Irish Potato Famine Potato introduced in 17 th Cen. Irish adopt it as staple crop Reliance on it for trade and life 1845 Famine hits Crops turn black Mass starvation British no help Leads to mass migration Australia and US
US Immigration In 1800 US population was 5.3 million By 1860 it was 31.5 million Between ,000 new immigrants arrived in the US Most were Irish and German Why? War and…
Anti-Irish Large influx in such a short of time drew a lot of ire Catholics Depicted as drunk, lazy Many pictures showed them apish, brutish, and usually poor Would be a focal point of the Nativists
Urban Growth Irish filled the eastern cities Unskilled labor Problems Housing, food, crime Germans filled the northwest Farming or businesses further west Think Coors!!!
Growth The US: 1789The US: 1845
Pro-Immigration Industry Cheap labor Land Speculators Expand population in west Open new markets Politicians Increased population, especially in the west, meant statehood and votes
Nativism Growing anti-immigrant movement Socially inferior Drove down wages Morally corrupt Catholics!!! Native-American Party Growth of secret organizations like “Know- Nothings” lead to party affiliation and creation of American Party Will remain and be adopted by future Republican Party
Transportation and Communication Boom!!!
Steamboat Rivers became vastly more important Importance of steamboats increase Carried goods from farm to market Also leisure travel thus boats got bigger and more lavish
Canal System Before: Road system terrible Ruts and dangers made travel and commerce not feasible Turnpikes: tools made it difficult for farmers After Travel was a bit safer Canals connect rural farmers to larger East coast markets Growth of small towns and canal ports
Erie Canal Began July 4, 1817 and completed in Oct Largest construction project US had taken before then Connected Albany, NY with Erie Economic BOOM Tolls paid for it within 7 years Helped to establish NY City as America’s economic center Still active, but mostly for tourism
Railroad 1804 saw the invention of tracks and steam engines Early R.R. were small and lost to canal competition Post 1840 saw a boom in R.R. construction Post 1860 would see the R.R. come to supplant canals and dominate American transportation
Telegraph 1844 Samuel F.B. Morse invents the telegraph Marriage with telegraph lines and R.R. would connect America like never before ,000 miles of line 1861 connection between NY and San Francisco 1862 consolidation into the Western Union Telegraph Company
Journalism 1846 Richard Hoe invents the Rotary Steam Press Increase speed and lowers price of papers Creation of the Associated Press Press would be a unifying and dividing force Unifying: Connects all parts of America Dividing: Rancor and divisions now more prevalent
Industrial American North
Cottage Industry Also known as “Putting- out System” Most finished goods came from this prior to 1830 Home based Pick hours Safety Goods sent to market and wages based on output
Cottage Con’t The System Manufacturer pays home worker Home worker sews goods Sent to finisher Sent to cleaner Sent to manufacturer Sent to market
Corporate America Before 1830 Corporations could only gain charter through state legislators Long and costly Post 1830 States removed restrictions Opened doors for investment
Factories Before 1820 most manufacturing done in homes Growth of work force, interchangeable parts, technology, and capital opens way for factory system
Lowell System Lowell Mass. was center of textile manufacturing Relied exclusively on unmarried women System: Paternalistic Good pay for the time Lived in boarding houses Well fed Strict curfews Required to attend church
Decline of Lowell Work Long and tedious Restrictions Women + Money= ? Competition Immigrant work force made other factories more competitive Lowell joins in
Master/Apprentice The Master/Apprentice system would be challenged by changes in industry Master teaches the apprentice; known as journeyman until skilled enough to be called apprentice: 3-15 yrs Apprentice takes skills, opens own shop (or takes over) and continues process Deskilling of labor makes Master/Apprentice a thing of the past in most industries Especially shoes
Challenges to Factories Trade Unions Artisans united to challenge factory domination Set up own shops as competition Recruited workers in factories Now in the factories 1842 Commonwealth v. Hunt Mass. Supreme Court ruled unions and ability to strike legal Other states would follow with similar decisions
A Changing Society
Creation of a Class Structure Industry helps to solidify and American class structure Upper: Owner Middle: Manager Lower Middle: Foremen Working: Skilled Workers Lower: Unskilled workers 19 th Cen. saw clearer distinctions between the classes
Social Mobility 19 th Century saw more social mobility The ability to move from one class to the next Hard work, ingenuity It was very limited But enough to make those who hadn’t think it was possible Or instill in the next generation the idea that it could happen
Changing Family Shrinking Agriculture in North Lure of the city Jobs, money, social interaction Decline of the family Young leaving family farms Causes decline and loss Young women Lured to city More freedom Also rape, assaults, abuse rises
Women “Cult of Domesticity” Roles for men and women Men: Work Women: Take care of Children Few rights for Women Divorce, abuse, rape did not favor women Godey’s Lady Book Magazine that focused on non-controversial ideas, instead focused on “domestic” concerns Growing involvement in Social issues Especially children
Leisure Growing upper and middle classes saw more down time Minstrel Shows Actors in black face P.T Barnum Creation of the circus Parks Central Park