Chapter 1:



Brown/APUSH

American History

Chapter 10 p. 254-290

America’s Economic Revolution

1790-1850

Chapter Summary

After the War of 1812, a combination of rapid population growth, the expansion of communication and transportation systems, and the development of an agricultural system sufficient to feed an urban population gave rise to the American industrial revolution. The two sections of the nation most affected by these changes were the Northeast and the Northwest, which were drawn closer together as a result. Canals, railroads, and the telegraph made it easier to move goods and information. Business grew as corporations began to shape the world of trade and commerce. Technological innovations helped expand industries as the factory system began to replace the artisan tradition. In the Northwest, agriculture expanded to meet the increasing demand for farm products. All of these developments had profound implications for American men and women, both in the ways that they worked and in their family lives.

Chapter Ten Main Themes

← The nature of the rapid immigration and urban growth between 1820 and 1840, and its effect on the nation's economic, social, and political systems.

← The pronounced effect of the transportation and communications revolutions of the 1820s and 1830s on the American economy.

← The transformation in women's social and economic roles as a consequence of the factory system.

← The social changes wrought by America's economic revolution in the fields of public leisure and Northern agriculture.

Analytical Journal

Commonwealth v. Hunt “Cult of domesticity” Cyrus H. McCormick

De Witt Clinton Erie Canal Factory system

Godey’s Lady’s Book Know-Nothings Lowell System

Machine tools Nativism P. T. Barnum

Samuel F. B. Morse Sarah Bagley Trunk lines

Defining the chapter terms in your journals will help you better understand:

• The changes that took place in the nation’s population growth, internal migration, and urbanization, as well as the impact of such changes.

• The importance of the Erie Canal in developing the West and New York City.

• The changes that took place in transportation, business, industry, labor, and commerce.

• The reasons why the Northeast and Northwest became more dependent on each other, while the South became isolated from the rest of the nation in the 1840s and 1850s.

• The vast changes taking place in the Northeast as agriculture declined while urbanization and industrialization progressed at a rapid rate.

• The role immigration played in the development of the nation.

• The reasons for the popularity and growth of the nativist movement.

• The living and working conditions in the northern factory towns and on northwestern farms.

Long Essay Questions

1. What role did changes in population, transportation, communication, and technology play in the development of the American economy before the Civil War? How did these changes also influence American culture?

Possible thesis statement: Before the American economy could grow, it needed a population that was large enough to provide a cheap and reliable work force, a transportation and communication system that could sustain commerce throughout the continent, and the technological advances that would encourage the large-scale growth of manufacturing.

Discuss

• Population

• Transportation

• Communication

• Technological advances

• Changes in American culture

Possible conclusion: In the four decades before the Civil War, tremendous changes in population, transportation, communication, and technology helped create the climate for commercial and industrial growth, as well as promoted greater social and economic mobility for some Americans. In essence, these changes marked the beginnings of a modern capitalist economy and an advanced industrial capacity that would rival the great powers of Europe.

Long Essay Exam Tips

These are straightforward questions asking about the factors that led to America's first Industrial Revolution. The thrusts of the questions are to identify the elements, and to explain their impact on the great increase in American production and productivity before the Civil War. One can easily categorize the developments into three categories: labor and entrepreneurship, capital, and technology. These usually work for any period of economic transformation. Changing demographics, immigration, and migrating farm workers provided an industrial labor force that accumulated in America's growing cities. The embargo and the War of 1812 provided a stimulus for domestic manufactures, and fortunes made through trade and during the war provided a ready pool of capital for investment in new ventures. Finally, technological improvements combined entire manufacturing processes in a single factory. Eli Whitney's innovation of interchangeable parts in machinery made this possible. Textiles, particularly cotton fabrics, were the major product. In addition, first canals and later railroads and the telegraph helped create a national market. These factors combined the demand for and supply of goods that inspired the Industrial Revolution before the Civil War.

AP Exam Tips

Certain events instigate significant social, political, and cultural change: war and economic transformation are two of the most important. The first American Industrial Revolution demonstrates this clearly. The following changes relate to economic change.

• Society and gender--women’s roles were affected by underlying economic change. In this period opportunity expanded with the Lowell System, but also diminished with the cult of domesticity.

• Relations between labor and capital—industrialism sharpened differences between owners and workers, and stirred the beginnings of organized labor. Violent strikes, fears of anarchy, and the threat to property threatened stability in the public mind.

• Urbanization—industrialism provided economic opportunity for workers and they flocked to cities where industry located.

• Culture and Communication—industrialism lowered the price of books and newspapers, making them more accessible, and higher incomes supported cultural endeavors such as theater.

• Politics—government has tended to promote the interests of business more than those of labor. Protection of property favors the owners of factories, as do tariffs.

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