Conquering Space: Economic Nationalism & Expansion Standard 7b

Economic Nationalism: Infrastructure Americans Question National Infrastructure after the War of 1812 The National Infrastructure was heavily scrutinized as a major problem for the U.S. following the war. Infrastructure: The basic equipment & structures that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly. Examples include roads & bridges, canals, and later railroads. During the War of 1812, the U.S. was nearly defeated due to terrible roads & bridges The American Army was smaller than the British, thus the ability to move troops & shift supplies quickly would have been positive for the U.S.

Economic Nationalism: Internal Improvements Post War of 1812 Most American politicians now saw the necessity of a Federal government that could contribute to strengthening the infrastructure of the nation. Moreover, the U.S. had since 1803, had come to encompass vastly more space, and it was thought connecting the country was paramount. In 1816, most politicians believed in using federal money for internal improvements. Internal Improvements: Improving the infrastructure of a nation. John Calhoun, a Senator of South Carolina said it best: “Let us bind the republic together with a perfect system of roads and canals. Let us conquer space.”

Economic Nationalism: Improving the Nation’s Infrastructure The American System In 1816, a congressman from Kentucky, Henry Clay, proposed a broad plan to practically begin internal improvements. The plan had 3 parts A new tariff on foreign manufactured goods During the War of 1812, the U.S. still depended on Britain for its manufactured goods. The tariff was designed to protect American manufacturing from cheap British goods. A new National Bank to deposit taxes collected from the tariff. The 2nd National Bank of the U.S. was created by Congress in 1816. Federal taxes from tariffs would be lended out from the bank to individual states to build better bridges, and improve the nation’s roads.

The Industrial Revolution Description A time when advances in technology lead to massive economic change Before this revolution, a nation’s economy relies on artisans, merchants, and farmers for the economy. Because of this, creating and manufacturing products was slow. The “Revolution” takes place when factors become more reliant on a machine to do the work. Mechanized, or machine labor allows products to be produced quicker.

Industrial Revolution Cont. Whitney’s Demonstration In 1801, Eli Whitney built ten guns, all containing the same parts & mechanisms. The same year Whitney disassembled these guns and then put them back together using parts from all of the guns. Congress was so impressed they ordered this to be standard procedure for U.S. gun manufacturing The catch was that Whitney’s guns were costly, and handmade by skilled workmen As time passed, others would catch on to the process Interchangeable Parts Whitney developed a system in which each part of a musket was made the same for every musket. In this way, the parts every rifle could be interchanged, or used with another rifle. This concept of interchangeable parts spreads to other industries. Interchangeable Parts & the Cotton Gin fuel the Industrial Revolution in the United States.

Nationalism: Internal Improvements The Rise of New York City Mass production of textiles made New York prosperous & a key economic center for the country. New York’s deep water harbor also made it a center of shipping and trade for the country. The thousands of immigrants who came into NY every year made up a stable labor force for the city. What was New York called before the English took it? Which Europeans controlled the area before the English?

Nationalism: Internal Improvements Erie Canal Canals were man made waterways meant to make travel faster. Erie Canal connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River. The Hudson runs to New York City. Local leaders & businessmen were excited as the canal expanded NY’s trading markets. The canal eventually made NY the major economic, financial, & urban center of the U.S.

The Industrial Revolution Cont. First occurred in England during the 1700s. It spreads to the U.S. due to the inventions of Eli Whitney Eli Whitney In 1793 he invents the cotton gin. This machine allows people to process harvested cotton much faster than by hand.

Industrial Revolution: Impact The South The Cotton Gin makes cotton & slavery very profitable in the south. As a result, slavery expands as slave owners buy more land to plant cotton. The North Interchangeable Parts helps factories in the north produce more. In 1799, manufacturing accounted for $50 million of the National income of the U.S. By 1849, manufacturing accounted for $300 million of the National income of the U.S. The North & South slowly became much more different than one another