time Table

Early “Union” Newslett

er

Early “Union” Newslett

er

The Factory Girl’s GarlandThe Factory Girl’s Garland

February 20, 1845 issue.

I’m a Factory Girl Filled with Wishes

I’m a Factory Girl Filled with WishesI'm a factory girl

Everyday filled with fearFrom breathing in the poison airWishing for windows!I'm a factory girlTired from the 13 hours of wok each dayAnd we have such low payWishing for shorten work times!I'm a factory girlNever having enough time to eatNor to rest my feetWishing for more free time!I'm a factory girlSick of all this harsh conditionsMaking me want to sign the petition!So do what I ask for because I am a factory girlAnd I'm hereby speaking for all the rest!

Irish Immigrant Girls at LowellIrish Immigrant Girls at Lowell

American View of the Irish Immigrant

American View of the Irish Immigrant

The Early Union MovementThe Early Union Movement

Workingman’s Party (1829) * Founded by Robert Dale Owen and others in New York City.Early unions were usually local, social, and weak.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842).

Worker political parties were ineffective until the post-Civil War period.

Regional SpecializationRegional Specialization

EAST Industrial

SOUTH Cotton & Slavery

WEST The Nation’s “Breadbasket”

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1860

American Population Centers in 1860

National Origin of Immigrants:1820 - 1860

National Origin of Immigrants:1820 - 1860

Why now?

Know-Nothing Party:

“The Supreme

Order of the Star-

Spangled Banner”

Know-Nothing Party:

“The Supreme

Order of the Star-

Spangled Banner”

Changing Occupation Distributions:1820 - 1860

Changing Occupation Distributions:1820 - 1860

ECONOMIC?

SOCIAL?

POLITICAL?

FUTUREPROBLEMS?