sst chapter 10 short

Question 1

Population Trends:

Answer 1

-There was rapid population growth during the antebellum period
(4 million in 1790, 10 million in 1820, 17 million in 1840)
(Growth was due to decline in epidemics, rise in birth rate & immigration)
-Black to white ratio declined a bit due to ban of overseas slave trade (1808 on)
-There was also increased urbanization as well as westward expansion
Antebellum = Pre-Civil War era
-Immigration trends increased beginning in the 1830s
(Decline in European wars and cheaper transportation costs)

Question 2

Immigration & Urban Growth (1840-1860):

Answer 2

-Urbanization was on the rise (ex. NYC 312,000 in 1840…805,000 in 1860)
-By 1860 26% of free states residents lived in towns/cities (up from 14% in 1840)
-In the south urban population was only 10% in 1860 (up from 6% in 1840)
-Booming western agriculture led to new cities (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, etc.)
-After 1830 great lakes cities grew quickly (Chicago, Buffalo, etc.)
-From 1840-1850 1.5 million new immigrants to the U.S.
-From 1850-1860 2.5 million new immigrants to the U.S.
(Prior to 1830 only 500,000 U.S. residents were foreign born)
-Big wave of Irish & German immigrants between 1840-1860)
(1.5 million Irish-born residents & 1 million German-born residents)

Question 3

The Rise of Nativism:

Answer 3

-Politicians (particularly democrats) welcomed new immigrants
-”Natives” (long-term citizens) resented immigrants (Nativism)
(Stealing jobs, fear of the Catholic Church, political radicalism, racially inferior)
-Native American Association formed in 1837
(Became the Native American Party in 1845)
-Supreme Order of the Star Spangled Banner formed in 1850
(Goal was to keep Catholics & aliens out of political office)
(Also favored immigration restrictions and literacy tests for voting)
(The order became known as the Know-Nothing Party and the American Party)

Question 4

The Canal Age:

Answer 4

-1790 to 1820 was known as the Turnpike Era
-Steamboats replaced slow barges by the 1820s & 1830s
-Canal building was needed for efficiency…construction burden fell to the states
-NY began construction of the Erie Canal in 1817 and opened it in 1825
-The Erie Canal linked NYC to Chicago and other western markets
-The Erie Canal led to a decline in New England agriculture
-Additional canals later linked markets from NYC all the was to New Orleans
-Linking markets resulted in whites moving to the Northwest in increasing #s

Question 5

Early Railroads:

Answer 5

-Railroads only played a minor role in the 1820s & 1830s
-By the mid 1800s railroads were becoming the primary mode of transportation
-By 1836 more than 1,000 miles of track had been laid in 11 states

Question 6

Railroads Triumph:

Answer 6

-In 1840 only 3,000 miles of track were laid down, by 1860 it was 27,000 miles
-The train’s emergence greatly reduced water transport of goods and people
-Train construction relied heavily on government funding (as well as private)
-By 1860 over 30 million acres in 11 states were allotted for railroad construction
-Where trains went…cities, towns, ranches, & farms followed
(NY to Chicago by water took 3 weeks…by train it took less than 2 days)
-Railroads were the birth of modern corporate America…a symbol of greatness

Question 7

The Telegraph:

Answer 7

-1832, Samuel F.B. Morse began sending signals along an electric cable
-Morse Code allowed for much faster communication
-1843, Congress appropriates $30,000 for a line from Baltimore to D.C.
-By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of wire connected most of the U.S.
-Western Union Telegraph became the main telegraph company
-1866, the first transatlantic cable was laid

Question 8

Journalism:

Answer 8

-The telegraph allows news to spread quickly to distant places (shared reporting)
–The Associated Press was formed in 1846…cooperative news sharing
-1846 Richard Hoe invented the steam-cylinder rotary press
(Quicker & cheaper production…circulation grew tenfold in under 3 decades)

Question 9

The Expansion of Business (1820-1840):

Answer 9

-Corporations began to emerge…allows shareholder resources to be combined
-Laws were relaxed to allow for more (& larger) corporations
-New laws limited shareholder liability…more people are willing to invest

Question 10

The Emergence of the Factory:

Answer 10

-New water-powered machines led to the creation of the Factory System
-Between 1840-1860 American manufacturing equaled American agriculture
-In 1860, over 50% of American factories were in the northeast
-The northeast produced over two-thirds of manufactured goods
-The northeast employed nearly 75% of manufacturers

Question 11

Advances in Technology:

Answer 11

-U.S. government supported research & development of machine tools
-By the 1840s U.S. manufactured tools were superior to most European tools
-Eli Whitney’s introduction of Interchangeable Parts spread to many industries
-Industrialization profited other industries like coal
(50,000 tons in 1820 up to 14,000,000 tons in 1860)
-Use of coal allowed manufacturing to occur away from major water sources
-Government issued patents grew exponentially due to industrial innovation
(# of invention patents in 1830 was 544…by 1860 it was 4,778)

Question 12

Rise of the Industrial Ruling Class:

Answer 12

-Merchant capitalism was declining by mid-century
-Profit through manufacturing was more available than profit through trade
(British competitors had stolen much of America’s export trade)
-An affluent merchant class in the northeast helped finance new industries
-A new aristocratic class emerged in the Northeast
(They wielded great economic & political influence)

Question 13

Recruiting a “Native” Workforce:

Answer 13

In the 1820s 90% of Americans still lived and worked on farms
-1820s urban residents were often skilled artisans/small business owners
-Advances in farming created a new workforce for the emerging factories
-Recruiting focused on entire families or farmers’ young daughters (ex. Lowell)
-Early factory conditions were actually better than later conditions
-Early factory wages in places like Lowell were fairly high for the time period
-By the 1830s & 1840s factory wages and living standards declined
-During the same period, hours were longer and conditions worsened
-1834, the Lowell Factory Girls Association was formed
(Formed strike to protest 25% wage cut and later protests followed)
-1845 Sarah Bagley created the Female Labor Reform Association
(Goal was a 10 hour work day, better factory conditions, & government support)

Question 14

The Immigrant Workforce:

Answer 14

-After 1840, factories found a new labor source in immigrant workers
-Immigrants had no leverage and faced even worse conditions
-Irish immigrants worked on turnpikes, canals, & railroads
(poor living conditions enhanced the image of the “shanty Irish”)
-Factory owners began to pay via piece rates to speed up production
-Work days were 12-14 hours with declining pay and deteriorating conditions

Question 15

The Factory System & the Artisan Tradition:

Answer 15

-The birth of the factory system displaced many skilled artisans
-Artisans had traditionally embraced the idea of a “moral community”
-Artisans embraced independence, stability, and economic equality
-Few artisans successfully transitioned to small-scale industry
-Craft societies were formed in the 1820s & 1830s…leading to trade unions
-Unions lacked support and faced hostile laws & courts

Question 16

Fighting for Control:

Answer 16

-Industrial workers failed to get state legislatures to pass new laws
-An early victory came via the MA state supreme court (Commonwealth v. Hunt)
(Declared unions to be lawful and that strikes were legally permissible)
-Early craft unions excluded women…women formed their own unions
-Rising immigration also impeded union efforts
-Industrial capitalists had both economic and political power

Question 17

The Rich & the Poor:

Answer 17

-Industrial growth greatly increased average income
-Industrial growth also resulted in increasing inequality in wealth
-Merchants & industrialists accumulated fortunes at the expense of workers
-The rich began to find ways to publicly display wealth (homes, clubs, art, etc)
-Central Park was, in part, created as a playground for the wealthy
-Industrialization also resulted in more people becoming destitute
(People died from starvation, exposure, etc)
(“Paupers” were often recent immigrants…particularly the Irish)
-Free black suffered the most in the North
(Black could not vote, attend public school, or benefit from public services)

Question 18

Social & Geographical Mobility:

Answer 18

-Despite economic gap, the was little social class conflict
-Factory workers lives were better than they had been on farms or in Europe
-Evidence of social mobility kept the “American Dream” alive
-Geographic mobility was possible due to vast western lands

Question 19

Middle Class Life:

Answer 19

-The middle class was the fastest growing group in antebellum America
-Wealth through service, instead of land ownership, was now available
-Middle class women were able to stay at home and some could afford servants
-Inventions, like the cast-iron stove, made domestic life easier
-Families had access to a greater variety of meats, grains, & dairy
-Parlors, dining rooms, separate rooms and/or beds became commonplace
-Some middle class homes had indoor plumbing & toilets by the 1850s

Question 20

The Changing Family:

Answer 20

-Urbanization led children of age to leave home in pursuit of work
-Life at home now focused on housekeeping, child rearing, etc
-Industrialization led to a steep decline in the birthrate
(1800…average household had 7 children…that # dropped to 5 by 1860)

Question 21

The “Cult of Domesticity”:

Answer 21

-New social roles for men and women developed
-Women remained under the authority of their husbands
-Education was not seen as important for women
(No women accepted to college/university until 1837)
(Oberlin in Ohio began to offer coed education)
(Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts)
-Middle class men generally did not permit wives to work
-Middle class women were charged with maintaining a “well-appointed” home
-A cult of domesticity emerged placing a higher value on “female virtues”

Question 22

Leisure Activities:

Answer 22

-Leisure time was a privilege afforded primarily to the wealthy
-Working men found their leisure time by going to taverns after work
-Wealthy and middle class women gathered in each others homes
-Reading or attending lectures were favorite leisure activities for the educated
-Theater emerged as a favorite activity for those who could afford it
-Minstrel shows, sporting events, and the circus gained popularity
(PT Barnum opened the American Museum in NY in 1842)

Question 23

Northeastern Agriculture:

Answer 23

-Agriculture declined in the northeast throughout the 1800s
-Many northeast farmers moved west
-Many others found work in mills or factories
-”Truck farming” emerged in the Northeast (vegetables, dairy, etc)

Question 24

The Old Northwest:

Answer 24

-The old northwest (today’s midwest) experienced industrial growth
-Portions of the old northwest remained Indian territory
-Much of the old northwest continued to focus on agriculture
(Many prosperous family farms remained intact during the Antebellum period)
-Industrialization benefited most farmers during the 1840s and 1850s
-The old northwest sold primarily to the northeast (isolating the South)
-The old northwest emerged as the most democratic section of the country

Question 25

Rural Life:

Answer 25

-Farmers life varied from region to region
-Northeast and old northwest farmers embraced community life
(Farmers shared tasks…barn raising, harvest time, etc)
(Village churches became an important part of their lives)
-Southern farmers were divided…Planter Class v. poor farmers