A Revolution in Transportation

A Revolution in TransportationIn 1816, Henry Clay’s American

System initiated federally funded “internal improvements”–The National Road became the

1st federal transportation project–Thousands of private turnpikes

were built by entrepreneurs–Roads were useful but they did

not meet the demand for low-cost, over-land transportation

America's 1st Turnpike: Lancaster, PA 1790

America's 1st Turnpike: Lancaster, PA 1790

By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads connected most major cities

By 1832, nearly 2,400 miles of roads connected most major cities

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Principal Canals by 1840Steamboats & canals stimulated commercial agriculture by providing for the free-flow of

manufactured goods to the West

Steamboats & CanalsMississippi & Ohio Rivers helped

farmers get their goods to the East but there was no way to get manufactured goods to the West:–Fulton’s invention of steamboats

helped connect the West with Northern manufacturing

–State-directed canal projects cut shipping costs by 90% between the West & the North

Steamboats provided upstream shipping with reduce costs & increased speeds

Robert Fulton’ s SteamboatRobert Fulton’ s Steamboat

The ClermontThe Clermont

The Erie Canal (1825) provided the 1st link between East & West

The Erie Canal made New York City the commercial

capital of the U.S.

Inland Freight Rates

Inland Freight Rates

The RailroadFrom 1840 to 1860, the greatest

new transportation advance was the expansion of railroads –In 1840s, railroads began to

challenge canals’ dominance–Stimulated industrial &

commercial agricultural growth –Led to new forms of finance,

such as “preferred stock” & state & local gov’t subsidies

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

The Railroad Revolution,

1850sImmigrant

labor built railroads in the North

Slave labor built railroads in the South

The Expansion of Railroads by RegionRailroad Expansion by 1860

Transportation Revolution by

1840: Rivers, Roads,

Canals, & Railroads

Jackson’s assault on the 2nd BUS in the 1830s, killed Clay’s “American System” but it did

not stop transportation improvements

The Market Revolution

The Industrial Revolution BoomsIn the 1840s, American industrial

production became more efficient:–Due to numerous industrial

innovations, growth of factories, & a demand for goods from farmers in West & South

–Led to an increased division of labor & urbanization in the North & an increase in staple-crop commercial farming

Rise of Commercial AgricultureThe antebellum era saw a boom

in specialized, staple-crop, “commercial” farming due to:–Lower transportation costs –New agricultural innovations like

McCormick’s mechanical reaper, Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, the steel plow, thresher, & cultivator

–The use of long-distance marketing & credit to sell crops

Ohio, NY, & PA specialized in wheat while the South grew tobacco, rice, & cotton

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1793Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1793

Actually invented by a slave!

Actually invented by a slave!

John Deere & the Steel PlowJohn Deere & the Steel Plow

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper

Early IndustrialismIn 1815, 65% of all U.S. clothing

was made by women at home in the “putting out” system

By 1840, textile manufacturing grew, especially in New England, due to a series of new inventions–The most famous factory was

the Lowell Mill in Boston–Still, only 9% of Americans were

involved in manufacturing

Brought families extra income

“Cottage Industry”

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Early Textile Loom

Early Textile Loom

Elias Howe & Isaac SingerElias Howe & Isaac Singer

1840sSewing Machine

1840sSewing Machine

Eli Whitney’s Other Critical InventionEli Whitney’s Other Critical Invention

Introduced Interchangeable Rifle PartsIntroduced Interchangeable Rifle Parts

(Two more critical inventions of the era that have little to do with the Market Revolution)

Samuel Morse’s Telegraph in 1840Samuel Morse’s Telegraph in 1840

Cyrus Field’s Transatlantic Cable, 1858

Cyrus Field’s Transatlantic Cable, 1858

The Lowell System:The 1st Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

The Lowell System:The 1st Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814

Lowell Boarding Houses

Lowell GirlsLowell Girls

What was their typical “profile?”

What was their typical “profile?”

New England Dominance in

Textiles

New England Dominance in

Textiles

The Market RevolutionBy 1840, improved transportation

& innovation reduced time & cost to ship goods & allowed for a national market economy:–U.S. developed a self-sustaining

national economy of commercial farming & manufactured goods

–But, the U.S. economy was driven by regional specialization

Northern industrySouthern cotton production

Western commercial farming

America in 1840The Antebellum SouthCotton production

divided society in the Deep South:–Large plantations

with lots of slaves made good money

–Poor yeoman (with few or no slaves) mixed commercial & subsistence farming

Slave Population, 1820Slave Population, 1840Slave Population, 1860

America in 1840The Antebellum WestLand was cheapSettlers transformed

the West from wilderness to cash-producing farms:–Wheat & corn–Hogs & cattle

Better transportation made it easier for farmers to get their goods to market

America in 1840

The Antebellum NorthShifted from yeoman

to small commercial farming

Made manufactured goods for farmers in the West & South

Experienced rapid urbanization

U.S. Urban

Centers

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1820

American Population Centers in 1860

American Population Centers in 1860

The Market RevolutionNew innovations made work

easier & improved American industry & agriculture

However, the U.S. was not an “industrial society” in the 1840s –60% of the population were still

involved in farming–Most production was still done

traditionally in small workshops

Mass Immigration Begins

Mass Immigration BeginsFrom 1840 & 1860, 4 million Irish

& Germans immigrated to America

Motivations for immigration:–Most came for higher wages in

northern industrial jobs–The potato blight from 1845-

1854 brought 1.5 million Irish immigrants

–Low fares on trans-Atlantic ships made access easier

Immigration to the US

1820-1860

Where did immigrants go?

Industrial workers

Farmers

Cotton farming & cattle

Gold miners

Mass Immigration BeginsImmigrants filled low-paying jobs

in northern cities or migrated into the West to become farmers–This vast pool of cheap labor

provided fuel for the U.S. Industrial Revolution in 1850s

–In the 1840s, factory labor began to shift from American women & children to immigrant men

In 1836, 4% of the Lowell Mill workers were foreign-born; By 1860 62% were foreign-born

Mass Immigration BeginsLow immigrant wages contributed

to urban slums where poverty, disease, & crime were common

This influx of immigration led to urban reform movements:–Provided police forces, sanitized

water, sewage disposal, & improved housing standards

–But the immigrant poor were largely unaffected by the results

Affluent city dwellers moved to America’s 1st suburbs

Anti-Immigrant ReactionImmigrant groups were met with

prejudice (esp the Irish Catholics) & tension in 1840s & 1850s

Nativism emerged among American-born citizens:–Suspicion of the new ethnic

neighborhoods & alien cultures–Led to bloody anti-Catholic riots,

charges of despotism, & anti-Irish propaganda

Nativist propaganda targeting German & Irish immigrants

Anti-Catholic “Native American” mob battling the state militia in Philadelphia in 1844

The “Know-Nothing” Party

Conclusions In the 1830s & 1840s, the USA

was growing more democratic & economically self-sufficient:–Innovation & transportation

improvements connected regional specialization into a nation market economy

–This economic growth will stimulate a sense of “manifest destiny” into the West & sectional divisions between North & South