Key Concept 4.2 — Innovations in technology, agriculture, and commerce powerfully accelerated the American economy, precipitating profound changes to U.S. society and to national and regional identities. |
I. New transportation systems and technologies dramatically expanded manufacturing and agricultural production. |
Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Turnpike’s success stimulate the construction of other privately built roads States’ rights blocked the spending of federal funds on internal improvements Erie canal - linked the economics of western farms with eastern cities - stimulated canal building in other states Improved transportation = lower food prices in the East, more immigrants settling in the West, stronger economic ties between the two sections Commercially operated steamboat lines made round-trip shipping faster & cheaper Railroads changed small western towns into booming commercial centers & created rapid reliable links between cities Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 & devised a system for making rifles with a system of interchangeable parts - basis of mass production methods in Northern factories 1811 - New York passed a tax to make it easier for a business to raise capital by selling shares of stock Samuel Slater helped establish the first US factory in 1791 - embargo and the War of 1812 stimulated domestic manufacturing As the factory system expanded, it encouraged the growth of financial businesses such as banking & insurance Textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts recruited young women - easy management because the women lived on site - 1830s other factories imitated the Lowell system Northern manufacturers began to employ immigrants Unions we're organized in major cities as factory system took hold - specialized jobs/ the craft system could no longer compete with lower-priced, mass-produced goods Long hours, low pay, & poor working conditions led to discontent among factory workers Early 1800s - farming became more of a commercial enterprise Canals and railroads opened new markets Cotton became more profitable with the invention of the cotton gin - most exports to British textile factories
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II. The changes caused by the market revolution had significant effects on U.S. society, workers’ lives, and gender and family relations |
Factories caused the standardization of time, most people worked for bosses/ wages, & the end of self-sufficient households Women gained relatively more control over their lives - still limited by legal restrictions (couldn’t vote) Gap between the wealthy and the poor grew Social mobility (moving upward in income level and social status) did occur from one generation to the next - economic opportunities in the US were greater than in Europe Rapid growth of the cotton industry & the expansion of slavery into new states increased the amount of slaves & ended hopes for a quiet end to slavery
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III. Economic development shaped settlement and trade patterns, helping to unify the nation while also encouraging the growth of different regions |
North Connected by transportation routes Interconnectedness with the west Economic growth based on commercial farming and industrial innovation Agriculture was still prominent Most populous region - high birth rate and increased immigration Workers dependant on wages organized both unions and local political parties Improvements for workers limited by periodic depressions, hostile unions, and abundance of cheap labor Slums expanded African americans in the north represented 50% of all free African Americans - still faced racial discrimination & no voting rights Development of thriving cities that served as transfer points for manufactured goods
South Agriculture foundation of Southern economy By 1850s - cotton provided two-thirds of all US exports - linked South and Britain Wealth was measured in terms of land and slaves In the deep south, slaves made up of 75% of the total population Southern legislatures added increased restrictions on movement and education to their slave codes Cotton boom responsible for an increase in slaves Planter aristocracy maintained power by dominating state legislatures - enacted laws that favored the large landholders’ economic interests Mountain people Increasingly isolated and defensive about slavery Feudal society
West Land that lay beyond the Mississippi River and reached to California and the Oregon Territory Vast majority of Natives were living west of the Mississippi River Nomadic way of lay for many Native tribes - could more easily oppose settlers In the public eye, the west represented he possibility of a fresh start and greater freedom for all ehtnic groups Mountain men served as guides and pathfinders for settlers crossing the mountains Daily life of frontier people was similar to early colonists - diseases and malnutrition were common dangers Frontier women had short lifespans Frontier people exhausted soil and cleared forests - little understanding of the fragility of nature and the wildlife
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Key Concept 4.3- The U.S. interest in increasing foreign trade and expanding its national borders shaped the nation’s foreign policy and spurred government and private initiatives. |
Struggling to create an independent global presence, the United States sought to claim territory throughout the North American continent and promote foreign trade.
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Louisiana Purchase allowed US to gain western territory - explored by Lewis & Clark Congress consistently lowered the price of land to encourage migration War of 1812 - fought to gain control of Western Territories from British presences Adams-Onis treaty acquired Florida from Spain John Quincy Adams - most important diplomat Monroe Doctrine and position of neutrality would drive America’s foregin policy into the 20th century Native American Removal War of 1812 caused Creeks to cede millions of of acres Jackson supported Georgian frontier settlers against the Cherokee Indian Removal Act of 1830 - “asked” Natives east of the Mississippi to move to dedicated land for Native Americans
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia - Cherokee were not a sovereign nation - under the federal government Worcester v. Georgia - a state had no right to tell the Cherokee what to do - it was a federal matter Trail of Tear resulted in 3,000 Cherokee dying when forced to relocate during winter “Manifest Destiny” - expressed belief that the United States had a divine mission to extend its power & civilization across North America Enthusiasm for expansion drives by nationalism, population increase, rapid economic development, technological advances, & reform ideals
Conflicts over Texas, Maine, & Oregon By 1830, Americans (white farmers & black enslaved people) outnumbered Mexicans in Texas by three to one 1829 - tensions increased when Mexicans outlawed slavery & required all immigrants to convert to Roman Catholicism When American’s refused, Mexico closes Texas to additional American immigrants American from Southern states ignored Mexican prohibition General Antionio Lopez made himself dictator -- American settlers led by Sam Houston revolted & declared Texas to be an independent republic Sam Hourston captured Mexican general & applied for Texas to be added to the United States as a new state - Jackson & Van Buren put off annexation John Tyler worked to annex Texas - US senate rejected his treaty of annexation in 1844 Northerners opposed to the annexation of Texas
Aroostook War - conflict between rival groups of lumbermen on the Maine-Canadian border The US based its claims to Oregon/ Pacific territory on… Discovery of the Columbia river Expedition of Lewis & Clark Fur trading post & fort in Astoria, Oregon
Protestant missionaries & farmers settled in the Willamette Valley in the 1840s - success in farming the fertile valley caused 5,000 Americans to catch “Oregon fever” & travel down the Oregon Trail to settle the area south of the Columbia River British & American negotiators agreed to divide the Oregon territory at the 49th parallel
War with Mexico Polk wanted Slidell to… Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande & captured an American army - killing 11 General Stephen Kearney succeeded in taking Santa Fe & southern California General Winfield Scott’s army succeeded in taking Vera Cruz & then captured Mexico City in 1847 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) Mexico recognized the Rio Grande as the southern border of Texas United States took possession of California & New Mexico - US paid $15 million & assumed responsibility for any claims of American citizens against Mexico
Acquisition of vast western lands renewed sectional debate over the extension of slavery Northerners viewed the war with Mexico as part of a Southern plot to extend the “slave power” Many Southerners we're dissatisfied with the territorial gains from the Mexican war - most eagerly sought possibility was the acquisition of Cuba
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The United States’ acquisition of lands in the West gave rise to contests over the extension of slavery into new territories
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Cotton gin & opportunity for land expansion that resulted from the Lousiana Purchase & the War of 1812 resulted in the expansion of slavery & the creation of the “Deep South” Antislavery movements increased in the North Henry Clay created the Missouri Compromise
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