Mass Production Transportation Elias Howe Clipper Ships Locomotives

Mass Production • The Industrial Revolution spread from Britain to the U.S. in the early 1800s. • It started in textile industry and spread to other industries. • By 1860, two-thirds of the country’s manufactured goods came from the Northeast. Transportation • Improvements in transportation were vital to the industrial movement. • Factories owners had to be able to quickly bring in raw materials to the factories and finished products to the consumers. • These improvements helped the Northeast continue its industrialization. Elias Howe • He invented the sewing machine in 1846 leading to a boom in the clothing industry. Clipper Ships • These ships could sail as much as 300 miles a day, as fast as steamships of that time. • They increased travel and shipments of goods, which helped industry continue its growth. Locomotives • The Tom Thumb was the first steam locomotive built in the U.S. Railroads • Railways helped to improve trade in the nation’s interior. • The first railroads were constructed in 1830. • Goods were transported faster and more cheaply. • By 1860, the U.S. had about 31,000 miles of railroad track, most in the North and Midwest. • Only one-third of the nation’s rail lines lay within the South by 1860. Samuel Morse • He helped link the country with the development of the telegraph. Farming • Movement to the Great Plains was encouraged with new inventions that made working the prairie sod easier than before. • With the trains and canals, farmers could ship their goods back east cheaper and faster than ever before. Mechanical Reaper • Cyrus McCormick’s invention used to cut grain • reduced the number of field hands needed • led to increased factory workers. John Deere • In 1837, he introduced the steel-tipped plow that could cut through prairie sod. Factory Work • In factories, workers had very few rights. • They worked in loud, dangerous conditions up to 11 hours a day, often six days a week. • The pay was low, so many workers lived in slums close to the factories. • Attempts to form labor unions were often ruled illegal by the courts and joining a union could cost you your job. Immigration • Between 1840-1860, the number of immigrants to the U. S. increased dramatically. • Most immigrants went to work in the factories, swelling the size of northern cities. • Desperate for jobs, immigrants were willing to work long hours for little pay. Irish Immigrants • Between 1846 - 1860, more than 1.5 million Irish arrived in the U.S. • Most settled in the Northeast and went to work in the factories and mines. • Most had been driven from their homes due to a potato famine. German Immigrants • Between 1848-1860, more than one million Germans, mainly men, came to the U.S. to escape political upheavals. • Unlike the Irish, many had enough money to buy farms or start their own businesses. Know-Nothing Party • Members of this political party, whose actual name was the American Party, were nativists. • They were opposed to immigration, formed anti-Catholic societies, and called for stricter citizenship laws. Agrarian South • The cotton gin put the profit back into the growing of cotton. • The demand for cotton grew and so did the demand for slaves. • Industry didn’t grow in the South because people put their money in land and slaves. • Agriculture was too profitable; they saw no need for industry. • Most cities grew along the seacoast or rivers. • Poor roads, few canals and local rail lines didn’t promote growth of cities in the interior of the South. Southern Class System • Cottonocracy was the group of small, wealthy plantation owners. • This class controlled the government. • The largest class was the white owners of small farms. • Most didn’t even own slaves. Slavery Issues • Slaves were worked hard, dawn to dusk. • They had few comforts just bare necessities. • Greatest fear was to have the family split up by being sold to different owners. • Whites didn’t recognize marriages. • The extended family became important to their culture. • Religion was very important. • They kept alive the stories, dances, music, etc. of their African culture. Slave Codes • These were strict laws or rules governing slaves to try and prevent slave rebellions. • They couldn’t gather in large groups • leave owner’s land without a pass • couldn’t have guns • couldn’t be taught to read and write • plus many others. Denmark Vessey • planned a slave revolt but was captured before carried out. Nat Turner • led a slave revolt • involved the killing of at least 55 whites before he was captured and hanged. Free Blacks • In the South, laws were still passed to limit their rights. • Whites didn’t want free blacks around to stir up trouble so they tried to make life so miserable the blacks would leave the state. • In the North, treatment was slightly better although their rights were still limited. .

Load more