Instructional Focus Document Notes
Grade 8/Social Studies
UNIT: 09 TITLE: Industrialism: North and South Economies
Develop
Part 1: Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
? Gradual process by which machines replaced hand tools and steam and other power replaced human and animal power
? Changed the world from a society of farmers to a society of manufacturers
? During the War of 1812 manufactured goods from Europe stopped coming into the United States due to naval blockades by Britain .
? The United States had to become industrially independent from Europe.
Free Enterprise
· The United States economic policy of Free Enterprise helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution.
· Free Enterprise had replaced the old British colonial system of Mercantilism.
· With Free Enterprise, Americans had the right to choose trade partners, prices, and products.
· This was economic freedom as granted in the U.S. Constitution.
· The U.S. Government has very little involvement in a Free Enterprise system
· Free enterprise created LESS dependence of foreign products
· Laissez – faire (French for “Hands off”) is a belief of American business that the government should have very little involvement in businesses.
· Laissez – faire was advocated (supported) by one of the leading founders of modern economics, Adam Smith
New Technology
? The Industrial Revolution started in Britain in the mid 1700’s
? British inventors developed new machines that transform the textile industry.
? James Hargreaves developed the Spinning Jenny that could spin several threads at once
? In the 1780’s, Edmund Cartwright built a loom powered by water.
? It allowed a worker to produce a great deal more cloth in a day than was ever possible before
Factory System
? Before the factory system, most spinning and weaving took place at home.
? Large machines had to be house in large mills (factories).
? At first most mills were located next to rivers for power
? Rivers powered the water wheels which turned shafts inside the mill which in turn powered the machines that the shafts were connected to.
? The factory system brought workers and machinery together in one place to produce goods
? To set up a mill (factory) required large amounts of Capital (money)
? Capitalists supplied the money.
? Investment capital was the most important factor to consider before a business could be started.
? The first American mill was built in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
? In the United States, Factories were built in the North.
? The Northern States’ economies were based on factories and manufacturing.
? The Southern States’ economies remained based on agriculture. (Plantations and cash crops)
The Cotton Gin
? Eli Whitney had invented the cotton gin to clean cotton
? The cotton gin had rollers with thin wire teeth which would separate the cotton fibers from the seed
? Cotton became much easier to grow and harvest
King Cotton
? Cotton became the “king” cash crop in the South
? The cotton kingdom spread all across the Southern States
? Tragically this also caused the overwhelming spread of slavery
? Cyrus McCormack invented the McCormack Reaper. This mechanical reaper cut crops much faster and greatly increased farm productivity.
Interchangeable Parts
? Eli Whitney also invented interchangeable parts, which were identical machine made parts for tools or instruments.
? The idea of interchangeable parts spread rapidly. Investors designed machines to produce interchangeable parts for clocks, locks, and many other goods
Lowell Mills
? Francis Cabot Lowell combined spinning and weaving into one factory
? An entire town was built around the factory system Lowell had installed (Lowell, Mass.)
? To work in the mills the company hired young women
Industrialization and the lives of workers
? As the Factory System spread, more families left home to work in the factories. In the poorer families, women would go out and work while a wealthy woman’s husband could support the entire family.
? Having a wife who stayed home was a sign of success.
? Child Labor: Boys and girls as young as seven worked in the factories
? Long Hours: Workers worked a 12 hour day, six days a week.
? In the early 1800’s American mills were safer than British mills, but as competition grew, factory owners took less interest in the welfare of their workers.
Urbanization
? Factories provided jobs for many Americans, and they moved to where the factories were located. This led to cities springing up around the factories.
? Urbanization is the growth of cities. The movement of the population from farms to the cities. By 1850, 15% of the American population lived in the cities.
? Industrialism led to the growth of cities
? Growing cities had many problems such as overcrowding and poor sanitation.
? Under these conditions, disease spread easily. Epidemics of influenza and cholera raged through cities, killing hundreds.
? Cities had many attractions as well.
? Theatres, museums, circuses, etc. created an air of excitement.
? Shopping was very popular in the cities (ready made clothes, etc.)
Immigration
· The growth of cities, the increase in jobs, and the United States’ open door policy on immigration led to a large number of immigrants from Europe during the 19th century.
· Most of these immigrants came from Ireland and the Germany areas.
· The Irish came in the early part of the century and the Germans came in the latter half of the century.
New Inventions
? There were also improved developments in communication across the country. Samuel Morse invented the telegraph system in the United States which transmitted messages through a wire in a series of dots and dashes called “Morse Code”.
? This new way of communication sped up the exchange of information and helped to bring the new West closer to the East.
? The Bessemer Steel Process allowed for the oxidation and removal of impurities from metals making a much stronger steel and allowing for more steel construction.
? The Bessemer Steel process also led to the United States becoming a top producer of steel.
? All the technological innovations brought about rapid economic growth.
? Scientific discoveries and innovations of this period led to increased immigration and unfortunately in some cases (cotton gin), an expansion in slavery
Americans Move West
? Settlers began moving westward as early as the 1600’s
? By the mid 1800’s many Americans had migrated west. The original 13 colonies’ population had even declined from this migration
? Wagon trains were the method most travelers used when heading west
Improved Transportation
? Western routes had well traveled paths such as the Great Wagon Road that went across Pennsylvania.
? The Wilderness Road led through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky
? The National Road was the first road to be built by the federal government.
? It ran from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling in west Virginia, then on further west.
? Settlers used flatboats to travel down the Ohio River.
? Whenever possible, rivers would be used to transport goods to the market
Steam Transportation
· The Steam Engine had already been put into place in the factories, which made the machines far faster than ever before and allowed for goods to be produced much quicker.
· Steam power was the most responsible for the growth of industry
? A new invention for water transportation was the steamboat. Steamboats could travel upriver.
? Robert Fulton launched his first steamboat, the Clermont, in 1807 on the Hudson River. It carried passengers from NYC to Albany and back (300 miles) in just 62 hours. A record at that time
? Fulton’s success ushered in the age of the Steamboat
Canals
? A canal is an artificial waterway that allows boats to cross stretches of land.
? Western farmers needed ways to get their goods to the markets back east.
? The Erie Canal linked the Great Lakes with the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers.
? Work on the Canal began in 1817 and was finished in 1825.
Erie Canal
? The Erie Canal allowed western farmers to ship their goods to the port of New York, bringing businesses to towns along its route
? The Canal dropped the cost of shipping and helped make New York the center of commerce
? Commerce benefited from a means of faster transportation
The Railroad
· The steam engine also led to the rapid expansion of the railroad system in the United States.
· Railroads began to supply cities and towns with food, fuel, building materials, access to markets and greatly decreased the amount of travel time necessary to get goods and people from one region of the country to another.
· Railroads allowed for the transportation of larger quantities of goods over longer distances.
· The Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869 created a nation wide transportation network in the United States that also united our nation.
· Railroads and canals allowed for faster movement of people and products
Era of Good Feelings
? This was an era that last approximately 8 years during the Presidency of James Monroe. (1817-1825) when the Democratic-Republicans dominated the nations politics
? After the War of 1812, the Industrial Revolution changed our country. Americans were proud of their growing country.
? Improved transportation allowed for the opening of new lands
? New industries were appearing
? In Congress, a new generation of political leaders sought to direct this expansion.
? James Monroe was elected President in 1816.
? Monroe was a Democratic-Republican from Virginia
? Monroe wanted to create a sense of National unity