Chapter 11 Lecture Notes Internal Expansion & slavery

What transportation method displaced canals as the cheapest means of hauling freight by the 1840s and 1850s?

Railroads

What stimulated the iron industry during the railroad boom?

Railroad construction

What new financial techniques were used to raise capital for railroads?

Bonds, preferred stock, and government subsidies

How did the Industrial Revolution impact traditional crafts?

It transformed them through mass production and the division of labor.

What was a key feature of the factory system?

Gathering of laborers in one place for supervision and continuous manufacturing.

What percentage of the population did immigrants comprise from 1845 to 1854?

Nearly 15%

What were some reasons for the massive wave of immigration during this period?

Economic depression, political upheaval, and religious persecution.

What term describes the deep-seated hostility towards new immigrants in America?

Nativism

What crop was central to the economy in the lower South?

Cotton

What innovation made cotton production more efficient?

The cotton Gin

By the 1850s, what percentage of the world's cotton was produced by the South?

75%

What class of society did the planters belong to in the South?

A small minority, about 1% of the total white population

How did plain folk in the South typically differ from large planters?

They owned fewer than twenty slaves and often lived in poverty.

What were some forms of slave resistance?

Rebellions, feigning illness, working inefficiently, and sabotaging tools.

How did free blacks in the North differ from those in the South?

They suffered legal discrimination but could organize and aid in abolition efforts.

What was a key aspect of African-American religion?

It combined elements of traditional African religion and Christianity, serving as a cornerstone of culture.

How did slavery affect family life for enslaved people?

t made normal family life difficult, often leading to family separations.