Forging the National Economy. Creating an American Character

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