1. The Antebellum Economy

2. Factory System
System that cut costs and increased output by having machines do everything under one roof
Example: spinning thread and weaving cloth
Francis Cabot Lowell
Traveled to England and toured factories and cotton mills
Constructed a power loom that was water powered and produced cotton textiles

3. Technology In the textile industry:
New tools allowed precise cutting, stamping and shaping of materials
Farming:
Improvements to the plow and development of mechanical reaper
John Deere designed a light, but strong steel plow
Cyrus McCormick developed a mechanical reaper that harvested 6 acres of grain a day
Household:
Elias Howe patented a sewing machine for the home
Cooking utensils, butter churns, better stoves, pots and pans, and water pumps

4. Deere and McCormick

5. Trade Unions
Factory conditions and child labor lead to the rise of unions
By 1832 in New England, 2 out of every 5 factory workers were children
National convention held by labor leaders in 1834
This founded the National Trades Union, which sought work reforms, such as shorter workdays

6. Trade Unions cont.
Used strikes, or the refusal to work until employers met union demands, to achieve reform
Higher wages or shorter work days were the most common
In 1836 in NYC, 20 members of a local tailor’s union were found guilty of conspiracy after striking for higher wages
Created a rift between the rich factory owners and the poor workers

7. Immigration Immigrants were an important part of the labor force
By 1860, more than 4.1 million Americans (or 13% of the population) were foreign born
Largest immigrant group were from Ireland (1.6 million)
Settled in city slums and competed for the lowest-paying or most-dangerous jobs
Helped build canals and railroads, mined coal, and unloaded freight
By the 1880s, Irish Americans ran local governments in several cities, mostly Eastern cities

8. Immigration cont. Second-largest immigrant group=Germans
In one year, 215,000 Germans traveled to America
They became bakers, brewers, butchers, cabinetmakers, cigar makers, machinists, or tailors
German Jews remained on the East coast, while others moved to the Midwest and Southwest

9. Nativism
Some Americans feared the immigrants, viewing them as politically corrupt and socially inferior
Nativism=favoring native-born Americans over the foreign-born
Blamed immigrants for slum conditions