Michael Chiu

AP US History
Period 2
11/6/09

Outline of Chapter 10: America’s Economic Revolution

-The majority of Americans were farmers and tradespeople
-By the Civil War, American farmers became part of a national, international market economy
-The North and South began to diverge through economic changes
The Changing American Population
-Before an industrial revolution could happen, the U.S. needed a large enough population, a
transportation and communications system, and it needed the right technology
The American Population, 1820-1840
-The population of America was increasing rapidly during this time period – much faster than
Britain or the rest of Europe – one reason was improvement in public health – mortality rate dropped
-High population increase also result of high birth rate
-At first, immigration wasn’t a huge factor, but it contributed greatly beginning in the 1830s
-Major sources of immigration were the Irish, German, English, and other parts of Northern Europe
Immigration and Urban Growth, 1840-1860
-Huge growth in cities during this time period – ex. New York went from 312,000 to 805,000
-Booming economy of the west also produced large urban growth
-Farms in the Northeast declined and many foreigners arrived in the U.S.
-came from many different regions: most from Germany and Ireland
The Rise of Nativism
-“Nativism” – a defense of native-born people and hostility to the foreign-born – viewed the growing
immigration with alarm and desired to stop or slow immigration
-Many secret societies were formed to combat the “alien menace” – first was the Native American
Party – started in 1837
-Many nativist groups combined in 1850 to form the Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner
-Members of this movement known as the “Know-Nothings”
-Know-Nothings created a political organization called the American Party – declined after 1854
Transportation, Communications, and Technology
The Canal Age
-Until 1820s, Americans had relied on roads for internal transportation – inadequate
-In the 1820s, steamboats grew in number and were improved
-However, farmers from the West and the merchants of the East wanted a more direct root for goods
to be shipped east – horses driven along canals would be faster
-N.Y. was the first to build a canal – began construction when De Witt Clinton became governor in
1817
-The Erie Canal opened in 1825 and was an immediate financial success – gave N.Y. direct access to
the Western markets – however, canals didn’t provide a satisfactory route for any of N.Y.’s rivals
The Early Railroads
-Technological inventions in railroads were tracks, steam-powered locomotives, and railroad cars
that could serve as public carriers
-Railroads competed bitterly with canals
The Triumph of the Rails
-After 1840, railroads began to replace annals and other modes of transport
-Most railroad systems were in the Northeast
-Important change in railroad development was the trend toward the consolidation of short lines into
longer lines
-By 1853, four major railroad trunk lines had crossed Appalachian barrier to the West
Innovations in Communications and Journalism
-Telegraph was invented by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1844 – successful transmitted from Baltimore to
Washington the news of James K. Polk’s nomination for the presidency
-In 1846, Richard Hoe invented the steam cylinder rotary press, making it easier to print newspapers
more rapidly and cheaply
-In 1846, the Associated Press was formed to promote cooperative news gathering by wire
-Journalism would become a unifying factor in American life but in the 1840s and 50s, it fueled
sectional discord
Commerce and Industry
-By middle of 19th century, the U.S. had a modern capitalist economy and created enormous wealth
The Expansion of Business, 1820-1840
-Organization of businesses was changing – in some larger businesses; the individual merchant
capitalist was being replaced by the corporation
-See page 271 for corporations
-Many businesses relied heavily on credit and their borrowing created instability
-Many banks issued lots of bank notes – little value – needed public confidence in value
The Emergence of the Factory
-Factories penetrated the shoe industry in eastern Massachusetts
-The Northeast was where most of the industry was concentrated
Advances in Technology
-One of the most important results of the creation of better machine tools was the principle of
interchangeable parts – would revolutionize watch and clock making, and many other things
-American inventors had many patents including Goodyear’s vulcanized rubber and Elias Howe’s
sewing machine – most important source of power was till water
Innovations in Corporate Organization
-In the middle of the century, merchant capitalism was declining – Britain stealing America’s trade
-more important reason was that the merchants discovered that there were greater opportunities for
profit in manufacturing than in trade
-In the 1840s, ownership of American enterprise was starting to go to stockholders who each owned
a small proportion of the total
Recruiting a Native Work Force
-The opening of fertile farmland in the Midwest began an industrial labor supply
-see page 275
-the “Lowell System” relied only on young unmarried women
-In England, women’s conditions were extremely bad – however, in the Lowell mills, the workers
lived in clean dormitories and were well fed and carefully supervised – however, even these workers
found the transition from farm to factory life very difficult – see conditions page 276
-Lowell System quickly declined – conditions got worse in factories
The Immigrant Work Force
-The rapidly increasing supply of immigrants gave businessmen a source of labor that was large and
inexpensive – had extremely harsh working conditions
The Factory System and the Artisan Tradition
-Most artisans found themselves unable to compete with new, cheaper factory goods – because of
this, craftsmen formed organizations to protect their endangered positions
-In some cities, skilled workers of each craft formed societies to combine and set up central
organizations known as trade unions
Fighting for Control
-In Commonwealth vs. Hunt in 1842, the supreme court of the state of Massachusetts declared that
unions were lawful and that strikes were lawful weapons
-However, union movement remained generally ineffective
-Most of the craft unions excluded women – established their own unions – little power
-The American working class had relatively modest power compared to that in England, where
workers were becoming very powerful
Patterns of Industrial Society
The Rich and the Poor
-Increasing wealth in America was being distributed very unequally
-Significant amount of population were genuinely destitute and emerged in the urban centers of the
nation – entirely out of resources – often homeless
-Among the worst victims of racism were free blacks – had access to only menial jobs
Social Mobility
-Opportunities for social mobility, or working up the economic ladder were few
Middle-Class Life
-fastest growing group was the middle-class
-Many new household tools were invented and changed middle-class life – included the cast-iron
stove and icebox
-Middle-class homes began to differentiate themselves from other classes – they were more
elaborately decorated and furnished – homes became larger
The Changing Family
-The industrializing society of the Northeast changed the nature of the family
-Before, a family itself had been the principal unit of economic activity, but when farming spread to
more fertile lads in the West, agricultural work became more commercialized
-With this change in economic function of the family came the decline of the birth rate
-see why on page 282
Women and the “Cult of Domesticity”
-Women had far less access to education than men did – effectively barred from higher education
-Oberlin was first college to accept female students
-Women’s roles as mothers and wives grew more important
-Women began to develop their own female culture – friendships between women were intense and
clubs and organizations were formed – distinct feminine literature emerged
-Most men thought that this new female sphere made women in some ways superior to men
-Middle-class men considered work by women outside of the household unseemly
Leisure Activities
-Reading was one of the main forms of leisure activities for educated people
-Theaters became popular in cities – crossed class lines – public sporting and baseball
-P.T. Barnum was the most celebrated provider of visions of unusual phenomena
-Opened the American museum in New York in 1842 – freak show populated by midgets
-Opened his famous circus in the 1870s
The Agricultural South
-Most people remained with the agricultural world even when the Northeast was rapidly
industrializing
Northeastern Agriculture
-After 1840, agriculture declined in the Northeast because farmers could not compete with fertile
soil of the Northwest
-Some farmers supplied food to cities; raised vegetables (truck farming) and sold it to towns
The Old Northwest
-In some states of the Northwest, the section experienced steady industrial growth
-Chicago would be main center of the agricultural machinery and meatpacking industries
-Many western farmers concentrated on growing one crop for market – crop specialization
-Because the Northwest sold most of its products to the Northeast, their was a strong economic
relationship between the two – isolated the South in the Union
-The Northwest worked strenuously to meet the increasing demand its farm products- led to the
adopting of new agricultural techniques – see page 289 for techniques
-Two major machines: the automatic reaper, invented of Cyrus H. McCormick, and the thresher –
increased efficiency of harvesting wheat and grain-growing
Rural Life
-The forms of social interaction in one area to another in life for farming people were similar –
religion drew farm communities together strongly – many farm areas had people with common
ethnic and therefore religious backgrounds
-Many farmers valued their separation from urban culture and cherished the relative autonomy that
farm life gave them