The Changing American Population

1800-1860Kiara Melendez

Population Growth and Movement

Reasons for Population Increase1. Improvement of Public Health

epidemics faded away

2. High Birth Rate most women were having an average of 6 children each

3. Increasing Economic Opportunity development of factories and

new, more efficient tools

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/206813807862385180/

http://michaeljfaris.com/bgswisconsin/ct/2014/03/26/spaulding-family-letters-how-life-was-like-in-the-1800s/

https://www.edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_54_897.html

Rise of New York City

● Largest city in the US by 1810● Result of the natural harbor, the

Erie Canal, and liberal state laws○ the canal gave the city unlimited access

to the interior○ the laws made the city more attractive to

both foreign and domestic commercehttps://www.popsci.com/80-thousand-photos-create-19th-century-google-street-view

Statistics of Growth: 1820-1845New York:

312,000 - 805,000 (would be 1.2 million, had Brooklyn not

been a separate municipality)

Philadelphia: 220,000 - 565,000

Boston: 93,000 - 177,000https://www.businessinsider.com/old-photos-of-new-york-city-in-the-1800s-with-google-street-view-2016-7

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-new-york-city-buildings-built-in-the-1800s-are-demolished-on-fifth-50013426.html

BEFORE AFTER

More Stats.● From 1820-1845, the population of America grew

from 9.6 - 20.1 million● From 1840-1845, the population of people of free

states living in towns or cities grew from 14-26%○ town = 2,500+ people○ city = 8,000+ people

● As the population grew, people continued to move further west○ By the 1820’s, Americans were living all along the Mississippi○ By the 1850’s, ⅔ of Americans were living west of the Appalachians

http://www.connerprairie.org/education-research/indiana-history-1800-1860/western-immigration

Rise of the West● Migration from the Carolinas/Eastern Georgia to

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas to form a “new cotton kingdom”

● Farm families from the south and people in the northeast moved further west into the states of Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana

● Several became squatters○ Squatters = people who had no legal right to the

land they settled down in○ Squatters rights were eventually recognized after

congress passed the Pre-Emption Act in 1841

http://www.connerprairie.org/education-research/indiana-history-1800-1860/western-immigration

Rise of the West Cont.● While some people became squatters, other

actually bought and owned their own land○ These land owners bought land at a relatively

high price of $2 per acre○ In 1819, the government discontinued credit

sales and dropped the price to $1.25 per acre● Western towns grew and cities developed

along the transportation routes○ Detroit on the Great Lakes and St.Louis on the Mississippi River○ New Orleans grew and it’s importance as a trade center increased○ Memphis and Natchez became economic hubs

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1800s-1860s-steamboats-rounding-a-bend-on-mississippi-river-parting-31574335.html

The Acquisition of Florida - 1819● Americans had a tendency to push nationally set boundaries

which they did to Oregon, Texas, and Florida● Americans claimed West Florida in 1810 by simply

tearing down the Spanish flag. Areas around Mobile were obtained during the War of 1812

● In 1818, Andrew Jackson led his troops deep into Spanish territory, to fight for the land, and he was able to take over the ports of St. Marks and Pensacola

● Spaniards had sent many of their troops to South America to deal with revolts and uprisings in Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile

● After Jackson took some action, he convinced Spain to sell the US the rest of Florida (Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819)

https://twitter.com/jacksonnandrew/status/798943552260739072

King Cotton

● When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, the production of cotton became much more efficient

● Factories and plantations began to pop up everywhere, which led to a demand in slave labor○ Congress banned the expansion of the slave

trade but it did not stop the expansion on slave labor as birth rates were fairly high and seth rates were relatively low

https://npg.si.edu/blog/eli-whitney-charles-bird-king

King Cotton Cont. ● By 1820, cotton was the poster child for the southern

economy in the US. This region was producing ⅔ of the world cotton○ This prosperity depended on the white slave owners,

which was only about 25% of the southern population● Because planters reinvested back into their

plantations, not much was going towards manufacturing industries○ This led to the south remaining primarily rural and the

Northeast + Midwest developing their more diversified economies and urban cities

https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/000087834/cotton-field-south-texas-pan-rt-hd.html

Rapid Urbanization - 1830’s● Between 1820-1840, small villages transitioned and evolved

into major cities● Urban growth really began in the 1830’s, when the cities

strategically placed on the Mississippi began to ship to the Great Lakes. The largest cities coming from this were Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Chicago○ Urban growth also came to exist from people moving into the

cities from farms and smaller villages

BUFFALOhttp://www.buffaloresearch.com/maps.html

DETROIT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Detroit

MILWAUKEEhttps://m.foley.com/celebrating-our-175th-foleys-growth-as-an-international-firm-

09-05-2017/

CLEVELANDhttps://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084c.pm006872/3

CHICAGOhttps://monovisions.com/grant-park-in-c

hicago/

Eastern Manufacturing Cities and Towns● As the market economy grew, the old Atlantic seaports - Boston New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,

and Charleston - also became centers of finance and manufacturing○ New York grew especially fast, mostly with

the help of German and Irish immigrants ○ By 1840, nearly ⅔ of foreign imports to

the US came through New York● The Industrial Revolution was not just a product of technological

innovations, but also of new ways of organizing work○ Factories were located near the areas

where they were produced○ Workers were then brought to the machines, assigned to

complete a specific task in a highly coordinated production process○ This allowed for managers to look over their workers more efficiently

and be able to discipline them in ways that were not possible before

https://www.thoughtco.com/significant-stages-american-industrial-revolution-4164132

Eastern Manufacturing Cities and Towns Cont.● In 1793, Samuel Slater, an immigrant from

Great Britain, constructed a ‘spinning jenny’ (to produce yarn) and established the first US factory in Pawtucket, Rhode Island○ This industry was protected from Great Britain by the

Embargo of 1807, and in 1814, the first large-scale American factory was constructed in Waltham, Massachusetts

○ In the 1820’s, a new factory town was established in Lowell, which was found about 17 miles from Boston, and while other factory towns popped up in New England and Massachusetts, the region became the industrial center of the US.

https://library.brown.edu/cds/portraits/display.ph

p?idno=37

https://spartacus-educational.com/TEXjenny.htm

Eastern Manufacturing Cities and Towns Cont.● The earliest factories were constructed along the ‘fall line’ - where waterfalls/rapids

created the energy needed to run the machines○ By the 1840’s, steam power allowed for the expansion

of the locations of these factories, which were then placed close to urban markets

● New goods, such as guns and clocks, began being mass produced thanks to the production of ‘interchangeable parts’ - standardized parts could be used in all machines produced. This allowed for the ability to repair a complex machine by simply replacing the defective part, and it was a crucial part behind keeping factories running efficiently

https://socialchangecourse.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/interchangeable-parts-in-connection-to-industrialization-and-social-change/

Urban Problems● Inequality - Wealthy bought nice house and supported

local museums, theaters, and churches, while those who provided their labor to keep the factories moving were placed into cheap, ‘shoddy’ row houses○ These row houses were often overcrowded, which led to

air and water pollution● City officials were slow to provide protection, water

and sewage, and the disposal of trash● Baltimore was the first city to charter a private

company to provide them with gas services, in 1816https://www.kilduffs.com/Harbor.html

Public Schools● In 1800, public schools were only found in New England, but

by 1860, every state had some form of public education● Horace Mann - major reformer for public education

○ secretary of state board of education in Massachusetts from 1837-1848 ○ advocated that universal public education would help to solve the urban

problems○ He claimed that public schools would teach children a common American

identity and bring children of all classes together to go through common learning experiences and in turn inspire the poor, or less fortunate, to aspire to be greater

● The public school movement created great opportunities for women to become teachers● Almost no schools provided education for black children, so schools were open to basically only to

the white children

http://www.girlonawhaleship.org/jernapp/refCard.do?shortName=horace_mann

Surging Immigrants

https://bloomp.net/articles/european-immigration-to-north-america.htm

● Between the 1830’s and the 1860’s, nearly 5 million immigrants came the America, mostly from Europe○ In the 1850’s, almost half of the residents in New York City

were immigrants○ Immigrants actually outnumbered the American citizens in the

cities of St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago.○ Only about 500,000 people immigrated to the slave states, in

the south. A third of these were actually concentrated in Missouri (St. Louis)

○ China had the largest group of non-european immigrants, with 41,000 men coming from 1854-1860. These men took jobs in heavy construction

Surging Immigrants Cont.● Because most immigrants had little knowledge about America when they arrived, New

York State set up an immigrant center, Castle Garden, in 1855○ Castle Garden - authorized agents helped out immigrants

find transportation, housing and job opportunities● Cities became very diverse during this time period ● German, Dutch, and Scandinavian farmers ended

up in rural areas in the Midwest● Immigrants came from all over, including England,

France, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland, and Holland. Although, the majority came from Germany and Ireland○ In the 1850’s, 45% of immigrants in America were Irish, and 20% were German. By 1860,

over 1.5 million Irish-born and 1 million German-born people were living in America

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/461056080581677386/

German Immigrants● Economic dislocations on the industrial revolution left widespread

poverty. This along with the collapse of the liberal revolution in 1848 convinced many Germans to leave.○ Most german immigrants moved to the northwestern cities and became farmers

or went into business.○ The Germans weren’t as poor as the Irish, which allowed them to have a few

material goods for themselves, they were also more welcomed into the locations they decided to settle down in

○ Most stayed in the eastern cities but several moved to more rural areas in Pennsylvania, where there were already German settlements established. Others moved to cities along the Mississippi and some even went as far as Texas

○ Germans more often came with at least some money and were a part of a family or single men. These made it possible for movement to the agricultural frontier

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/9992430396002092/

Irish Immigrants

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/693442946808152065

● The Irish were more inclined to leave because of the oppressive rule and unpopularity of England. Although, more important was the “potato famine” from 1845-1849.

● Most Irish immigrants moved to the eastern cities and remained unskilled workers. They were forced to take the lowest paying jobs and had to live in crowded tenement buildings

● Eventually the Irish were able to improve their lives by obtaining their own property, becoming policemen, and finding a spot in politics

● Their largest populations were found in New York and Boston● Irish came with basically no money and were mostly young,

single women. Movement for women wasn’t as plausible as it was for the men so it made more sense for the irish women to stay in the east with the factories and domestic work

Irish Immigrants - Potato FaminePotatoes were a very important crop to the Irish. Before its arrival to Europe from America, Irish people were leading lives of poverty.

This result of the Columbian Exchange brought a nutritious and easy-to-grow crop to Ireland, and because of its productivity

(producing three times as much as grain), the Irish population was able to grow. Their population doubled between 1781-1845, from 4 million to 8 million. About half of this population increase was only

possible with the cultivation of potatoes. In 1845, all of the potatoes were hit with a fungus, making them inedible. The fungus remained present until 1851, and by that time, the lack of food had already killed off one million of the Irish population. Then 2 million

people decided to pack their bags and go to America.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/248190629437002372/

The Rise of Nativism

Background● With some native-born Americans supporting immigrants, a supply of cheap labor developed

which was thought to keep wage rates low● Land speculators and others with investments in

lands far spread, in the west, wished for immigrants to move to their lands to increase their populations and develop a market

● Political leaders in the west also wished for immigrant to move to their lands so they could have a larger political influence over their region○ In Wisconsin, immigrants became voters immediately after they

expressed their wishes to become a citizen and settled down for a year. The other western states soon followed○ This occurred in the eastern states as well, where they hoped to increase their own political influence

https://www.smore.com/ptnp-industrial-revolution-conflicts

Anti-Catholicism● Hostilities between Protestants and Catholics began in Europe

and had lasted for centuries, and those who ended up in America and formed the 13 colonies kept these hostilities close to heart, especially the nativists

● Nearly all Irish immigrants, and a few Germans, were catholics, and that made their lives in America pretty hard

● Americans blamed the Irish (all Catholics) for negative changes occurring in America at the time; crime, political corruption, and the undercutting of native-born laborers by working for lower wages

● The Irish were then stereotyped by Americans to be lazy and heavy drinking miscreants who were unfit for American society

https://cuslar.org/2014/10/23/similar-anti-immigrant-rhetoric-used-throughout-u-s-history/

The Nativist Party

www.chegg.com/homework-help/nativism-anti-immigration-sentimentanti-immigration-sentimen-chapter-10-problem-2

uae1-solution-9781259971112-exc

● Most Americans were not a fan of the quickly growing immigrant population. Those that were not in favor created the rise of what is called ‘nativism’○ Nativism - a defense of native-born people

a and hostility towards those foreign-born● Americans viewed immigrants the same way they

viewed the African Americans; with contempt, prejudice, and low estimate of their potential abilities

● Americans avoided racist arguments but still would not accept the immigrants and say that they were ‘socially unfit’ to live among the native-born Americans and that they didn’t come to America ‘civilized’ enough○ Americans also claimed that immigrants were taking jobs away from

the native-born because they were willing to work for lower wages

Native American Party

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%7Dnap.html

● With all of the negative feelings towards immigrants, nativists formed secret societies to combat what they called the ‘alien menace.’○ Most societies came from the northeast○ The first society was called the Native American Party

formed after a convention in Philadelphia in 1854○ Several native groups got together in 1850 and formed

the Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner■ This order created a list of demands, one which included one

where catholics and foreign-born citizens could not hold a place in office. They also created more restrictive naturalization laws and a literacy test for voting

■ The Order created a secret password in order to guarantee they weren’t letting just anybody into their meetings. When members were asked about their presence, they were taught to say, “I know nothing.” This lead the members to soon be called the ‘Know-Nothings’

The Know-Nothings

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Know-Nothing_Party

● After the election of 1852, the Know-Nothings created a new political organization called the American Party

● The organization had tremendous success in the east in the election of 1854○ They casted a large vote in Pennsylvania and

New York and won control of Massachusetts● The know-nothings weren’t quite as influential in other

regions● But after 1854, the political strength of the know-

nothings declined and their existence faded away

Nativism + Anti-Catholicism Video Summary

TIME FOR KAHOOT!!!