AMERICAN SOCIETY & ECONOMY TRANSFORMED

Population Patterns

US Population:

1790 – 4 million, most east of the Appalachian Mountains 1840 – 17 million, 1/3 west of the Appalachian Mountains

Population grew in parts of the old Northwest Territory, including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, & Wisconsin

Ohio – 1800 – 45,000 1820 – 581,000 1840 – 1.5 million

Population Patterns

Farm Economy

Most initially practiced subsistence agriculture

Men: Responsible for “heavy” work like clearing land & plowing

Women: Variety of chores – often endless

Sold eggs, butter, cheese, & other goods in order to supplement income

Old Northwest Territory

Saw an increase in commercial farming

Exported goods outside of the United States or shipping them to markets in the East

Soon replaced the northeast as the center of American agriculture

Commercial Farming

The East had become more urban & industrialized

Western farms benefitted from newer technologies due to differences in the landscape

McCormick’s Reaper John Deere’s Steel Plow

Impact of Commercial Farming

Debt increased among farmers

Financial “Panics” in 1819 & 1837 hurt many as credit was tightened

Farmers grew reliant upon outside market forces

Old Southwest Territory

Old Southwest Territory

Commercial farming & technology also impacted the old Southwest Territory

Settlement increased as cotton became the leading US export

Alabama & Mississippi produced nearly 50% of US cotton by 1820s

Impact of Commercial Farming

Eli Whitney’s cotton gin led to the expansion of cotton plantations

Processed cotton was shipped to British & US textile mills

Caused an increase in the demand for slave labor

Transportation Changes

Steamboats transformed the transportation of goods & people via rivers

Canals made transporting western goods more practical

By the 1830s, investment in railroad construction outpaced that of canals

Growth of Railroads

Rise of Industry

Lowell, MA was an important center for textile manufacturing

Production increased from 4 million to 323 million yards between 1817 & 1843

Some people, especially urban men, began to purchase ready-made clothing

Rise of Industry

80% of factory workers in Lowell & Waltham textile mills were young, unmarried women

Worked long hours in hot, humid conditions

Worsened in economic hard times when hours were extended & the pace of machines was sped up to increase production

Urbanization

In 1820s, most cities were seaports

Over the next 40 years, US population increased considerably due to high birth rates & increased immigration

Rise of Industry

By 1860, nine cities had populations over 100,000 people

New York’s population had reached 800,000

Led to an increased inequality between the rich and the poor living in cities

Gap Between Rich & Poor

Case Study: Boston 1833 – The richest 4% owned 59% of the city’s wealth 1848 – They owned about 65%

Case Study: New York 1828 – The richest 4% owned 50% of the city’s wealth 1848 – They owned about 65%

Immigrants & Persecution

Immigrants often faced persecution – especially true for the Irish during this time period

Native born workers were resentful and believed that large immigrant populations led to lower wages

US Immigration