Changes in the North

Advances in Transportation Steam boats: Robert Fulton in 1807 with the Clermont linked western waterways with the south and eastern coasts helped unite the nation Clipper ships: John Griffiths in 1841 with the Rainbow traveled between New York, San Francisco & the Orient brought silk, tea, cinnamon, and firecrackers from China improved trade and communication between the east and west coast

Rail Road covered the same distance as a clipper ship in about 1/3 the time. Could go almost anywhere By 1860, there was 31,000 miles of railroad track in the U.S.

Advances in Communication The Telegraph: Samuel F.B. Morse 1844, Morse sends first telegraph message. By 1846, 5,000 miles of telegraph wire was complete connected Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. it transmitted messages using Morse Code. (a series of dots and dashes)

Working Conditions Invention of steam engine allowed factories to be built anywhere. Trade Increases Increased demand for goods Leads to a decrease in working conditions a mill worker made $4 to $6 a week (1851) the average family of 5 needed at least $10.37 a week to survive children made up 1/3 of the work force worked 12 hour days/ 6 days a week made 11 cents a day

Workers Organized Immigration founded labor unions wanted better working conditions wanted better pay threatened strikes strikes were illegal fine and jail time Immigration Between 1840 and 1860 about 4.2 million immigrants came to the U.S. Most to the North Most came from Europe Germans fled from a failed revolution settled in the Ohio Valley/ Great Lakes Region Most were educated.

Irish made up 40% of immigrants Fled Famine Settled in Boston and New York Most uneducated By 1852 ½ the factory workers in mills were foreigners Nativists – discouraged immigration didn’t want immigrants to hold elected office wanted immigrants to wait 21 years to become citizens were against Catholics Do we still have people similar to the Nativists today?

Discrimination African Americans Could Not Serve on a jury Be elected to Congress Ride in a carriage or work in a building with a white person Vote in elections. Even with this discrimination why were many African Americans willing to leave their families to live in the North?