1790-1860

Chapter 14: Forging the National Economy

Chapter 14 Vocabulary

1. Samuel Slater2. Cult of Domesticity3. Pony express4. Samuel Morse5. “ecological imperialism”6. Eli Whitney7. Nativism8. Transportation revolution9. Order of the Star-Spangled Banner10.Tammany Hall11.Clermont

Westward Movement

Andrew Jackson’s presidency brought attention to expansion

By 1840 demographic center has shifted across the Alleghenies

Frontier life was not what many expected Downright grim for

most families

Real Life Hollywood/Legends

Poorly fedNot a lot of $ for

clothesShanty homesDisease, depression,

and deathLonelinessWomen had toughest

time

Strong men carving out civilization

Happy homesMen and women

together

Reality Check on the Frontier

Land treatment

Farmers Pioneers often used

land and then moved on leaving land stripped

Kentucky Burning cane

provides Kentucky blue grass

Fur trappers “rendezvous” system Change in trade from

beaver to buffalo Otter

“Ecological Imperialism”

Land treatment

American wilderness heightened nationalism because of uniqueness

Many believed American distinct characteristics of unspoiled land one of the nation’s best attributes Led to inspiring literature Conservationism Increase in American art

George Catlin helped to establish 1st national park- Yellowstone Park in 1872

George Catlin

George Catlin

March of the Millions

Population increases Doubled approx. almost

every 25 yrs. 1860: 33 stars in the flag

4th most populous nation in the world

Urban growth increased New York- metropolis New Orleans- “Queen of

the South” Chicago- lord of the

Midwest

Problems with increased population

Smelly slumsPoorly lit streetsSewageRats

Improper garbage disposal practicesBoston put in sewage system in 1823NY in 1842- indoor plumbingEurope running out of room for people,

causing increase in American populations

America letters- glorified the American life No taxes Meat at meals No mandated

military serviceTransoceanic steamers

made migration easier 10-12 days instead of

weeks close quarters and

infectious diseases still problem

Irish Immigrants

Potato famine- 1845 2 million die from starvation or

complications Ireland’s greatest export becomes people

Most under 35 Literate in English Mostly to Northeast Roman Catholic

Too poor to move west, settle in citiesLived in slumsBlack community dislikes IrishNINA- No Irish Need ApplyBiddies and Paddies

Maids, canal workers, railroad workers

Irish Banding together…

Ancient Order of Hibernians- semisecret society founded in Ireland

aided the poor Molly McGuires-

Irish miner union (1860s and 70s big impact in Penn.)

Low skilled occupationsTammany Hall

Powerful political machine in New York

Political machines aided immigrants with better jobs in exchange for votes

Police Paddy wagon

German Immigrants

Between 1830- 1860 more than a million and a half Germans come to US

Most farmers looking for better land and fresh start

Many left disappointed by failure of democratic revolutions (1848)

Able to move West because of “wealth” and supplies

Less potent politically than Irish b/e they were scattered

Many moved to Wisconsin and midwest

Minority were Roman CatholicAmish

German Contributions

Conestoga WagonKentucky RifleChristmas TreeKindergarten beer

Anti-foreignism (nativism)

“rabble invasion” sparked American “nativists” to rise up

Fueled by fear immigrates would overwhelm “their country” and steal “their jobs”

Fear Roman Catholics influence (mainly Irish but with a strong German minority)

Order of the Star Spangled Banner Nativist group – secretive Turned into “Know Nothing” party or

American party Burned Catholic schools and

churches

Mechanization

1750 mass production of textiles in Britain Use steam to create powerFactory System leads to the Industrial

RevolutionWhy was it so slow to come to America?

People were coming for land not industrialization

Factory life not appealing Labor scarce

Technological changes

Samuel Slater- “Father of the Factory System” in America Steals British plans for factory system

and comes to America 1791 builds first efficient machine in

America for spinning threadEli Whitney

Massachusetts born Yale Graduate Builds cotton gin to “relieve the

poverty of the South” (1793) Revolutionizes world and cotton

industry in the South … and with it, slavery

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1791

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1791

American pride

Manufacturing boom started after the war of 1812, with Britain trying to dump “cheap” prices on the world, ruining competition in America

Tariff of 1816- helped with some reliefEli Whitney- began mass producing muskets for

the US Army Aided both northern and southern economies with his

inventionsInterchangeable parts (1798) widely adopted

by 1850 Mass production, assembly lines

Samuel F. B. Morse - telegraph

Eli Whitney’s Gun FactoryEli Whitney’s Gun Factory

Interchangeable Parts Rifle

Samuel F. B. MorseSamuel F. B. Morse

1840 – Telegraph

Wage Workers

Factories became main focus of industrial economyLiving condition of factory workers was

impoverished slumsChild workers were the a large portion of the

workforceForbidden to form labor unions; forced to work in

unsanitary conditionsMany workers gave loyalty to DemocratsDemands included:

Higher wages, 10 hour days, tolerable working conditions, public schools for kids

Wage Workers

Martin Van Buren established the 10 hour working day for federal employees on public works (1840)

Strikes erupted in 1830s and 1840s

Labor usually lost their strikes b/c of “scabs” or “rats” (strikebreakers)

Commonwealth v. Hunt proved labor unions were not illegal conspiracies as long as they were peaceful

Women and the Economy

Women had an important role in farm life as well as factory life Preindustrial economy = Soap, candles, butter, wove

cloth, spun yarn by hand Factory jobs promised greater economic independence

for women and means to buy manufactured goodsLowell “factory girls”

Worked 6 days a week 12-13 hours (“from dark to dark”) Largely New England farm girls

Economic jobs for women were largely relegated to nursing, domestic service, teaching

Cult of Domesticity

Working women were largely singleOnce married they had the new work as wives

and mothers“Cult of Domesticity”

Glorified the role of the homemaker Executed moral power to govern family Many women could now marry for love Families grew smaller Birth rates dropped Some contraceptives used but not discussed Women played leading role in decisions about fewer

children Child centered families

Farms and Revolution in the fields

Ohio Indiana and Illinois were fast becoming the breadbasket of the US

Corn became a key crop Used to feed hogs Used to distill liquor

Cincinnati becomes known as “Porkopolis”Inventions in farming changed the production

abilitiesInventions brought indebtedness of farmers

More machinery= more land=more crops=more debt = a need for new markets

John Deere

Cyrus McCormick

Highways and Steamboats

Lancaster Turnpike- 1790s Hard surfaced highway 62 miles

west from Philadelphia to Lancaster 15% annual dividends were returned

to stockholders Stimulated western growth

States rights advocates did not want federal aid for local projects

National Road (Cumberland Road) began in 1811 from Maryland to Illinois

Clermont – “Fulton’s Folly”, first steamboat in 1807

Major Roads, Canals, and Railroads, 1850A transportation network linked the seaboard to the interior. Settlers followed those routes westward, and they sent back grain, grain products, and cotton to port cities.

The Erie Canal

Began construction in 1817Linked Great Lakes with Hudson River

Could move wagons, and freight across the expanse of NY Governor DeWitt Clinton – “Clinton’s Big Ditch”

Stretched 363 miles Shortened transit time from 20 days to 6

Cost of shipping decreased from $100 to $5 per ton of grain

Land values increased along the route populations in Syracuse and Rochester increased

Railroad

Most significant contribution to the development of the economy was the railroad

Fast, reliable, cheaper than canals1828- first railroad1860- 30,000 miles of trackEarly trains had issues:

Sparks could start fires Brakes didn’t always work Arrivals and departures were guesses No standard gauge

Cables Clippers and Pony Riders

Cables 1858 Cyrus Field stretched a

cable between Europe and North America

1866 permanent cable linked the continents

Clippers Donald McKay’s shipping yard

designed clipper ships Often traveled around the horn

of South AmericaStage Coaches

11 people could fit inside one of them

Pony Express

Lasted 18 monthsPreferred orphansWanted young riders..

Approx. 18yrs oldSt. Joseph, Missouri to

Sacramento, CAStations 10 miles apartRiders changed every

75-100 milesReplaced by telegraph

lines Samuel Morse’s invention

The Transport Web Binds the Union

Desire to connect east with west stimulated “transportation revolution”

Canals and railroads made the largest changes to the economic structure

Mississippi was less important as goods moved west not south

NY became important city on the East CoastContinental economy had emerged by

1860s

Market Revolution

Changing of farms and small workshops into a link in the national industrial network

John Marshall sought to protect contract rightsRoger B. Taney replaces Marshall in 1835Small families who supported themselves became

less and less important to the economic climateTransition to store bought goods from

homemadeHome seen as a refuge from work not as the

center of workCities were the extremes for economic inequalityImmigration continued, “land of opportunity”