Bellringer: T4D1 Reflect on the lesson last time, Mill Times. List three things that you learned from class: Next, take out an index card / sticky note, and answer the following prompt: “The thing that I would like / hate / miss the most living in this time period is…” Be ready to share your note with someone else. Please put your name on it!

U.S. History I Ch. 10.1B Economic Growth

The times…they are a changin’! As mentioned before, things started changing rapidly in the late-1700s and early 1800s. The British led the way into the Industrial Revolution with many new water-powered machines. This transferred to the U.S. ~1800, and started in New England. With its many rivers, it was an ideal spot, close to lumber, and ocean ports to bring in other supplies. Capitalism, or the ideal that people should spend their capital, or money, in whatever they wanted in order to make a profit, was a foundation for this economic growth. This is also called Free Enterprise.

New Technology & Agr. Expansion New technology, like Eli Whitney and his cotton gin, allowed for better and improved ways of doing things! He also introduced the idea of interchangeable parts. He went to college in my hometown of Leicester, MA, btw  With these new technologies, agriculture began to expand. Demand for cotton grew with the rise of textile mills, and the cotton gin made it easier to grow and produce more cotton. This sadly increased the demand for slavery in the south. Over 30 years, cotton production increased from 3,000 bales of cotton in 1790 in the south to over 300,000 by 1820 each year! Many moved westward to settle more land to grow more cotton and other crops, settling in Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Economic Independence Little government regulation and low taxes encouraged people to invest their money in various new industries. Many of those who did so were small investors; owners of a shop, a merchant, a farmer, etc. Free Enterprise By the 1830s, that changed with the development of corporations. These larger companies sold stock, or shares of ownership. One of these was the Second Bank of the United States, chartered by Congress in 1816 for 20 years. It replaced the first one, which had expired in 1811. This bank was very powerful, and state banks and smaller farmers felt it created a monopoly for the rich and wealthy, and that it violated the Constitution. Pres. Jackson agreed VID

Cities Grow and Grow As factories and trade grew, more towns and cities sprang up, with people moving to supply labor, and housing, and such necessities to those who followed. VID Cities such as Boston, New York and Baltimore grew, and other cities became more important as well, especially along the river trade routes, like Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. There were many risks in these cities however. Buildings were made of brick or wood, and most streets and sidewalks were unpaved, with no sewers. This meant that disease was rampant, and so were fires. Many cities also had libraries, museums, and other shops and places unknown elsewhere, so despite the dangers, many still flocked to these growing cities. However, they were not as large as they are today.

HW: Now you’ll do a bit more research into one of the following topics: Railroads Canals Turnpikes / Toll Roads Cotton Gin Steam Engine Steamboats Textile Mills Interchangeable Parts (like in guns), etc. Then, you’ll create an ad for a real / fictitious company that would have utilized this new tech / service, and try to convince people to use it / invest in it! You may also write a letter with the same goal as an alternative assignment