Economic Transformation 1820 -1860 Chapter 9 Unit III

Economic Transformation 1820 -1860 Chapter 9 Unit III, Lesson 1

Two Great Changes Growth and mechanization of industry - Industrial Revolution Expansion and integration of markets Market Revolution.

The American Industrial Revolution

Growth of Transportation The growth of turnpikes, canals, and railroads by state government and private entrepreneurs allowed manufacturers to sell items throughout the land. What would this mean for items that were once considered luxury items?

Division of Labor and Factories Efficiency was increased throughout outwork and the division of labor. Division of labor led to workers being assigned specific tasks in the process of making an item. The system increased output and cut prices. Modern factories were created to concentrate production under one roof. Example: Cincinnati system of hog processing

Production Advances Oliver Evans - automated flour mill driven by waterpower. Steam engines used to power mills. The assembly line Samuel Colt and the sixshooter

The Textile Industry The British had dominated the textile industry and became worried when the U. S. began to industrially advance. Britain prohibited the export of textile machinery and the emigration of mechanics that could build the machines. British mechanics disguised themselves as ordinary laborers and went to the U. S. What would drive them to the U. S. ? Samuel Slater introduces Richard Arkwrights cotton spinning innovations to a cotton mill in RI, starting the American Industrial Revolution in 1790.

Advantages: U. S. vs. Britain United States Abundance of natural resources (cotton/wool, rivers 1816 - U. S. government begins using tariffs for protectionist purposes. Britain Cheap transatlantic shipping/low interest rates led to undersell competitors. Cheap labor (large population compared to America)

Improved Technology Americans used two strategies to compete with the British: Improved on British technology. Francis Cabot Lowell toured British textile mills, asked questions, made detailed drawings and then had the machines copied by Paul Moody. Found new, cheaper sources of labor. Waltham plan - recruitment of young women from farms to work in factories. Women stayed in boarding houses and followed strict rules.

Female Factory Workers By the 1830’s, 40, 000 women were working in textile mills in New England. The wages were better than those of a houseworker and the living conditions were better than a farmhouse. Women used their wages to pay off father’s mortgages, send brothers to school, or to accumulate dowry. Many women enjoyed the freedom that came with the mill work, but others despised the monotony. Factory owners liked being able to undercut the prices of the British.

Technological Innovation Franklin Institute Samuel Sellers Jr. - machine to twist woolen yarn. John Sellers - devised efficient ways of using waterpower. Eli Whitney Machine tools-machines that made parts for other machines. Cotton gin Later manufactured military weapons (muskets) with interchangeable parts.

Entrepreneurial Spirit Technological innovation spread to the rest of American manufacturing. Lathes, planers, and boring machines turned out parts for spinning jennies and weaving looms (that were more efficient that the British machines). Samuel W. Collins built a die-forging machine to press and hammer hot metal into cutting forms (to make ax heads). Remington Rifles, Singer sewing machines, and Yale locks all became household products during this era.

A Changing Society By the early 19 th century, many Americans had developed an “artisan republican ethic” based on the principles of liberty and equality. They saw themselves as equal to one another and free to work for themselves. Some men were unhappy with their status of as a wageworker. Master and servant versus boss and hired hands.

Unions Some wageworkers grew a strong sense of identity and specialized skills, which led to the formation of unions. What was the purpose of a union? 12 hour workday vs. 10 hour workday Artisan jobs were threatened due to industrialization. Artisans began moving to small towns and opening up speciality shops. - p. 279

Strikes

Market Revolution

Reading • Read: A Mill Worker Describes Her Work and Life (1844) – America’s History Reader VI on pp. 233 -235 and will answer questions #1 -3

Tree Map Create a tree map of the social structure in the period of 1820 -60. The following should be the branches of the tree: Business Elite Middle Class Urban workers/poor Immigrants Revivalists pp. 288 -295