Essential QuestionEssential Question:–How did new inventions & improved

transportation help facilitate a national market economy in the 1840s?

Take notes on the Harrison videoTake notes on the Harrison video

American Antebellum ChangesIn the 1830s & 1840s, territorial

& technological growth led to important changes in America:– Improved transportation – Rapid technological innovation– A growing nationalnational economy– Mass European immigration– Desire for transcontinental

expansion (“Manifest Destiny”)

Westward Movement

What were settlers of the frontier like? Americans continued to move westward in

large numbers. The trip though, proved to have lots of difficulties, hardships, and diseases.

Westerners were (independent, stubborn, uneducated, and individualistic and ambitious in their own way).-SELF RELIANT

Emerging literature reflected these unique types of people such as James Fenimore Cooper's woodsy hero "Natty Bumpo" or Herman Melville's whale-hunting "Captain Ahab."

*"The westward movement also molded the physical environment." Explain.

The land was shaped by those who moved onto it.– Tobacco farmers were accustomed to "land butchery"

where they'd wear out a piece of land, then just move on to find more.

– "Kentucky bluegrass" began to thrive after settlers burnt off the tall cane grass.

Trapping was big business.– Fur trappers were taking a toll on the beaver population

but reaping the profits of their sales. Beaver hats had become a fashion must-have back in Europe—good for the trappers, bad for the beaver. “Rendevous”

• Buffalo hides also were big business and the buffalo population began to dwindle. It'd drop considerably as the 1800's wore on.

Although the land was to be used, Americans respected it and noticed its beauty.

– George Catlin was an artist who painted western scenes and Native Americans. He was a first advocate of national parks and his suggestion eventually became the first national park, Yellowstone in 1872.

Mass Immigration Begins From 1840 & 1860, 4 million Irish &

Germans immigrated to America Motivations for immigration:

– Most came for higher wages in northern industrial jobs

– The potato blight from 1845-1854 brought 1.5 million Irish immigrants

– 1 million Germans came to America. (a) crop failure (as in Ireland)(b) to flee the chaos of war in 1848.

– Low fares on trans-Atlantic ships made access easier

Immigration to the US

1820-1860

*Where did immigrants go?

Industrial workers

Farmers

Cotton farming & cattle

Gold miners

Mass Immigration BeginsImmigrants filled low-paying jobs

in northern cities or migrated into the West to become farmers

–This vast pool of cheap labor provided fuel for the U.S. Industrial Revolution in 1850s

–In the 1840s, factory labor began to shift from American women & children to immigrant men

In 1836, 4% of the Lowell Mill workers were foreign-born; By 1860 62% were foreign-born

Mass Immigration BeginsLow immigrant wages contributed

to urban slums where poverty, disease, & crime were common

This influx of immigration led to urban reform movements:–Provided police forces, sanitized

water, sewage disposal, & improved housing standards

–But the immigrant poor were largely unaffected by the results

Affluent city dwellers moved to America’s 1st suburbs

6) Anti-Immigrant ReactionImmigrant groups were met with

prejudice (esp the Irish Catholics) & tension in 1840s & 1850s

NativismNativism emerged among American-born citizens:–Suspicion of the new ethnic

neighborhoods & alien cultures–Led to bloody anti-Catholic riots,

charges of despotism, & anti-Irish propaganda

Nativist propaganda targeting German & Irish immigrants

Anti-Catholic “Native American” mob battling the state militia in Philadelphia in 1844

The Market Revolution

8) The Industrial Revolution Booms The Industrial Revolution began in England when

machines and factories began to replace handmade products. It then spread to Europe and America.

America had 4 characteristics that enabled it to become an industrial powerhouse…– Cheap land. This meant there was always a shortage of labor.

Why work for someone else when you could get your own land and work for yourself?

– Workers. Immigration, which started to rise sharply in the 1840's, began to solve the problem of shortage of labor.

– Raw materials. America was large and blessed with many resources.

– Consumers. America had many people and they were just "starting out" and therefore ready to buy whatever was produced.

Still, America struggled to compete with the British in manufacturing. The U.S. simply couldn't produce goods as fast and cheap as the Brits. (Manufacturing and Transportation proved to be a barrier

The Industrial Revolution BoomsIn the 1840s, American industrial

production became more efficient:–Due to numerous industrial

innovations, growth of factories, & a demand for goods from farmers in West & South

–Led to an increased division of labor & urbanization in the North & an increase in staple-crop commercial farming

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Early Textile Loom

Early Textile Loom

Early IndustrialismIn 1815, 65% of all U.S. clothing

was made by women at home in the “putting out” system

By 1840, textile manufacturing grew, especially in New England, due to a series of new inventions–The most famous factory was

the Lowell Mill in Boston–Still, only 9% of Americans were

involved in manufacturing

Brought families extra income

“Cottage Industry”

*Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1793*Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1793

Actually invented by a slave!

Actually invented by a slave!

Early IndustrialismIn 1815, 65% of all U.S. clothing

was made by women at home in the “putting out” system

By 1840, textile manufacturing grew, especially in New England, due to a series of new inventions–The most famous factory was

the Lowell Mill in Boston–Still, only 9% of Americans were

involved in manufacturing

Brought families extra income

“Cottage Industry”

Eli Whitney’s Other Critical InventionEli Whitney’s Other Critical Invention

Introduced Interchangeable Rifle PartsIntroduced Interchangeable Rifle Parts

Elias Howe & Isaac SingerElias Howe & Isaac Singer

1840sSewing Machine

1840sSewing Machine

Changes in Business Policy

Limited Liability Corporation

–Ensured if a company failed, investors could only lose what they invested (not everything)

–Encouraged more investment

–MORE GROWTH WAS THE RESULT!!

(Two more critical inventions of the era that have little to do with the Market Revolution)

Samuel Morse’s Telegraph in 1840Samuel Morse’s Telegraph in 1840

Cyrus Field’s Transatlantic Cable, 1858

Cyrus Field’s Transatlantic Cable, 1858

Rise of Commercial AgricultureThe antebellum era saw a boom

in specialized, staple-crop, “commercial” farming due to:–Lower transportation costs –New agricultural innovations like

McCormick’s mechanical reaper, Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, the steel plow, thresher, & cultivator

–The use of long-distance marketing & credit to sell crops

Ohio, NY, & PA specialized in wheat while the South grew tobacco, rice, & cotton

Workers and “Wage Slaves”

Wage Slaves Side-effect of the factory system was the exploitation

of workers. They came to be called "wage slaves." Conditions in a typical factory were not good…

– They were unsafe.– They were unhealthy.– Hours were long and wages were low.– Child labor was common. Childhood was short and

harsh.

Wage Slaves

Conditions for adult workers improved during the 1820's and 30's as universal white manhood suffrage gave workers the power of the vote.

Goals: 10 Hr/day, higher Wages, better conditions, pub. Education, and humane imprisonment for debt

Wage Slaves*

Only attained moderate success

–Strikes usually resulted in dismissal

–Influx of cheap immigrant labor

•“Scab”

–1840 MVB= 10 Hour/day for federal employees

–Commonwealth v. Hunt

Women and the Economy

The Lowell System:The 1st Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

The Lowell System:The 1st Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814

Lowell Boarding Houses

Lowell Girls*Lowell Girls*

What was their typical “profile?”

What was their typical “profile?”

John Deere & the Steel PlowJohn Deere & the Steel Plow

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper

A Revolution in Transportation

A Revolution in TransportationIn 1816, Henry Clay’s American American

SystemSystem initiated federally funded “internal improvements”–The National RoadNational Road became the

1st federal transportation project–Thousands of private turnpikes

were built by entrepreneurs–Roads were useful but they did

not meet the demand for low-cost, over-land transportation

America's 1America's 1stst Turnpike: Turnpike: Lancaster, PA 1790Lancaster, PA 1790

America's 1America's 1stst Turnpike: Turnpike: Lancaster, PA 1790Lancaster, PA 1790

By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads connected most major citiesconnected most major cities

By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads connected most major citiesconnected most major cities

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Principle Canals by 1840Steamboats & canals stimulated commercial agriculture by providing for the free-flow of

manufactured goods to the West

Steamboats & CanalsMississippi & Ohio Rivers helped

farmers get their goods to the East but there was no way to get manufactured goods to the West:–Fulton’s invention of steamboats

helped connect the West with Northern manufacturing

–State-directed canal projects cut shipping costs by 90% between the West & the North

Steamboats provided upstream shipping with reduce costs & increased speeds

Robert Fulton’ s SteamboatRobert Fulton’ s Steamboat

The ClermontThe Clermont

The Erie Canal (1825) provided the 1st link between East & West

The Erie Canal made New York City the commercial

capital of the U.S.

Inland Freight Rates

Inland Freight Rates

The RailroadFrom 1840 to 1860, the greatest

new transportation advance was the expansion of railroads –In 1840s, railroads began to

challenge canals’ dominance–Stimulated industrial &

commercial agricultural growth –Led to new forms of finance,

such as “preferred stock” & state & local gov’t subsidies

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

The Railroad Revolution,

1850sImmigrant

labor built railroads in the North

Slave labor built railroads in the South

The Expansion of Railroads by RegionRailroad Expansion by 1860

Transportation Revolution by

1840: Rivers, Roads, Rivers, Roads,

Canals, & Canals, & RailroadsRailroads

Jackson’s assault on the 2nd BUS in the 1830s, killed Clay’s “American System” but it did

not stop transportation improvements

New England Dominance in

Textiles

New England Dominance in

Textiles

The Market RevolutionBy 1840, improved transportation

& innovation reduced time & cost to ship goods & allowed for a nationalnational market economy:–U.S. developed a self-sustaining

national economy of commercial farming & manufactured goods

–But, the U.S. economy was driven by regionalregional specialization

Northern industrySouthern cotton production

Western commercial farming

America in 1840The Antebellum SouthThe Antebellum SouthCotton production

divided society in the Deep South:–Large plantations

with lots of slaves made good money

–Poor yeoman (with few or no slaves) mixed commercial & subsistence farming

Slave Population, 1820Slave Population, 1840Slave Population, 1860

America in 1840The Antebellum WestThe Antebellum WestLand was cheapSettlers transformed

the West from wilderness to cash-producing farms:–Wheat & corn–Hogs & cattle

Better transportation made it easier for farmers to get their goods to market

America in 1840

The Antebellum NorthThe Antebellum NorthShifted from yeoman

to small commercial farming

Made manufactured goods for farmers in the West & South

Experienced rapid urbanization

U.S. Urban

Centers

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1860

American Population Centers in 1860

The Market RevolutionNew innovations made work

easier & improved American industry & agriculture

However, the U.S. was not an “industrial society” in the 1840s –60% of the population were still

involved in farming–Most production was still done

traditionally in small workshops

Conclusions In the 1830s & 1840s, the USA

was growing more democratic & economically self-sufficient:–Innovation & transportation

improvements connected regional specialization into a nation market economy

–This economic growth will stimulate a sense of “manifest destiny” into the West & sectional divisions between North & South

Essential QuestionEssential Question:

–What problems developed as a result of American industrialism & immigration from 1840-1860?