1. Forging the National Economy
1790 – 1860
“Europe stretches to the Alleghenies; America lies beyond.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. The Westward Movement US marched quickly toward the West
Very hard – disease & loneliness
Frontier people were individualistic, superstitions, & ill-informed

3. Shaping the Western Landscape
Westward movement molded environment
Tobacco exhausted land
Kentucky blue grass thrived
Ecological imperialism – exploitation of the land
Trapped beavers, sea otters, and bison to manufacture for East
Spirit of nationalism - appreciation of American wilderness
George Catlin pushed for national park
Yellowstone in 1872

4. The March of the Millions
Population doubled every 25 years
th largest in the world
High birthrate
German & Irish immigrants
Transoceanic steamship – reduced travel to 12 days
1860 – 33 states
Urban growth exploded
Bad sanitation resulted in:
sewage system – Boston 1823
pipe-in water supply – NY 1842

5. Irish Immigrants Potato famine (1840s)
2 million died & many fled to US
Settled in large cities - Boston & NY
Many were illiterate
Discriminated against(NINA)
Low-paying jobs (railroad)
Religiously discriminated against - Catholic
Competed with blacks for jobs
Ancient Order of Hibernians - aided Irish
Attracted to politics & police dept.

6. The German Forty-Eighters
– 1 million arrived
Crop failures & democratic revolution of 1848
Had more money than Irish
Bought land in Wisconsin
Wooed by politicians
Contributed to US culture
Isolationism
Urged public education & freedom of slaves
Some resentment
settled in groups
Brought beers

7. Antiforeignism Nativists – against immigrants
Jobs, politics, & religion
1840s – Catholics started their own schools
Order of the Star-Spangled Banner
1849 – “Know-Nothing Party”

8. Antiforeignism “Know-Nothing” Party - Met in secrecy Violence erupted
Fought for restriction on immigration, naturalization, & deportation of aliens
Wrote books about corruption of churches
Violence erupted
Philadelphia 1844 – burned churches, schools, people killed
Made America a pluralistic society
Immigrants became crucial to economic expansion

9. The March of Mechanization
Industrial Revolution spread to US
US became an industrial giant
Land was cheap, labor scarce, money for investment plentiful, raw materials
Lacked consumer factory-scale manufacturing
Competed with British factories
British kept textile to own monopoly
Forbade travel of craftsmen & export of machines
US remained rural

10. Samuel Slater “Father of the Factory System”
Learned machinery in Britain & escaped to US with knowledge
Built 1st cotton thread spinner in the United States
Aided by Moses Brown

11. Eli Whitney Cotton gin Interchangeable Parts – 1850
Cotton economy now profitable, saved “King Cotton”
South flourished & expanded cotton kingdom toward west
North factories manufactured cotton
Interchangeable Parts – 1850

12. Marvels in Manufacturing
Embargo (War of 1812) encouraged home manufacturing
American factories closed after the war
British poured in cheap goods
Tariff of 1816 – protect US economy
Principle of “limited liability” stimulate economy
Laws of “free incorporation” – 1848
No longer need to apply for charter to start corporation

13. Improvements Inventions: 28,000 patents applied for by Civil War.
Elias Howe & Isaac Singer
Sewing machine – 1846
Samuel Morse
Telegraph- connected business
28,000 patents applied for
by Civil War.

14. Workers & Wage Slaves Conditions: Conditions improved in 1820s-1830s
Impersonal relations
Long hours, low wages
No unions
Child labor
Harsh working conditions
Conditions improved in 1820s-1830s
10 hour day (Van Buren)
More money
Tolerable conditions
Public education
Ban on imprisonment for debt

15. Unions Many workers tried to strike but lost
Immigrants replaced workers
1830s – Unions formed but hit hard by the Panic of 1837
Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842) – Mass
Legalized unions on peaceful & honorable protest

16. Women & the Economy Factory work / bad conditions Opportunities rare
Lowell Girls
Opportunities rare
Mainly domestic service, teaching, & nursing
Single women worked, married women were house-wives
Cult of domesticity

17. Family More marriages for love Average family size decreased
Domestic feminism
Child-centered families

18. Western Farmers
Trans-Allegheny region (Ohio-Indiana-Illinois) became nation’s breadbasket
Planted corn & raised hogs
Inventions
John Deere – steel plow
Cyrus McCormick – mechanical mower-reaper
Led to large-scale production
Produced more than the south
Need for better transportation

19. Highways & Steamboats Improvements in transportation:
Lancaster Turnpike (Lancaster to Philadelphia)
Brought economic expansion to West
Cumberland Road (Maryland to Illinois)
Paid for with state & federal money
Robert Fulton - Steam Engine – 1807
Increased US trade
Contributed to development of South & West

20. “Clinton’s Big Ditch” Erie Canal – NY (1817-1925) Impact:
Between Lake Erie & Hudson River
Impact:
Shorten expense & time
Cities grew along the canal
Cost of food reduced
Farms became specialized to be able to compete for prices

21. Pioneer Railroad Promoters
1828 – 1st railroad in US
1860 – 30,000 miles of tracks (3/4 in north) – why is this going to be important?
Railroad was opposed because of fear that the Erie Canal would lose money & fire (very dangerous)
Trains were badly constructed (brakes bad) & gauge of traveling varied – what does this mean?

22. The Transport Web NY became the Queen port Division of labor
Each region specialized in own economy activity
South-cotton to New England
West-grain & livestock for East & Europe
East-machines, textiles for South & West
Transformed home
Once center of economy but now a refuge (cult of domesticity again!)

23. Wealth & Poverty Wide gap between rich & poor
Greatest extreme in the cities
Unskilled workers were drifters
Some social mobility existed
Rags-to-riches were rare
Standard of living increased
Wages increased

24. Exports Foreign export Cotton –1/2 of all exports
After repeal of Corn Law of 1846, wheat became important role in trade with England
Americans imported more than exported
Substantial debt to foreign creditors

25. Cables, Clippers, & Pony Riders
1858 – Cyrus Field laid telegraph cable between US & Europe
Better one in 1866
1840s-1850s – Donald McKay built clipper ships
Faster & longer
Sacrificed cargo space for speed
Crushed by British’s iron tramp steamers
1860 – Pony Express
Speedy communication from Missouri to CA