The Industrial North, Agricultural South, and New Movements in America A Changing Nation The Industrial North, Agricultural South, and New Movements in America

Industrial Growth in the North

The Industrial Revolution in the US While the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, it transferred to the U.S. with Samuel Slater’s textile ideas. Eli Whitney was also a key contributor with his idea interchangeable parts- remember the clocks! While the development started slowly, it picked up some momentum after the War of 1812. Americans were forced to become more self-sufficient.

Changes in Working Life After the revolution, more workers were needed, especially in the mills and factories. Rhode Island System- hiring families to divide all types of factory work. Lowell System- hiring of young women from local farms to work in factories. Workers didn’t receive much pay, they worked long hours, and working conditions weren’t the greatest. Therefore, unions and strikes were ways that workers united to achieve better working conditions.

The Transportation Revolution 2 biggest components- steamboat and railroad. Steamboat- Robert Fulton’ s Clermont was one of the most successful boats due to the fact it could travel upstream. Gibbons v. Ogden- case where federal government strengthened its power and reduced monopolies. Railroads- Although dangerous at first, railroads soon were able to connect the country by people traveling more because it was cheaper and faster. Both helped make the country smaller.

More Technological Advances Samuel Morse creates telegraph and Morse Code to help communication in America. New technology helps create more factories located in the Northeast and by bodies of water. John Deere’s steel plow and Cyrus McCormick’s mechanical reaper allow Americans to increase profits in agriculture Makes life at home easier

Agricultural Changes in the South

The Growth of Cotton People believed slavery would die out in the South due to falling crop prices. Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin creates the growth of cotton which led to additional labor (slaves). Cotton takes over as leading cash crop in the South. “Cotton is King” –James Henry Hammond

The Southern Economy Steamboats aided transportation of cotton. New advances in scientific agriculture lead to stronger strands of cotton, which gives more profits for planters. factories popped up throughout the South.

Southern Society Two types of farmers – the planters and the yeomen Planters lived on larger plantations, had slaves, and were very wealthy. Yeomen farmers owned their land, had no slaves, and were the most common Southern farmer. Few free African Americans lived in the South. Most faced constant discrimination, but were able to make a living.

The Slave System Slaves were treated poorly and it was dependent on their job and where they lived. Generally, slaves were viewed as property NOT as people. Slaves received poor clothing and shelter; furthermore, they were often punished for their actions- slave codes. Folktales and spirituals washed out the harsh realities of daily life for slaves. Few slaves rebelled against the lifestyle and harsh system – Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner.

New Movements in America

Immigrants and Cities German and Irish immigrants came to America because of the potato famine, political unrest in Germany, economic opportunities, and over crowdedness in Europe. Increased immigration led to the Nativists and Know- Nothing Parties who were people that opposed immigration. The population increase led to new growth of cities and a larger middle class.

America’s Spiritual Awakening The Second Great Awakening spread new interests in religion with the help of Charles Grandison Finney. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau were writers and thinkers who created the belief of transcendentalism – was the belief that people could rise above the material things in life, such as money. Romanticism began to sweep America with writers and artists such as Thomas Cole, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman

Reforming Society Dorothea Dix was a middle class reformer who helped to change the prison system and facilities for mentally-ill people in the mid-1800’s. Temperance Movement – social reform to ban buying and consuming of alcohol. Education in America also changed. More women were able to attend school as well as an increase in education for African Americans.

The Movement to End Slavery Abolitionist – group formed that wanted complete emancipation of slaves. Famous abolitionists – William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina and Sarah Grimke, and Frederick Douglass. Underground Railroad – network of people that arranged transportation and hiding places for escaped slaves. Harriet Tubman was know as Moses for leading 300 slaves to freedom.

Women’s Rights Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the women’s Seneca Falls Convention meeting in New York. They wrote the Declaration of Sentiments which detailed their beliefs about social injustice toward women. Others that contributed to the women’s rights moment were Susan B Anthony, Lucy Stone, and Sojourner Truth.