The Antebellum PeriodThe Antebellum PeriodTechnology, Culture, and Everyday life1840-1860

IntroductionIntroduction• In the 1840’s and 1850’s, most

Americans believed God had ordained that man should progress (morally and materially)

• The means to progress of both kinds was through technology– Americans defined as “the application of

science to improve the conveniences of life”• We will look at the changes in the

everyday life of ordinary citizens brought about by the new technology of the period of 1840-1860

• Also looking at the ways people responded to those transformations

Introduction (cont.)Introduction (cont.)1.) How did technology transform the

daily lives of middle-class Americans between 1840 and 1860?

2.) How did American pastimes and entertainment change between 1840 and 1860?

3.) How did Americans express their distinctiveness in their literature and art?

Technology and Economic Technology and Economic GrowthGrowthIntroduction

◦ Pre-Civil War decades were affected and transformed American life by: The steam engine Cotton gin Reaper Sewing machine Telegraph

◦ This new technology increase productivity and eased travel and communication

◦ Also it brought down costs and prices

Introduction (cont.)Introduction (cont.)Most Americans between 1840 and

1860 enjoyed improved standards of living

But the new technology hurt other Americans◦ The cotton gin encouraged the expansion

of the plantation-slave economy◦ Sewing machines and new manufacturing

techniques rendered traditional crafts and the artisans who practiced them obsolete

Agricultural AdvancementAgricultural Advancement

Between 1830 and 1860, settlers moved onto the grasslands of IN, MI, and IL

John Deer’s steel-tipped plow was developed in 1837

Used to break up the tough prairie soil

Agricultural Advancement Agricultural Advancement (cont.)(cont.)

Cyrus McCormick◦ 1847◦ Massed produced

mechanical reapers◦ Farmers could harvest

grain 7 times faster than before and use 1/2 the labor

Wheat became the dominate crop of the Midwest

Agricultural Advancement Agricultural Advancement (cont.)(cont.)Americans quickly adopted these

laborsaving inventionsBut they generally farmed wastefully

◦ Rapidly depleted the soil◦ Then moved on to virgin land

In the East some farmers introduced fertilizers◦ Increased their yields so they could

compete with the new western fieldsIn the South farmers had little

incentive to invest in laborsaving machinery (used slaves)

Technology and Industrial Technology and Industrial ProgressProgress

Americans of the antebellum period readily invested in new technology

Eli Whitney◦ Interchangeable parts◦ Greatly facilitated by

improved machine toolsEuropeans called

interchangeable parts “American System of Manufacturing

Technology and Industrial Technology and Industrial Progress (cont.)Progress (cont.)Readiness to invest in innovations,

interchangeable parts, and better machine tools

Resulted in:◦ Rapid acceptance◦ Mass production◦ Use of the new inventions

Samuel Colt’s revolving pistol Elias Howe’s sewing machine Samuel F. B. Morse’s telegraph

The Railroad BoomThe Railroad BoomBy 1860, the United States had

30,000 miles of track◦More than the rest of the world

combined.Most of the new rail lines linked

the East and Midwest.Much of the produce of the

Midwest was now shipped via railroads radiating from Chicago eastward.

The Railroad Boom (cont.)The Railroad Boom (cont.)Positives of the railroad growth:

◦ simulated the settlement of the Midwest◦ Growth of wheat farming◦ Aided the development of cities, towns,

and industrySeveral states barred funding of the

railroads◦ Encouraged a shift toward private

investment

The Railroad Boom (cont.)The Railroad Boom (cont.)Railroad was America’s 1st big

businessRailroads pioneered new forms of

financing in the 1850’s◦Sale of stock and other securities◦Many of the transactions were

handled through Wall Street◦Made NY the nation’s leading capital

market

Rising ProsperityRising ProsperityTechnological improvements reduced

the price of commodities to consumers◦ Contributed to an average 25% rise in the

real income of American workers between 1840 and 1860

The increased annual income of working families also was attributable to the use of steam power◦ Allowed factories to operate in all seasons◦ Offer work to more laborers

Rising Prosperity (cont.)Rising Prosperity (cont.)The growth of towns and cities that

accompanied industrialization opened new employment opportunities for women and children◦ Often had to work to supplement the

inadequate wages of the husband/fatherThere was a steady stream of

American to cities◦ economic opportunities plus the comforts

and conveniences of urban life

The Quality of LifeThe Quality of LifeIntroduction

◦Technological advances improved the quality of life in the middle class Now enjoyed luxuries formerly reserved

for the rich

◦These changes were slower to reach the poor Increasingly came to congregate in

cramped urban tenements

Introduction (cont.)Introduction (cont.)Medical knowledge lagged

behind the strides made in industry and agriculture◦Many Americans looked to popular

health fads for the prevention and cure of illness

DwellingsDwellings

In the cities the typical dwellings of the period were row houses

Middle class row houses became elaborate

Poor were forced into crowded row houses that were further subdivided by several families and boarders

Dwellings (cont.)Dwellings (cont.)Log cabins

◦On the frontier◦Often times 1 room

As the communities matured and prospered◦Log cabins were replaced by more

comfortable houses◦Larger homes

Dwellings (cont.)Dwellings (cont.)

Upper class and middle classes favored ornate home furnishings in the rococo style

rococo furnitureWealthy imported

furniture from EuropeMiddle class bought

mass-produced imitations from new furniture manufacturing centers ◦ Cincinnati◦ Grand Rapids

Conveniences and Conveniences and InconveniencesInconveniencesIndustrialization and improved

affected home heating, cooking, and diet

By 1840’s, coal-burning stoves were replacing fireplaces for heating and cooking◦ These stoves were more convenient◦ Made it possible to cook several dishes at

once◦ Coal burning contributed to fouling the

urban environment

Conveniences and Conveniences and Inconveniences (cont.)Inconveniences (cont.)Railroads brought fresh produce

to city dwellers◦Only the rich could afford fruits out

of seasonHome iceboxes were rare before

1860◦Most Americans still ate meat

preserved by salting rather than fresh meat

Ice BoxesIce Boxes

Conveniences and Conveniences and Inconveniences (cont.)Inconveniences (cont.)By the 1840’s and 1850’s, cities such

as New York began to construct aqueducts, reservoirs, and water works◦ Brought pure water to street hydrants

The majority of houses were not yet hooked up to the water main◦ Americans of the time bathed infrequently

Few cities had sanitation departments◦ Most people used outdoor privies

(outhouses)American cities often stunk

Disease and HealthDisease and HealthTransportation boom increased

and widened the risks of epidemics◦Recurring epidemics of cholera,

yellow fever, and other diseasesThe medical profession was held

in low esteem◦Divided and uncertain about the

causes and cures of epidemic diseases

Disease and Health (cont.)Disease and Health (cont.)

Anesthetics were developed in 1840’s◦ Crawford Long◦ William T.G. Morton◦ Allowed advances in

the field of surgery◦ Still failed to

recognize the importance of disinfection

Popular Health Popular Health MovementsMovementsNeither public-health boards nor

doctors seemed able to prevent disease

Many Americans put their faith in various popular therapies◦Hydropathy◦Grahamite regimen

PhrenologyPhrenologyMost popular of the scientific fads of

the antebellum periodAn accurate analysis of an individual’s

characterExamining the contours of his skullPromised to teach the principles of lifeGive the individual control over his/her

own fateScience was believed to be a tool to

improve ones life

Democratic PastimesDemocratic PastimesIntroduction

◦New technology transformed leisure as well as work between 1830-1860

◦Imaginative entrepreneurs used new inventions and advances in manufacturing to sell the kinds of entertainment they believed the public wanted

NewspapersNewspapers

James Gordon Bennett

Publisher of New York Herald

Used new techniques in paper making and printing

Used the telegraphBuild a mass

circulation

Newspapers (cont.)Newspapers (cont.)Realized you could make $$$$ by

building a mass circulationSlashed the price of the paper to a

pennyUsed newspaper boys to sell hundreds

of thousands of copies dailyThe number of weekly papers grew

from 65 to 138 (between 1830 and 1840)

Newspapers (cont.)Newspapers (cont.)The penny papers filled their

columns with human-interest stories of crime and sex

Bennett’s New York Herald and Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune also pioneered in modern financial and political reporting

The TheaterThe TheaterAntebellum theaters were filled

with large, rowdy audiences from all social classes

People liked romantic melodramas best

William Shakespeare’s plays were performed the most of any other dramatist

Minstrel ShowsMinstrel ShowsMinstrel shows=performances of

songs, dances, and skits by white men in blackface

Minstrel shows became popular in the 1840’s with the white working-class audiences

Catered to and reinforced the prejudices of whites

Depicted blacks as stupid, comical, musical, and irresponsible

P.T. BarnumP.T. Barnum

Displays of curiositiesFlair for publicityDevelopment of the

American Museum in New York

The ultimate “entrepreneur of popular entertainment” in the antebellum era

The Quest for Nationality in The Quest for Nationality in Literature and ArtLiterature and Art Introduction

◦ Europeans in the early 19th century looked down on American writing

◦ Washington Irving◦ Most successful

American writing in early 1800’s “Rip Van Winkle” “The Legend of Sleepy

Hollow” Biography

Introduction (cont.)Introduction (cont.)“American Renaissance”

◦After 1820◦“a flowering of literature”◦James Fenimore◦Ralph Waldo Emerson◦Walt Whitman

Some sought to develop a new, unique American literature

Introduction (cont.)Introduction (cont.)

The painters of the Hudson River School and Frederick Law Olmsted in his landscape design also offered distinctively American visions

Roots of the American Roots of the American RenaissanceRenaissance1820’s and 1830’s2 things transformed the writing of

fiction in the U.S.A.The transportation revolution

◦ Opened a nationwide market for booksSpread of the romantic movement

◦ Romanticism stressed feelings rather than learning

◦ Suited fiction well

Roots of the American Roots of the American Renaissance (cont.)Renaissance (cont.)Women still were

not admitted to most colleges

Women could publish best-selling romantic novels◦ Harriet Beecher

Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Cooper, Emerson, Thoreau, Cooper, Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller and WhitmanFuller and Whitman James Fenimore

CooperThe 1st of the “new”

writers Introduced

frontiersman Natty Bumppo◦ Particularly American

characterCooper's works

Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson

Wrote mostly essays

Transcendentalism

American brand of romanticism

Emerson' works

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (cont.)(cont.)Emerson rejected the importance of

education and reason in seeking the truth

He contented that every individual is capable of knowing God, truth, and beauty by following his feelings

Young, democratic America had nothing to learn from Europe◦ American could produce its own great

literature and art

Henry David ThoreauHenry David ThoreauEmerson’s discipleNot only expressed his radical insights

but lived themHe went to jail rather than pay taxes

to support what he considered the “evil” Mexican War

He defended the right to defy unjust govt. policies in his essay “Civil Disobedience” (1849)

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (cont.)(cont.)

Thoreau's works“he seems to

have wanted most to use words to force his readers to rethink their own lives”

Margaret FullerMargaret Fuller

Emerson discipline

Combined transcendentalism and feminism

Women in the Nineteenth Century (1845)

Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman

Leaves of GrassBroke new ground

in poetry◦ “lusty” and “bold” ◦ Free verse ◦ Celebrated the

American common man

Whitman's works

Hawthorne, Melville, and Hawthorne, Melville, and PoePoe

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet LetterHawthorne works

Herman MelvilleHerman Melville

Moby DickMelville's works

Edgar Allen PoeEdgar Allen Poe

Poe's worksPoems and short

storiesThe Raven

Hawthorne, Melville, and Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe (cont.)Poe (cont.)They were more interesting in

writing in analyzing moral dilemmas and probing psychological states

Shared an “underlying pessimism about the human condition”

Explored questions of human nature

Literature in the Literature in the MarketplaceMarketplaceMost 19th century U.S. authors hoped

to gain recognition and a living from their writings.

Poe sold short stories to popular magazines

Emerson, Thoreau, Melville made $$$ by lecturing for lyceums◦ Most lyceum speakers were men

Literature in the Literature in the Marketplace (cont.)Marketplace (cont.)Women could and did earn excellent

livings by turning out sentimental novels◦ Susan Warner’s The Wide, Wide World

Neither the writers nor most of the female readers who consumed the sentimental novels were active feminists

Many of the works did illustrate the moral that “women could overcome trials and improve their worlds.”

American Landscape American Landscape PaintingPaintingAmerican artists sought to depict

their native landEspecially in its primitive

grandeur before pioneers deforested and plowed it

American Landscape American Landscape Painting (cont.)Painting (cont.)George CatlinCatlin exhibitPortrayed Indians

as “noble savages” doomed by the “march of progress”

American Landscape American Landscape Painting (cont.)Painting (cont.)Thomas ColePainted

allegorical scenes on themes of importance to a young republic

Cole's works

American Landscape American Landscape Painting (cont.)Painting (cont.)Hudson River SchoolCole, Asher Durand, and Frederic

Church◦Subordinated realism to emotional

effect◦Reflected the romanticism of the

periodPBS Hudson River School

American Landscape American Landscape Painting (cont.)Painting (cont.)New York’s Central Park

◦ Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Clavert Vaux

◦ Shared a romantic view of nature◦ They aimed to refresh the souls of harried

urbanites by creating an idealized pastoral landscape in the midst of the city

Central Park HistoryCentral Park map

ConclusionConclusionBetween 1840 and 1860, new

technology changed the lives of Americans

Advances in transportation and manufacturing helped the following:◦ improved the American diet◦ made a greater variety of necessities and

luxuries available at lower prices◦ transformed leisure pursuits ◦ encouraged efforts to diffuse and

popularize culture

Conclusion (cont.)Conclusion (cont.)Negative effects of technology:

◦Increased the gap between the lifestyles of the reasonably affluent and the poor

◦Increased the gap between middle-class men and women

◦Led to assaults on America’s beautiful natural environment

Conclusion (cont.)Conclusion (cont.)The despoliation troubled writers

such as Thoreau and artists such as the painters of the Hudson River school

Hawthorne’s and Melville’s fiction showed that material progress and political democracy did not liberate man from the dark places in his own soul