Economic and Social Change Mid-1800s US HISTORY Economic and Social Change Mid-1800s
ECONOMIC CHANGE West: more settlement, growth of farming (corn, wheat), land exploitation North: industrialization South: greater reliance on farming (cotton) and slavery because of industrialization
Center of America moving west In 1790, only NYC and Philadelphia had over 20,000 people By 1860, there were 43 substantial cities
Life on the farming frontier Loneliness, hardship, disease, death Rugged individualism Tobacco exhausts land; go WEST John Deere—steel plow Cyrus McCormick—mechanical reaper Beaver, buffalo, sea otters depleted Destruction vs. preservation
Industrialization of America Industrial Revolution started in England At first, people in US moved west rather than industrialize War of 1812 and embargo on imports aided American industry
New inventions Samuel Slater: textile mills and spinning jenny Howe/Singer: sewing machine Eli Whitney: cotton gin (which makes slavery grow), interchangeable parts (which allows for assembly line in factories)
Lives of workers --Child labor --Young women working at Lowell, MA, in mills (until marriage) --boring, repetitive work --craftsmanship is gone --workers are more easily replaced --dangerous working conditions around fast-moving machines --people divided into rich, middle class, poor --immigration supplements work force
Mid-1800s Major wave of immigrants who could work in factories and farm in the West
Irish immigrants– 1 ½ million Come because of potato famine Catholic religion and beer (for which they are often persecuted) Settle in cities, often in poverty Take lowest jobs (canal and RR building)
How Irish get ahead Often vote Democratic Political machines Jobs in police force or in politics
German immigrants— almost as many Come for political reasons Often settle out west (farms, or in cities like Milwaukee), more skilled Also bring beer Introduce Conestoga wagon, Christmas tree, kindergarten
Nativism: hatred of immigrants
General conditions in large cities Large # of immigrants swell city sizes Slums Bad lighting Dirty water/disease Rats Garbage issues
Market revolution leads to growth Parts of country are connected
Innovations in transportation Toll roads National Road: Cumberland Road Canals Railroads Pullman RR cars
Robert Fulton: steamboat (Clermont) Samuel Morse: telegraph
Changes in society help lead to various reform movements