FORGING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY, 1790 1860 Chapter 14
WESTWARD MOVEMENT & SHAPING THE WESTERN LANDSCAPE America West of the Alleghenies Population center shifts Life is brutal, primitive, isolated Land becomes depleted of resources, vegetation, & wildlife Nationalism fuels belief in uniqueness of American wilderness George Catlin proposes national parks
POPULATION CENTER MOVES WEST
MARCH OF THE MILLIONS Massive population growth Unsanitary living conditions abound 1840s-50s Immigration rates = 3x & 4x Irish & Germans Land of Freedom & Opportunity
EMERALD ISLE MOVES WEST Black Forties Potato famine cripples Ireland New York - Largest Irish city in world Poor, uneducated, disliked, bottom of society Menial labor Soon dominated politics, police, city machines Continued dislike of British
GERMAN FORTY EIGHTERS Displaced farmers & political refugees Better off than Irish, better educated than Americans Independent & aloof Hard drinkers along with Irish Led to temperance movements
FLAIR UPS OF ANTIFOREIGNISM Catholic-Protestant problems Know-Nothing Party Secret anti-immigrant society Anti-Catholic violence (Boston & Philadelphia) Diversified society led to industrialization & growth
CREEPING MECHANIZATION Industrialization spreads from Britain Textile production U.S. possesses land, resources, & consumers Industrialization slowly begins
WHITNEY ENDS THE FIBER FAMINE Samuel Slater Brings factory ideas from Europe Moses Brown Builds 1 st U.S. factory in RI Factories slowed by lack of cotton Eli Whitney Invents cotton gin Increases production of cotton (King Cotton) Increases land holdings & need for labor (slaves) Manufacturing mostly in North
MARVELS IN MANUFACTURING Embargo of 1807 speeds spread of factories War of 1812 British flood cheap products harm U.S. factories Tariff of 1816 Aims to help U.S. business Improvements to Northern industry 1846 Sewing Machine 1850 Interchangeable parts Large increase in patents 1844 Morse invents telegraph
WORKERS & WAGE SLAVES Poor working class Terrible working & living conditions Working men given right to vote Workers support Jackson Laws reduce work hours & protect children 1830s-40s Strikes popular to get rights Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842) Legalizes labor unions Unions grow
WOMEN & THE ECONOMY Women factory workers sought new work Women married for love instead of arrangement Families become closer & smaller Cult of Domesticity Domestic feminism People encouraged to be good citizens & independent individuals
WESTERN FARMERS REAP A REVOLUTION IN THE FIELDS West provides food for nation (corn) Key inventions increase production Tractor, mechanical mower-reaper, etc. Cash-crop agriculture dominates West Rivers used for commerce
HIGHWAYS & STEAMBOATS Lancaster Turnpike revolutionizes travel Paved, toll roads States rights activists oppose federal aid Eastern states dislike westward movement National Road (Cumberland) constructed Steamboats make water traffic more efficient
CLINTON S BIG DITCH IN NEW YORK Eerie Canal Connects Lake Eerie & Hudson River Greatly reduces travel & shipping times Further expanded westward movement Biggest of many new canals
IRON HORSE Cheap, reliable, & fast Opposed by canal backers Binds America together
CABLES, CLIPPERS, & PONY RIDERS 1858 - Telegraph cable connects U.S. & Europe Clipper ships Huge sail ships Fast but outdone by British steam ships 1860 - Pony Express Mail service Lasted 18 months Outdone by trains & telegraph
TRANSPORT WEB BINDS THE UNION Transportation Revolution Trains connect country & provide continental economy South Cotton West Grain North Machines & textiles North & West much more connected than South
MAIN WESTERN ROUTES & PRINCIPLE INDUSTRIES
MARKET REVOLUTION Market revolution Transformation to national economy Marshall Court protects contracts over states Taney Court promotes community over corporate rights (Charles River Bridge) Center of work shifts outside the home Growth of economic inequality Existence of social mobility?