(Blank)
Canals
In 1825, the 363 mile Erie Canal linked the economies of western fames and eastern cities
Its success was followed by a canal building frenzy
By 1840, 3300 miles of canals joined all major lakes and rivers west of the Mississippi River
The factory system
The factory was an organizational innovation
It brought workers together under one roof
It split up tasks to make work more efficient
People worked for wage based on hours they worked
Factories required standardized time
The Northwest (today's Midwest)
Mostly agricultural, grew corn and wheat
steel plows and mechanical reapers made farms more productive
Towns near transportation points like Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis became thriving cities
That Peculiar Institution
By 1860 there were 4 million slaves in the south (some were smuggled in from Africa after slave trade was illegal)
By 1860 there were about 250,000 freed black living in south
In the deep south slaves made up 75% of the population
Results of canals
Cities grew along the canals
Lower transportation costs lowered food prices
Easier and cheaper travel brought more people West
Strengthened economic ties between the East and West
Early Factories
Early factories relied on water power
Samuel Slater brought over British secrets for building cotton spinning machines when he helped establish the first US factory in 1791 in Rhode Island
By the 1820s New England emerged as the country's leading manufacturing center due to abundant water supplies and good seaports
In the 1840s, steam power was introduced and factories were no longer tied to locations with falling water
Economic & Social Mobility
The gap between the very wealthy and the very poor increased, but it was possible to move upward in income level and social status.
1822 Slave revolt Planned By :Denmark Vesey
Vesey was a freedman who planned an extensive slave revolt in Charleston, SC in 1822
Authorities learned of the plan and stopped it before it occured
vesey was executed
The revolt led to the passing of stricter slave codes.
Steamboat
Developed by Robert Fulton
Made round trip travel and shipping travel faster and cheaper
Lowell System
Textile Mills in Lowell, MA recruited young farm women and housed them in company dorms
labor method known as the Lowell System
By the 1830s the Lowell System was widely used in the Northeast
As the need for labor increased, factories employed children and immigrants
The Northeast
Mostly industrial
Large number of people became dependant on wages paid by factory owners
Urban population grew as workers moved into the cities for factory jobs
Growth resulted in slums, crowded housing, poor sanitation, spread of infectious diseases, and high crime rates.
Only about 1% of Northerners were African AMericans and racial prejudice kept them from voting, owning land, holding skilled jobs.
Increase of Sectionalism
Sectionalism is loyalty to a region or section of the country instead of the country as a whole.
Railroads
The nations first railroad the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was built in 1828
By the 1830s railroads were competing directly with canals as an alternative for carrying passengers and freight
By 1860, there was 30,000 miles of railroad track in the US
unions
As the numbers of people employed in factories increased, unions were est.
Unions are organizations that promote workers rights
Many states outlawed unions
The south
Agriculture was the foundation of the economy
Few factories or cities
By the 1850s, cotton had replaced tobacco and indigo as the most profitable export to England("King Cotton")
Democratic Republican Party divides
During the Era of Good feelings, the Federalist party faded away and the Democratic Republican Party had very little opposition
By 1824 members of the D-R party were unable to agree on interpretation of the Constitution(strict v. loose) and on tariffs so the party split into factions
By 1828, the largest factions developed into the Democrat Party and the Whig Party.
Growth of Industry
Selling stock to raise capital (money) made it easier to build factories, roads, canals, railroads
In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
Eli also devised a system of making rifles out of interchangeable parts which became the basis for mass production methods in Northeastern Factories
Issues
Many skilled workers had to seek employment in factories because they could not compete with low pricedmass-produced goods. Factory workers faced low pay, long hours, and unsafe conditions
Frequent economic depressions led to high unemployment rates
Southern Society
Aristocracy(planter class)-owned 100+slaves on 1000+ acres, very small % of population.
Farmers-owned fewer than 20 slaves, usually worked in the field with slaves
Poor Whites-75% of population, owned no slaves, usually defended right to own slaves
Mountain people-disliked planters, against slavery
Transportation
Improvements in transportation helped the nation grow