1. Chapter 8: Northern Transformations, 1790-1815
AP US History
Chapter 8:
Northern Transformations,

2. Postcolonial American Society
By 1789, most people in the United States were farmers
Most farmers raised a variety of crops and animals, rather than a single cash crop
Provided for the family first, then sold whatever was left over
Most farmers worked on the barter system
Traded with neighbors rather than using cash
Often did other work to supplement farming
Blacksmithing, coopers, etc.
As farming became more efficient, foreign demand for American farm products increased

3. Postcolonial American Society
Most people lived in rural areas at the turn of the 19th century
The five largest cities were all Atlantic seaport cities
The only places with populations over 10,000
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston
Standards of living varied, with the poor living very simple lives
Homes lacked paint, windows, and had little furniture
People used the same bowls and utensils for each meal, but began to become less common even for the poor
Shared beds and other living arrangements
Very uneven distribution of wealth in the nation
Cities had large populations of poor

4. Opening of the Backcountry
When the Treaty of Paris was signed, most land of the United States was possessed by Native Americans
As people moved west, the tribes were pushed further and further west, often resulting in violence
Some whites assimilated into Native American culture
Daniel Boone: opened the Cumberland Gap, dressed in Native traditions
Davy Crockett: apparently wrestled bears and alligators
Often referred to as “white savages”
By 1815, hundreds of thousands had moved to the frontier of the old Northwest

5. The Eroding of Patriarchy
After the Revolution, the society of authority had become one of individualism and democracy
Marriages were more for love, not arranged by parents
More out of wedlock pregnancies
Children received less inheritance because of the dwindling availability of land and resources, lessening the role of parental say in matters
Alcohol was a problem in the nation
Whiskey was the national drink
People drank to get drunk
Caused many problems, financially, domestic, alcoholism, etc
Eventually, rise of temperance societies called for a ban on alcohol

6. The Transportation Revolution
Travel throughout the nation at the turn of the 19th Century was very cumbersome
Few roads were in existence and most rivers were only navigable to a certain point
National Road: completed in 1818
Linked the Potomac River to the Ohio River at Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Had a very limited effect on travel and prices of goods
The steamboat revolutionized the way people and goods got around
Robert Fulton launched the Clermont, the first steamboat, on a trip from New York to Albany in 1807
Over the next few years, more steamboats were on more rivers
Flat bottom boats could navigate even low rivers

7. The Transportation Revolution
While the steamboat was great for travel and shipping, you had to have water
States began to construct artificial rivers (canals) to solve this problem
In 1817, construction began on the Erie Canal
Built to connect Lake Erie with the Hudson River, thus linking New York and the ocean with the Great Lakes
364 miles from Buffalo to Albany, NY
Used a system of locks to traverse the hilly landscape
Completed in 1825, helped found some of the largest cities of New York and decreased the price of shipping goods to market by 90%
Other canals were also built after the success of the Erie Canal
Eventually, the invention of the locomotive started a boom in railroads, makign the canal system obsolete

8. Effects of Transportation
Henry Clay envisioned a market based economy that would unify the nation
Known as the American system
Farmers in the Northwest were greatly affected by the Transportation Revolution
Focused more on a single cash crop and raised more livestock
Relied more on purchasing goods from stores and manufactured goods, rather than self manufacturing
Began to shift to new farming practices and implements, such as the iron plow
Without the need for as many laborers, families became smaller
Distinct “male” and “female” work developed
More focus on cleanliness and household visual appeal
Less reliance on neighbors

9. Industrial Revolution: The Beginning
The steam engine and other industrial developments led to the rise of industry in American towns and cities
Led to the availability of manufactured goods at low prices to all, especially factory made clothing
Rhode Island System
Developed by Samuel Slater in Rhode Island
Textile mill employed town’s residents
Villages were built around company land that rented it out to the residents to farm
Waltham (Lowell) System
Francis Cabot Lowell opened textile mills in Waltham and Lowell, MA in the 1820s
Employed mostly young, single women
Built boarding houses for the workers and required them to send wages ome to their families
Many of the “Lowell Girls” went on to become social reformers