1. The “Era of Good Feelings”
( )
Madison to Monroe
Nationalism
Industry / Expansion

2. (Economic Nationalism in Action) Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser”
The American System
(Economic Nationalism in Action)
Protective Tariffs, starting with the Tariff of 1816
Second Bank of the U. S.
Internal improvements at federal expense National Road
Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser”

3. Regional Specialization
NORTHEAST Industrial
SOUTH Cotton & Slavery
WEST The Nation’s “Breadbasket”

4. Regions grabbed the Inventions that best suited their economic pursuits

5. The
Transportation
Revolution

7. Erie Canal, 1820s
Begun in 1817; completed in 1825

8. Principal Canals in 1840

9. Robert Fulton & the Steamboat
1807: The Clermont

10. Cumberland (National Road), 1811
First Turnpike Lancaster, PA
By 1832, nearly 2400 mi. of road connected most major cities.
Cumberland (National Road), 1811

11. Conestoga Covered Wagons
Conestoga Trail, 1820s

12. The Railroad Revolution, 1850s
Immigrant labor built the No. RRs.
Slave labor built the So. RRs.

13. The
Northern
Industrial
PowerHouse

14. Early Textile Power Loom

15. Eli Whitney’s Gun Factory Interchangeable Parts Rifle

16. Resourcefulness & Experimentation
Americans were willing to try anything.
They were first copiers, then innovators.
patents were approved.
1860 4,357 patents were approved.

17. Samuel Slater (“Father of the Factory System”)

18. New England Textile Centers: 1830s

19. The Lowell/Waltham System: First Dual-Purpose Textile Plant
Francis Cabot Lowell’s town

20. Lowell in 1850 Factory workers were girls
Came from farms, leaving family
Housing was provided
Hard life, long hours, restricted living

21. What was their typical “profile?”
Lowell Girls
What was their typical “profile?”

22. I’m a Factory Girl Filled with Wishes
I'm a factory girl Everyday filled with fear From breathing in the poison air Wishing for windows! I'm a factory girl Tired from the 13 hours of work each day And we have such low pay Wishing for shorten work times! I'm a factory girl Never having enough time to eat Nor to rest my feet Wishing for more free time! I'm a factory girl Sick of all this harsh conditions Making me want to sign the petition! So do what I ask for because I am a factory girl And I'm hereby speaking for all the rest!

23. New England Dominance in Textiles

24. U.S. Manufacturing Employment, 1820–1850

25. The Southern
Agrarian Society
Prospers

27. Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1791 Actually invented by a slave!

28. John Deere & the Steel Plow (1837)
Most notable for making the West Farmable

29. Cyrus McCormick & the Mechanical Reaper: 1831

30. Samuel F. B. Morse
1840 – Telegraph

31. Elias Howe & Isaac Singer
1840s Sewing Machine

32. Impact Of
Industry
Opportunity
Expansion
Innovation

35. Changing Occupation Distributions: 1820 - 1860

36. National Origin of Immigrants: 1820 - 1860
Why now?

37. US Population Density
1810
1820

38. Map: Population Distribution, 1790 and 1850

40. The “American Dream”
They all regarded material advance as the natural fruit of American republicanism & proof of the country’s virtue and promise.
A German visitor in the 1840s, Friedrich List, observed:
Anything new is quickly introduced here, including all of the latest inventions. There is no clinging to old ways. The moment an American hears the word “invention,” he pricks up his ears.

41. Distribution of Wealth
During the American Revolution, 45% of all wealth in the top 10% of the population.
1845 Boston - top 4% owned over 65% of the wealth.
1860 Philadelphia - top 1% owned over 50% of the wealth.
The gap between rich and poor was widening!

42. The North Embraces Industry
The tariff Congress placed on imported goods helped industry to flourish, particularly in the Northeast, where there were many factories and laborers to keep them running.
Industrial Workers
The arrival of industry changed the way many Americans worked by reducing the skill required for many jobs. This trend hurt highly skilled artisans, who could not compete with manufacturers working with many low-cost laborers.
Southern Agricultural Economy and Society
During the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington hoped that slavery would gradually fade away. However, with the emergence of cotton as the South’s leading crop, slavery persisted.

43. The Panic of 1819
CAUSES???