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Forging the Forging the National EconomyNational Economy
Creating an Creating an American American CharacterCharacter
Westward MovementWestward Movement
The population of America continued to move westward.
By 1850 the population center would be west of the Alleghenies.
Effects of the WildernessEffects of the Wilderness
Young population constantly in motion.
Importance of wealth and the constant pursuit of wealth.
John Jacob AstorAmerica’s First Multi-Millionaire
Rough PioneersRough Pioneers
American pioneers were rough characters.
The wilderness required hard work and left little time for slacking.
“root, hog, or die”
Gamblers AllGamblers All
self-centered, provincial and isolationist
“self-reliance” contrasted with
the need to work together - log-rolling and barn raising.
American tall-tales and exaggeration.
Boasting and bluffing (poker playing)
gambling, drinking and fighting.
On a Mississippi steamboat four men were playing poker, three of which were professional gamblers, and the fourth, a hapless traveler from Natchez. Soon, the young naïve man had lost all his money to the rigged game. Devastated, the Natchez man planned to throw himself into the river; however, an observer prevented his suicide attempt, and then joined the card game with the “sharps.” In the middle of a high stakes hand, the stranger caught one of the professionals cheating and pulled a knife on the gambler, yelling, “Show your hand! If it contains more than five cards I shall kill you!” When he twisted the cheater’s wrist, six cards fell to the table. Immediately, the stranger took the $70,000 pot, returning $50,000 to the Natchez man and keeping $20,000 for his trouble. Shocked, the Natchez man stuttered, “Who the devil are you, anyway?” to which the stranger responded, “I am James Bowie.”
Effects on the WildernessEffects on the Wilderness
Kentucky cane fields were burned off and planted with bluegrass.
Mountain men began to “trap out” the beaver in the Rocky Mountains.
The BuffaloThe Buffalo
Vast herds of American Bison covered the Great Plains.
Estimates of the pre-European herd size vary from 30,000,000 to 70,000,000
The HuntThe Hunt Buffalo hunters, trading in furs
and tongues, began to kill off the great herds.
Bison RangeBison Range
Destruction of the BuffaloDestruction of the Buffalo
Unregulated killing of bison led to the reduction of the herds to no more than 1500 individuals in the mid to late 1800s.
The California OtterThe California Otter
The highly prized pelts of the Pacific Sea Otter led trappers to hunt the animals to near extinction.
American’s love of the Wild.American’s love of the Wild.
Americans praised the unspoiled wilderness and the beauty of nature.
This ideal of the idyllic came to be expressed in arts and literature.
George CatlinGeorge Catlin
Painter and student of the Native Americans, he wished to preserve the natural beauty of the west.
He proposed the creation of National Parks.
George CatlinGeorge Catlin Corn
Buffalo Bulls Running
George Caleb BinghamGeorge Caleb Bingham
Boatmen on the Missouri
The Hudson River SchoolThe Hudson River School
- Thomas Cole
DemographicsDemographics
Population doubling every 25 years.
Population was moving farther west every ten years.
The Oregon TrailThe Oregon Trail
By 1860 there were 33 states and the US was the fourth most populous country in the western world.
By 1860 there were 43 cities over 20,000 pop.
Rapid urbanization led to many problems, and cities slowly began to build water and sewer services.
Croton Aqueduct NYC
ImmigrationImmigration Immigration
tripled in the 1840’s and quadrupled in the 1850’s.
many push and pull factors brought immigrants to America.
1844 1844 The Potato FamineThe Potato Famine
Potato blight in Ireland led to famine and massive emigration.
Irish Catholics moved to the large cities, especially New York and Boston.
Women found work as housekeepers and men as workers building canals and railroads.
NINANINA anti-Irish
prejudice led to signs proclaiming “no Irish need apply.”
Anti-Catholic riots in Philadelphia and Boston.
Blacks and Irish relations were bad.
"the raw Irishman in America is a nuisance, his son a curse. They never assimilate; the second generation simply shows an intensification of all the bad qualities of the first. . . .They are a burden and a misery to this country."
Irish immigrant societies like the Ancient Order of Hibernians helped to get better conditions.
Irish votes gained power in Tammany Hall - many Irish became policemen.
GermansGermans 1830-1860 --
1.5 million Germans came to America
Germans in AmericaGermans in America
Middle class farmers and political refugees.
Moved to the Mid-West .
Many were isolationists , most were better educated, and often abolitionists.
Gave us kindergarten, beer and the hot dog.
NativismNativism Anti-foreigner feelings
grow with the increase in new immigrants.
Anti-Catholic prejudice led to the creation of Catholic parochial schools.
1849 - the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner is formed.
Led to the creation of the American Party -- known as Know-Nothings.
Citizen Citizen Know-Know-NothingNothing
March of MechanizationMarch of Mechanization
17501750
The Industrial Revolution begins in Britain, but it is slow to take root in America.
Why?Why?
Land was cheap in America.
Labor was scarce. Capital investment
was not plentiful. Raw materials were
undiscovered.
Consumers were scarce. Long established British factories were more
competitive. Britain had a monopoly on Textile machinery.
17911791
Samuel Slater “The Father of the American Factory System” builds first U.S. factory - a Textile mill in Rhode Island
Eli WhitneyEli Whitney
1793 - Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin - made cotton profitable and slavery an institution in the South.
The Cotton EngineThe Cotton Engine
1798 - Whitney later develops the idea of interchangeable parts which leads to mass production.
New England ManufacturingNew England Manufacturing
New England’s poor farm land made factories attractive.
Dense population, capital from shipping and seaports made importing raw materials practical.
Rapid rivers provided water power.
Non-intercourse and the War of 1812 increased the need for American made goods.
Rise of nationalism increased the call to “buy American.”
1814 - First spinning-weaving cloth factory built in Waltham, Mass.
Treaty of GhentTreaty of Ghent
After the peace of Ghent Britain began dumping its products into America - leading to many US mills closing down.
US reacts with the Tariff of 1816 and the beginnings of protectionism.
Sewing MachineSewing Machine
1846 - Elias Howe invents the sewing machine, which is later perfected by Isaac Singer.
Building the Business Building the Business WorldWorld 1844 - Samuel
F.B. Morse invents the Telegraph and Morse Code - “What hath God wrought.”
The Single Current Morse Key
CorporationsCorporations New England families invest in the
Boston Associates an investment group.
1848 - First general incorporation law in New York -- led to other Free Incorporation Laws
Changes in LaborChanges in Labor Industrialization led to an
increase in factories in “Spindle Cities”
Factories filled with “Wage Slaves” who lived in slum conditions.
The independent Craftsmen and home workers moved to the factory.
Men, women and children worked six days a week, 12-13 hours a day for pennies.
Labor Unions were forbidden by law -- strikes were uncommon before 1830’s.
1830’s and 40’s saw an increase in labor Unions and Trade organization for higher wages and the ten hour day.
1840 - President Van Buren establishes the Ten Hour day for federal employees
1842 - Massachusetts declares labor unions legal in Commonwealth v. Hunt.
Women in the Workforce Women in the Workforce
Lowell factory system in Mass. was considered to be a showcase – Factory Girls lived and worked under supervision.
Role of WomenRole of Women “the submerged
sex” women were considered perpetual minors and under the control of father or husband.
Few jobs were available for women -- factory, nurse and teacher.
Florence Nightingale
Catherine Beecher encouraged women to become teachers and the occupation became “feminized”
women also found work as domestics and nursemaids.
Catherine Beecher
The Cult of DomesticityThe Cult of Domesticity Glorified the traditional
roles of women and gave women immense “moral power’ over the family and society.
Families became smaller and marriage was for love not arrangement.
FamiliesFamilies families became
smaller, the fertility rate dropped and became more “child centered”.
The rise of “domestic feminism.”
Agriculture RevolutionAgriculture Revolution
1830s1830s
John Deere develops the steel plow, Cyrus McCormick invents in the mechanical mower-reaper.
1840 - 1860.1840 - 1860.
Small-scale and subsistence farming begins to give way to extensive, specialized, cash-crop farming.
Business farmers begin to replace the Yeomen Farmers.
The Trans-Allegheny western states begin to out-produce the eastern states
Increased demand for land and machinery led to more debt for the farmers.
Transportation and Transportation and Communication RevolutionCommunication Revolution
1790’s1790’s
Turnpike construction begins with the Lancaster Turnpike
1807 1807 Robert Fulton’s first steamboat The
Clermont runs up the Hudson.
The Steamboat revolutionizes river travel in the West, replacing the keel boats.
18111811
Construction begins on the Cumberland or “National” Road – it eventually stretches from Cumberland, MD to Vandalia, Il – connecting Baltimore to St. Louis.
Raw materials went east ; goods and people went west.
1817 - 18251817 - 1825
Governor Dewitt Clinton of New York has the Erie Canal built. Clinton’s “big ditch” was a major success.
The Erie CanalThe Erie Canal
New York City became the largest port in America.
Other states followed suit and built miles of canals in the north
Stourbridge Lion at Honesdale, Pennsylvania, August 8th 1829
18281828
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad is begun in Baltimore.
18301830 The “Tom Thumb,”
a locomotive on the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, raced a horse drawn car and lost -- but railroads continued to be built.
The Iron Horse Wins
by 1860 the U.S. had 30,000 miles of railroad track -- 3/4’s of it in the North.
Early railroads were dangerous and unreliable, but improved with time.
The Pullman Sleeping “Palace” Car was invented in 1859.
Geographic SpecializationGeographic Specialization The South raised cotton for
export. The West grew grain and
livestock. The East made machines and
textiles.
Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
1840 - 501840 - 50
Donald McKay’s naval yard in Boston builds the first Clipper Ship.
Racing ‘round the HornRacing ‘round the Horn
American shipping had a brief period of glory and set trans-oceanic speed records.
Britain will regain dominance with the tramp steamer ship.
18581858
Cyrus Field lays the first transatlantic cable - it breaks.
18601860
The Pony Express established - ran mail from St. Louis to Sacramento.
It lasted a legendary 18 months.
……most trips were usually made in eight or nine most trips were usually made in eight or nine days, the quickest run occurring in seven days days, the quickest run occurring in seven days and 17 hours.and 17 hours.
18611861
First transcontinental cable is laid - a transcontinental railroad will follow after the Civil War.
18661866
Permanent transatlantic cable is established