The Market Revolution

Market Revolution

A period of significant economic growth and technological and transportation innovations that linked regional economies in the U.S.

Henry Clay’s American System

A plan incorporating a Bank of the U.S., internal improvements, and protective tariffs to create home markets for manufacturing and agriculture.

Cotton Gin

An invention by Eli Whitney that separated cotton seeds from the fiber, greatly increasing cotton production and demand for slave labor.

Erie Canal

A waterway that linked the economy of the East to the Old Northwest, contributing to settlement in the interior of the U.S.

Nativism

A political and social movement in the U.S. opposing immigration, emphasizing the interests of native-born Americans.

Lowell System

A labor management strategy that recruited young women to work in textile factories, allowing them temporary employment and economic independence.

Cult of Domesticity

A societal expectation for middle and upper class women to focus on home and family rather than participating in the public sphere.

Urbanization

The process of people moving from rural areas to cities, significantly increasing urban populations during the Market Revolution.

Labor Unions

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for better working conditions, wages, and rights.

Commonwealth vs. Hunt (1842)

A Supreme Court case that upheld the rights of labor unions to organize and engage in strikes as a legal negotiating method.