Chapter 14 Notes: Forging the National

Economy
The Westward Movement
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The settlers pushed toward the west

o Very hard with disease and loneliness
o They were ill-informed in current matters, superstitious and
individualistic

Shaping the Western Landscape

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Moving west changed the environment

o Tobacco overuse had made the land infertile and settlers moved on
Bluegrass thrived in the new environments though
o They trapped beavers, sea otters and bison to ship to the east
Spirit of nationalism led to a new emphasis on appreciation of the wilderness
o George Catlin wanted a national park
Yellowstone created in 1872

The March of Millions

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In the mid-1800s population doubled every 25 years

o 1860- there were now 33 states
o American pop was 4th in the world
o Urban growth continued to grow at high rates
o Growth came with poor sanitation, sewage systems and piped in water
1850s millions of Irish and Germans came into the country
o Came due to a surplus population in Europe
They wanted land, freedom from church, no aristocracy and 3
meals a day
Used transoceanic steamships to travel there

The Emerald Isle Moves West

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The Irish potato famine in 1840s killed 2 million and many fled to the U.S.
o Mainly came to cities like Boston and New York
o Illiterate, discriminated against and had low paying jobs
Hated by Protestants because they were Catholic
o Irish hated the competition against the blacks for low paying jobs
The Ancient Order of Hibernians was established to help the Irish
o Gradual property ownership came about
o The children began to receive education
o Attracted to politics and filled police departments

The German Forty-Eighters

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Between 1830s-1860s 1 million Germans poured in because of crop failures

and revolutions
o Bought land in the west since they had more money than the Irish

o
Older
o
o

Their votes were really important so politicians tried to woo them

Spread out so they lacked potency
Contributed a lot to U.S. culture
Urged public education and freedom (didnt like slavery)
Americans hated and discriminated the Germans
Germans grouped together, were aloof
Clung to old ways, culture, language and religion

Flare-ups of Antiforeignism
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Nativists were older Americans who prejudiced against newcomers in jobs,

politics and religion
o Catholicism became a major faith due to immigration so they wanted
to open schools
Fear of Catholisim challenging Protestantism made nativists form The KnowNothings
o They met in secrecy
o Fought for restrictions on immigration, naturalization and deportation
o Wrote fiction books about the corruption of churches
o Mass violence where churches were burnt and schools wrecked
It made America a society with much diversity
o Time passed immigrants were more accepted
o They were crucial to economic expansion

Creeping Mechanization
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The industrialization spread to the U.S., which was a huge potential

o Land was cheap, and raw material were plentiful
o Had big enough population for the factory style manufacturing
Still had competition from Britains long established factories
o Britain forbade travel of craftsmen and export of machines
The U.S. still remained a mostly rural and farming nation

Whitney Ends the Fiber Famine

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Samuel Slater was the Father of the Factory System

o Learned of textile machinery when working in Britain factory
Escaped to the U.S. and built the 1st cotton spinner
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Eli Whitney built the cotton gin
o Cotton economics were profitable and saved the South
o South expanded the cotton kingdom westward
o Northern factories made textiles (cloth)

Marvels in Manufacturing
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The Embargo Act of the War of 1812 encouraged home manufacturing

o After peace treaty of Ghent, the British poured in a surplus of cheap
goods
Forced the closure of many American factories
o Congress passed Tariff of 1816 to protect U.S. economy

Eli Whitney introduced machine-made interchangeable parts in 1850

o The basis of the assembly line which flourished in the North
Elias Howe and Isaac Singer
o Made the sewing machine
Limited liability in corporation (cant lose more than invested) helped the
economy
o Laws of free incorporation came about saying there was no need to
apply for a charter to start a corporation

Workers and Wage Slaves

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Factory System lead to impersonal relations

o Benefits went to the factory owner
o Hours were long, wages low, conditions unsafe and unhealthy,
o no unions to address issues
o half of the labor force were children
o in 1820s and 30s the conditions improved
10 hour day, higher wages, safe conditions, education, no
imprisonment for debt
In 1840s Van Bren made a 10 hour day for federal employees
Many workers went on strike but employers just imported
cheaper workers
In 1830s labor unions formed
o Case of the Commonwealth v. Hunt in Massachusetts Supreme Court
Legalized unions for peaceful and honorable protests
Their effectiveness was small
Cheaper labor could always be found

Women and the Economy

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Women also worked in factories under poor conditions

o Lowell, Massachusetts and textile mill employed young, single women
o Opportunities were rare and women worked in nursing, domestic
services and teaching
o Worked before marriage
Became housewives and mothers after
Families began to change during this time
o Arranged marriages died down; marriages due to love
o Average size grew smaller
o Fertility rate dropped sharply (crude form of birth control)
o Child centered families
Less children and less discipline
o Home went from place of labor to refuge and rest

Western Farmers Reap a Revolution in the Fields

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The trans-Allegheny region (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois) became a breadbasket

o Planted corn and raised hogs
Inventions helped agriculture boom
o John Deere steel plow pulled by horses

o Cyrus McCormick mechanical mower-reaper for harvesting grain

Large-scale production and growth of cash crops
o North produced more food than the South
o Products could flow North to South easily on rivers

Highways and Steamboats

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Improvements in transportation were needed for raw materials

o Lancaster Turnpike road from Philadelphia to Lancaster
Economic expansion westward
o Cumberland Road was built with state and federal money
o Robert Fulton invented first steamboat in 1807
Caused an increase of U.S. trade since no concern for weather or
trade
Helped develop Southern and Western economies

Clintons Big Ditch in New York

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It was
o
o
o

the Erie Canal between Lake Erie and the Hudson River
Shortened the expense and time of transportation
Cities grew along the canal and price of food was reduced
Farmers unable to compete in the rocky soils of the East
So they moved West

The Iron Horse

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1st railroad in the U.S. was made in 1828

o 1860s- 30,000 miles of railroad tracks laid in the U.S.
Most were up in the North
o Railroads were opposed at first
Financiers were afraid of losing money from Erie Canal traffic
Also caused fires to houses from embers
Early trains poorly constructed (bad brakes)

Cables, Clippers and Pony Riders

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Foreign exports
o South cotton was about 50% of exports
o In the North, wheat became a big thing to trade with England
British Corn Law of 1846
o America was importing more than they were exporting
A lot of foreign debt
1858 Cyrus Field laid a telegraph cable between U.S. and Britain
o Instant communication with Europe
The U.S. Navy made little progress since the embargos and panics
o 1840s-50s was the golden age of American merchant marine
Donald Mckay built clipper ships (fast, sleek, long)
British iron steamers took over after this
More reliable and hauled heavier loads
o Tea trade with British grew and carried many to California
Pony Express popped up from Missouri to California

Only last 2 years after being replaced by the telegraph wire

The Transport Web Binds the Union

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Different forms of transportation bound the Union together

o Steamboat
Reverse transport of South to West
o Canals
More trade with East from the West (South didnt have any)
Idea of divided labor emerged within each region depending on was its
economy was based on
o South cotton to New England
o West grain and livestock for the East and Europe
o East machines, textiles for the south and west
South overlooked man-made links
o Thought the Mississippi River was enough to link them to upper valley

The Market Revolution

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Businesses began to grow up as the economy did

o Self-supported farms were starting to change to a specialty driven
economy
o Widened the gap between the rich and poor
Cities saw the most change
o Unskilled workers had to drift from town to town for work
o Social mobility existed, but it was very hard
o Standard of living raised as wages raised