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Key Factors in Development:
Military Campaigns: Federal troops drove American Indians from the land.
Infrastructure: Canals and railroads created common markets between the Great Lakes and the East Coast.
Agriculture
Corn and wheat became profitable crops feeding growing urban populations.
Innovations: The steel plow (John Deere) and mechanical reaper (Cyrus McCormick) increased farming efficiency.
Farmers could plant more acres and supplement labor only during harvest.
Roads
Lancaster Turnpike: Connected Philadelphia with Lancaster farmlands, stimulating further road construction.
National (Cumberland) Road: Extended from Maryland to Illinois, using federal and state funds.
Canals
Erie Canal (1825): Linked western farms and eastern cities, stimulating economic growth and prompting further canal construction.
Steam Engines and Steamboats:
Steam engines allowed factories to be located away from streams.
Clermont (1807): Robert Fulton's steamboat began the era of mechanized steam-powered travel.
Steamboats reduced shipping times significantly.
Railroads
First U.S. railroad lines were built in the late 1820s.
By the 1830s, railroads competed with canals, providing faster and more reliable links between cities.
Western towns like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Chicago grew into booming commercial centers due to these transportation improvements.
Industrial Growth and Commerce
Factories
The introduction of factory systems, particularly in the textile industry, transformed manufacturing processes.
Factories employed many, leading to urban growth and a shift from agrarian to industrial economies.
Commerce
Improvements in transportation allowed for quicker, cheaper, and more efficient trade.
Innovations in banking and finance facilitated commercial growth.
Impact on Society
Urbanization
Increased industrial activity led to urban growth as people moved to cities for factory jobs.
Labor
Shift from agricultural work to factory jobs changed labor patterns and family dynamics.
Economic Changes
The Market Revolution created a more interconnected national economy.
The rise of a market-oriented economy led to regional specialization and dependency.
Regional Differences
The North and Midwest were more interconnected due to improved transportation, while the South relied more on river transport and remained agrarian.
Communication
Telegraph:
Inventor: Samuel F. B. Morse
Year: 1844
Impact: Transmitted messages along wires almost instantaneously using Morse code (dots and dashes).
Significance: Allowed for rapid communication across long distances, transforming how business and government operated.
Growth of Industry
At the start of the 19th century, the U.S. had a fledgling manufacturing economy. By mid-century, U.S. manufacturing surpassed agriculture in value, making the U.S. a world leader in industry by the end of the century.
Key Factors
Mechanical Inventions
Patent Laws: Encouraged inventors to develop new tools and machines.
Eli Whitney: Developed the cotton gin (1793) and introduced the concept of interchangeable parts, leading to mass production methods.
Factory System
Samuel Slater: Emigrated from Britain with knowledge of factory designs, established the first U.S. textile factory (1791).
Embargo Act and War of 1812: Stimulated domestic manufacturing.
New England: Became the leading manufacturing center due to waterpower and available labor.
Impact: Encouraged the growth of financial businesses like banking and insurance.
Labor
Lowell System: Recruited young farm women to work in mills, housed them in company dormitories.
Child Labor: Children as young as seven worked in factories.
Immigrants: Employed in large numbers by mid-century.
Commercial Agriculture
Farming shifted from subsistence to commercial enterprise due to several factors:
Land Availability: Federal government offered western land at low prices.
State Banks: Provided low-interest loans to farmers.
Transportation: Development of canals and railroads opened new markets.
Cotton and the South
Cotton remained the principal cash crop throughout the 19th century.
Cotton Gin (1793): Invented by Eli Whitney, transformed southern agriculture.
Impact: Made cotton more profitable, increased demand for enslaved labor and land in Alabama and Mississippi.
Global Economy: Connected the South to global markets, with New England and European mills relying on southern cotton. Shipping, banking, and insurance industries in the North also prospered.
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