1. The Worlds of North and South

2. Introduction – Eli Whitney
The three areas differed in
their economies,
transportation systems,
and societies
A Problem
The Idea Man
Complaints from planters/farmers:
Cotton grew well in the South
Cleaning the seeds out of cotton fibers was a big problem
A slave picking out seeds by hand could clean only a few pounds a day
Using cheap slave labor, there was little profit in raising cotton
Eli Whitney
Invented a machine to:
Manufacture nails more quickly than making them by hand
Manufactured hat pins and men’s canes
While tutoring in the South
Came up with the idea of the Cotton Gin
Will have different effects on the North and South

3. Northerners adapted to
Geography of the North
Northerners adapted to
geographical
differences
by creating different
industries and ways of
making a living
Climate
Natural Features
All the Northern states experienced four distinct seasons
Most northerly states
Had colder winters and shorter summer growing seasons than states farther south, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Jagged New England coast
Had hundreds of bays and inlets -- perfect for use as harbors
Shipbuilding, fishing, and commerce flourished in this are
Inland from the sea
Narrow, flat plain with a thin covering of rocky soil
Farming was not easy here
Instead, many people turned to trade and crafts
Others moved west in search of better farmland.

4. or the clearing of forests
Geography of the North
Natural Features
Natural Features
Negative Effect:
Deforestation,
or the clearing of forests
New England’s hills rose sharply above V-shaped valleys carved by steep streams
New Englanders found that they could make money by harvesting timber
Wood was used for shipbuilding and in trade with other countries
Farther south in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
Rivers deposited rich soil over the plains
Areas supported themselves by farming
Central Plains, a large, forested region drained by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
Have some of the best agricultural soil in the world
Settlers cleared the forests to make way for farms

5. Cities and towns all started by rivers
Geography of the South
Cities and towns all
started by rivers
Climate
Natural Features
Southern states enjoyed mild winters and long, hot, humid summers
Plentiful rainfall and long growing seasons made this a perfect place for raising warm-weather crops
Along the coast, the plains were dotted with swamps and marshes
Ideal for growing rice and sugarcane
Indigo was grown on the dry land above the swamps, and tobacco and corn were farmed farther inland
Above the plains rose the Appalachians
Carved farms and orchards out of rolling hills and mountain hollows
Most people in the South were farmers
Southerners used natural resources in other ways as well
Other Professions
Lumber
Gathered fish, oysters, and crabs

6. Economy of the South The Beginning The Beginning
South’s economy was based on agriculture
Most white Southerners were agrarians who favored a way of life based on farming
Rich plantation owners, did not have to do the hard work of growing crops themselves
Most white Southerners worked their own small farms
Plantation owners used slaves to grow such cash crops
Tobacco
Rice
Sugarcane
Indigo
Use of slaves had begun to decline (1790’s)
Europeans were unwilling to pay high prices due to the decline
Cotton was a promising crop
Had a hard time making a profit
Had to find a time efficient way of sorting the seeds from the cotton
Discouraged planters were buying fewer slaves, and even letting some go free

7. Economy of the South The Beginning Eli Whitney Whitney had an idea
Took a job tutoring children on a Georgia plantation
Observed the way cotton was cleaned by hand
Whitney had an idea
“If a machine could be invented which would clean the Cotton with expedition [speed],” he wrote his father, “it would be a great thing . . . to the Country.”
Six months later
Cotton Gin

8. Economy of the South The Impact of the Cotton Gin
Expanding Demand for Land and Slaves 
Whitney’s “cotton engine,” called the cotton gin for short
Purpose:  used rotating combs to separate cotton fiber from its seeds
Effect: a single worker could clean as much cotton as 50 laborers
Cotton was the South’s most important crop
Became the U.S. leading exported good
Raising cotton in the same fields year after year soon wore out the soil
Result: went West for more soil
Whitney’s hopes: lighten the work of slaves
Instead, it made slavery more important to the South than ever
Slavery rose from 500,000 to more than 3 million
Southerners putting money into land and slaves, the South had little interest in building factories
Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia
Made ammunition and weapons for the U.S. army, as well as steam engines, rails, and locomotives

9. Economy of the North Industrial Revolution
The Growth of Industry in the North
Began in England in the late 1700s
Came to United States in the early 1800s
A shift from making things and doing work by hand to making things and doing work with machines
Francis Cabot Lowell
Saw how machines worked in England
Used fast-moving streams to turn a wheel = energy
Lowell memorized the design of the British machines
Built one of the first American textile factories, along the Merrimack River outside Boston
Factory combined spinning and weaving machinery in the same building

10. Industrial Revolution
Economy of the North
The Growth of Industry in the North
The Growth of Industry in the North
Workers
Hired young women, very eager to make money
A.K.A: “Lowell Girls”
Worked hour days
Sundays off
Steam Power
Effect: Allowed for factories to be built anywhere – does not have to be along a river
Eli Whitney’s new concept
Interchangeable parts
Could assemble products even more cheaply by making them from identical parts
This era is known as the
Industrial Revolution
New inventions and manufacturing methods made goods cheaper and more plentiful
Concept: Build it faster, more quantity, charge less, make a profit
Technology hurt the work force
E.X. Elias Howe’s sewing machines
Machines could do more work and faster than seamstresses
Effect: people lost jobs

11. Economy of the North The Growth of Industry in the North
Factory owners
Tended to favor a strong national government
Promoted improvements in manufacturing, trade, and transportation
Southern Fears
Did not like the new wealth in the North
Big Fear: Northern interests might grow too powerful and threaten the South’s way of life

12. Northern economy boomed
Economy of the North
Northern economy boomed
By 1860: Northern economy
was 10x’s
greater than the South
Machines Make Agriculture More Efficient
Machines Make Agriculture More Efficient
Industrial Revolution Effects
New machines increased the rate at which agricultural goods could be produced
Cyrus McCormick
Built a machine called a reaper
28 times faster at cutting grain than a single man using a scythe
Built a reaper factory in Chicago, Illinois
Used the interchangeable parts idea – production boomed
John Deere
Invented the steel-tipped plow
Reduced the amount of labor needed to plow a field
Made it easier to plant and harvest large quantities of wheat

13. Transportation in the North
Building Better Roads
Fast Ships and Canals
First attempt for improvement
1806, Congress funded the construction of a National Road across the Appalachian Mountains
Purpose:
Connect the new western states with the East
Improvement stop
Monroe argued that spending federal money for a state’s internal improvements was unconstitutional (strict constructionist)
River travel was still faster and cheaper than travel by land
Going upstream was difficult
Steam engines would solve the problem
 Robert Fulton (1807)
Raced the Clermont upstream on the Hudson River
Showed speed and efficacy for its time

14. Transportation in the North
Fast Ships and Canals
Traveling by Rail
Erie Canal
1817, New York hired engineers and workers to build a 363-mile canal from the Hudson River to Lake Erie
Because of its success – other states built canals
Clipper ships
Fast sailing ships – food would not spoil
Cut ocean travel time in half
Led to increased Northern trade with foreign ports around the world.
The future
Inspired by the success of steamboats
Advantages
Trains traveled faster than steamboats
Could go wherever tracks could be laid—even across mountains
Railroads were the North’s biggest business

15. Transportation in the South
Rivers, and More Rivers
People and goods continued to move on rivers
Channels of Southern rivers made water travel easy and relatively cheap
Slave docks
Slaves loaded cotton bales directly onto steam-powered riverboats
Cotton boom made New Orleans one of the largest cities in the South
Once the cotton reached the sea
Loaded onto sailing ships headed for ports in England or the North
Towns and cities sprang up along waterways
Little need for roads or canals to connect these settlements
Southerners opposed bills in Congress that would use federal funds for internal improvements
Did not want to benefit the North
Some railroads were built in the South
Transported cotton to North
Half the rail lines of the North

16. Society in the South Social Classes Slavery Question
Top: Rich plantation owners
Middle: White farmers and workers
Bottom: African Americans—mostly enslaved
Situation
As long as the slave economy could be preserved
Little incentive to make progress economically or culturally
Religion was affected
South churches: preached it was ok to enslave
Opposite of the churches in the North
Separated North from South further

17. Society in the South White Southerners The Majority of Whites
Small group of wealthy plantation owners
Controlled:
The economy and politics of the South
Enjoyed a leisurely way of life
Filled with parties and social visits
Education
Sons – went to Universities and colleges
Daughters – raised to be wives and hostesses
Most white families
Owned some land
Only about one in four owned even one slave
The majority worked their own fields
Made most of what they needed themselves
10 percent of whites were too poor to own any land
They rented rugged mountain or forest land and paid the rent with the crops they raised
Many white children were illiterate

18. Society in the South
African Americans in the South
African Americans in the South
Small minority of the African Americans were free blacks
Had to do the following:
Wear special badges
Pay extra taxes
Live separately from whites
Occupations:
Craftspeople, servants, or laborers
Majority of African Americans in the South were slaves
Worked as:
Cooks, carpenters, blacksmiths, house servants, or nursemaids
Majority were:
Field hands who labored from dawn until past dusk

19. Society in the North Urban Sprawl Cities are growing rapidly
African Americans in the North
Cities are growing rapidly
People still live on farms (7 out of 10 people)
Big cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston are growing rapidly
Jobs are there
Cities of the North
Unsanitary
No sewers or paved streets
Disease spread rapidly
Blacks in the North were free, they were not treated as equal to whites
Limitations:
Could not vote
Hold office
Serve on juries
Attend white churches and schools
African Americans often worked as laborers or servants
Due to employers would not hire them

20. Society in the North
Immigrants Arrive in the North
Immigrants Arrive in the North
Between 1845 and 1860, four million immigrants came to the United States
From Ireland and Germany
People of Ireland left due to a potato famine
Germans left due to failed revolutions
Many lived in the cities where jobs were offered
Resentment
Americans resented the Irish the most
They were Roman Catholic
The United States was mostly Protestant at the time
Accepted very low wages
This took jobs away from native-born workers
More than one-third of all U.S. immigrants came from Ireland