america’s economic revolution · a distinct female culture “lady’s” literature romance...
TRANSCRIPT
America’s Economic RevolutionU N I T 3 W E E K 1 0
B E T W E E N 1 8 1 2 A N D 1 8 6 1 , A M E R I C A W I L L U N D E R G O R E V O L U T I O N A R Y E C O N O M I C C H A N G E S , PA R T I C U L A R LY I N T H E N O R T H . S E C T I O N A L I S M B E C O M E S A M A J O R I S S U E .
Factors that Influenced the US Ind. Rev.Advances in Transportation
Advances in Communication
Growth of manufacturing tech
New systems of business organization
Population growth
Population Trends (1820s-1840s)1. Rapid population increase
2. Movement westward
3. Growth of towns and cities
Why?
Public health improvements◦ Reduced # of epidemics
◦ Death rate declined
High birth rate◦ 1840: Avg. 6.14 children per woman
SlavesImportation of Slaves banned (1808)
◦ Slow in growth
Comparatively high death rate
Shorter life expectancy
Poverty
Immigration and Urban Growth (1840-1860)Dramatic increase in size of cities
◦ New York nearly triples
◦ Philadelphia and Boston doubles
1860s Free States: 26% Urban
1860s Slave States: 10% Urban
The Agricultural West was forming new urban centers◦ St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville
Mississippi River Great Lakes Trade
Immigration3.5 Million immigrants
New York: ½ residents are recent immigrants
St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee: Foreign Born outnumber Native born
Few immigrate to South
Biggest Groups◦ Irish
◦ Unskilled labor
◦ Single women, factory workers, domestic work
◦ Eastern cities
◦ Germans◦ Family groups
◦ Farmers, small businesses
◦ Northwest
Nativism
The policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants.
Complaints about ImmigrantsImmigrants are racially inferior.
They corrupt politics, sell their votes
Stole jobs from native workers
Too many are Catholic
Radical force in politics
The “Alien Menace”
Nativist Political PartiesThe Native American Association (1837)
◦ Native American Party (1845)
The Supreme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner (1850)
◦ Ban Catholics or aliens from holding office
◦ More restrictive naturalization laws
◦ Literacy test to vote
The “Know-Nothings”—nickname of the SoSSB
◦ Secret Password: “I Know Nothing”
◦ The American Party (1852)
◦ Disappears after 1854
Transportation and Communication RevolutionsTHE FIRST HALF OF THE 19 TH CENTURY SAW DRAMATIC CHANGES
The Canal Age (1820s-1830s)Roads are inadequate
Steamboats replace barges, but require large rivers
RiverGreat Lakes Atlantic◦ Kind of roundabout
Canal to serve as direct route◦ More efficient than overland transport
States must finance the Canals
Eventually can ship goods from New York to New Orleans
Western produce stops heading South and instead goes East
◦ Hurts eastern farmers (worse land)
New York begins to dominate economy in the East
The Railroads (1820s-1830s)Very Small role (for now)
1804: Experiments begin in US and UK
1820: John Stevens, New Jersey◦ Circular track
1825: Stockton and Darlington RR in UK◦ First line to carry traffic
1830: Baltimore and Ohio◦ 13 miles of track
1836: More than 1,000 miles of track in 11 states
The Railroads (1840s-1860s)Eventually surpass canals
1840-1860: 3,000-27,000 Miles
Chicago becomes main rail center of West
Diverts traffic from Erie canal and Mississippi River
Weakens connection between Northwest and South
Government Funding◦ State+Local
◦ Federal Land Grants
1860: 30 Million acres in 11 states
Impact of the RailroadsTowns spring up around them
Cut shipment and travel time dramatically◦ Days instead of weeks
Economically efficient
Push growth of technology
Symbol of American Progress and Greatness
The TelegraphSamuel F. B. Morse (1832)
Send electrical signals along a cable◦ Morse Code: Telegraph Language
◦ Long/Short bursts represent each letter
Baltimore to Washington Line (1843)◦ $30,000
By 1860: over 50,000 miles of line
Pacific Telegraph (1861)◦ New York to San Francisco
Trans-Atlantic Cable (1866).
Worked with Rail lines
Commerce and IndustryA MODERN CAPITALIST ECONOMY IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOPMENT. IT IS SECTIONAL DEVELOPMENT THOUGH
Recruiting a Native Workforce1820s: 90% of Americans live on farms
◦ Urbanites: Skilled artisans who owned shops
◦ Lack of unskilled workers
Agricultural methods improve, less people needed to harvest◦ More food produced
◦ Easier to import from other regions
The Lowell SystemYoung women
Work for several years
Save wages
Return home to marry and raise children◦ Some stay in city and marry
Difficulties◦ Living among strangers
◦ Strict rules, hours.
◦ Many women found difficult◦ Few other options
◦ Farms could not support them
Effects of increased competition for jobsDecline in wages
Increase in hours
Worsening working conditions
The Factory Girls Association (1834)Lowell
Organized union
Strike to protest 25% pay cut
Strike to protest rent increase (1837)
Both strikes fail, organization collapses
Other Labor Organization AttemptsFemale Labor Reform Association (1845)
◦ 10 hour work day
◦ Get legislation passed
Most mill girls have moved on to other occupations
Immigrants become primary labor supply
◦ Less demanding of rights
The Immigrant WorkforceWorse working conditions than before
Poor living conditions◦ The “shanty Irish”
Daily wage changes to “piece rates”
12-14 hour workday
Declining wages
Women and Children earn less than men
Artisans v. FactoriesFactories displaced artisans
Skilled workers form societies for mutual aid◦ Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and New York
◦ National Trades’ Union (1834)
◦ Printers and Cordwainers Union (1836)
Laws and the courts did not support the unions
Legalizing the Unions?Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)
◦ Massachusetts state supreme court
◦ Unions are lawful organizations.
◦ The strike is a lawful weapons
Other states follow, but employers resist
Immigrants willing to work for lower wages
Ethnic divisions led to internal bickering instead of working together against management
Management has economic, political, and social power
Patterns of SocietyT H E I N C R E A S E I N W E A LT H L E D TO A N I N C R E A S E I N I N E Q U A L I T Y
A N T E B E L L U M : T H E P E R I O D D I R E C T LY B E F O R E T H E C I V I L WA R ( 1 8 3 0 S - 1 8 6 1 ) . T Y P I C A L LY W H E N R E F E R R I N G TO T H E S O U T H
The Ind. Rev. Changes the EconomySignificantly increased average income
Slaves, Native Americans, landless farmers, unskilled workers, saw little improvement.
Merchants and Industrialists become the new wealthy
The RichOpulent urban neighborhoods
Extravagant displays of wealth◦ Fancy carriages
◦ Massive mansions
Clubs
Central Park: New York◦ A place with elegant settings for carriage rides
The PoorTypically homeless
Dependent on Charity or Crime
“Paupers”
Widows, orphans lack the means to survive
Irish often barred from employment due to racism
Free Blacks in the NorthSignificant #s in Northern cities
Some were former slaves◦ Escaped or released
Access only to menial jobs
No vote, not allowed to attend public schools
Forbidden from public services
Social MobilityLittle overt class conflict
Life for most factory workers was better than rural farmers in Europe
Possibility to move from poor to rich with a good work ethic
Many were able to move from poor to middle class
◦ Unskilled labor to skilled labor
Middle Class LifeFastest growing group in America
Shop and Business owners◦ No need to own land
◦ Provide valuable services
Ability to own homes
Middle Class WomenStayed in the home
Hire servants◦ Young, unmarried immigrant women
◦ Escape from the drudgery of housework
Cast-iron stove (1840s)◦ Replace fireplace for cooking
◦ Hot, clumsy, and dirty
◦ More convenient and safer than open hearth
◦ Could cook multiple things at once
The Changing FamilySons and daughters of urban households more likely to leave the family in search of work
Distinction between the workplace/public world and family/private world.
Family now dominated by housekeeping, child rearing, domestic concerns rather than production of goods.
Birth rates decline: 7 per woman in 1800 to 5 per woman in 1860
The “Cult of Domesticity”Greater distinction between roles of men and women
Women not permitted at any college until 1837
◦ Only 2 colleges allowed
Middle Class Families◦ Husband=principal or even only
income producer
◦ Wife=guardian of “domestic virtues.”
◦ High value on clean homes
◦ Entertaining guests
◦ Elegant dressing.
A Distinct Female Culture“Lady’s” Literature
◦ Romance novels focusing on a woman’s sphere
◦ Women’s magazines
The “Cult of Domesticity”
High Value on “female virtues”
Detachment from public world
Teaching and nursing permitted
Most outside of household work= lower-class work.
Public LeisureTheatres: crossed class lines
◦ Melodrama
◦ American myths
◦ Shakespeare
Minstrel Shows◦ White actors in black face◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6dXrm1YjBE
Horse Racing
Baseball◦ City parks or fields
The Circus
P.T. BarnumAmerican Museum
◦ New York: 1842
◦ Freak show
Genius publicist
“There’s a sucker born every minute”
“I don’t care what they say about me, just make sure they spell my name right”
The Agricultural NorthIN THE NORTHWEST, MOST PEOPLE REMAIN AGRICULTURAL. AGRICULTURE IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING PART OF THE NEW CAPITALIST ECONOMY
Northeastern AgricultureDecline from 1840s on
Can not compete with the Northwest
Some farmers moved west
Some moved to mill towns, became laborers
“Truck Farming”◦ Raising vegetables or fruit, selling in nearby towns
◦ Milk, butter, cheese, local markets
The Old North West (The Mid West)Steady industrial growth around Cleveland and Cincinnati
Chicago becomes center of meatpacking industry
Primarily an Agricultural region◦ Rich soil
◦ Most farmers were reasonably prosperous
New Agricultural TechniquesNew varieties of seed
◦ Mediterranean wheat
◦ Hardier
English Hogs, Spanish Sheep
Cast iron Plows- Steel Plows◦ More durable
The Automatic Reaper (1834)Cyrus H. McCormick (Virginia)
Replaces the sickle
Pulled by horses
6-7 men can do the work of 15.
1860: 100,000 reapers
The Thresher (After 1840)Separated the grain from the wheat stalks
Jerome I. Case factory (Wisconsin)
Later combined with Reaper
Rural LifeThe farther west, the more isolated farmers became
Religion: largest force for community in remote communities
Religious activities central to socialization
Control over the patterns of their daily life
Catalogs to order merchandise from far away cities
Sourceshttp://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/population-chart.jpg http://visualizingnyc.org/broadway-and-ann/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/07/NY-1041-1500x877.jpghttp://historiana.eu/assets/uploads/Scandinavian_and_German_immigrants.jpghttp://www.themarshallbros.com/school/ss/chapter14/images/immigration_map_copy(1).jpghttp://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p222/Thereal_pale/know-nothing-flag.jpghttp://www.longislandwins.com/assets/news/8551/know_nothing_poster.png http://sdrm.info/history/timeline/steamwaggon.jpghttp://www.huntington.org/uploadedImages/Files/images/empire_locomotive_lg.jpghttp://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/101/c/2/samuel_morse_by_moutsider-d4vs7dhttp://admin.bhbl.neric.org/~mmosall/ushistory/topics/lo_files/image004.jpg s.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8e8syZyeFek/TUhmkjS-hrI/AAAAAAAAFz8/49l9syWqSYM/s1600/lowellgirl_illio_resize.jpghttp://84d1f3.medialib.glogster.com/media/69/693cfe47574d93c0cf85bf2523ba21ddefcdf39a4404988b54b1bd9c69ad6014/womenwanted.gif https://antebellumperiod.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/018l1.jpg http://www.nyaoh.com/andie/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/shanty-1.jpg https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bLU4i056z3-xx445ihtQAuxyNtho2uPWRtKzUesXT3AT_y_TifH7PM70qhT1m1vBe-8jpYw5wEcrykHbRbpYGTACN0mCczeaomiec2_JvJ8pj9Fhygghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/GROWTH1850.JPGhttp://www.yorkblog.com/yorktownsquare/files/2006/04/Cottage-Hill-College.png http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CbtKVT1fAhM/TbuwRIOFA7I/AAAAAAAAAKE/kUU_jMtAxcg/s1600/paupers.jpghttps://americanrenaissanceii.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/free1850.gif http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove/img/toy-cast-iron-stove.jpg https://jorymicah.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/cult1.jpg http://usercontent2.hubimg.com/8634203_f520.jpghttp://images.wisconsinhistory.org/700003050055/0305001086-l.jpg https://awestruckwanderer.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/brook-farm.jpg?w=660