Two short pieces; on the significance of the Market Revolution AND the 2nd Great Awakening’s influence on the development of Reform Movements.
HOPE THESE HELP YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR ESSAYS J
The Market Revolution
Questions to consider:
In what ways did the transportation, communication, agricultural, and market revolutions change the everyday lives of Americans? Were there winners and losers in the outcome of the Market revolution? On balance, was it a beneficial development? Were the South and North on opposite ends of this development or connected? Do YOU THINK a “national market economy,” in which regions of the nation specialized in certain goods for trade with other regions, would link the nation together or pull it apart?
The early nineteenth century witnessed vast changes in American Society that irrevocably altered the lives of most Americans. In the years following the War of 1812, a group of American Statesmen envisioned a national economic policy that would foster economic development (from Hamilton’s 3rd report on manufactures). Known as the “AMERICAN SYSTEM,” this plan called for a National Bank, Protective Tariffs, and Improved Transportation and Communication (internal improvements). The American System would not be enacted in its entirety until after the Civil War, but beginning with the National Road in 1795, some 4000 miles of roads were constructed by 1821. Roads were complimented by the construction of Canals. Most remarkable was the Erie Canal completed in 1825 that linked New York City to the American Interior via the Great Lakes. In the next 15 years, 1825- 1840 THE CANAL ERA, the Erie Canal was supplemented by 3300 miles of Canals that crisscrossed the nation (see map on my important images post on the website). When Steam Power was harnessed, Steamboats and Railroads were built to ply goods on rivers and rails. IDEAS AND INFORMATION (marketplace of ideas) traveled faster too. In 1780, the United States had about 50 newspapers. By 1820, that number had ballooned to more than 500. Then with the patenting of the electric telegraph in the 1840s, information could travel faster that ships, wagons, or horseback. In less than twenty years, telegraph lines connected not only much of the USA, but also the nation to Europe (thank you Cyrus Field). Taken together these changes brought about a REVOLUTION—where the costs of the transport of bulky goods fell 95% between 1825 and 1855, the speed of transport increased 5X, and information could be relayed instantly and widely.
Technological changes and altered business practices proceeded as well. By 1850, some 1000 patents were issued to inventors. And the CORPORATION became an increasingly powerful business practice that pooled capital and distributed profits (Stock). The Supreme Court of John Marshall facilitated these practices when it issued a series of decisions that aided business and fostered economic development; McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, Fletcher v. Peck, and Dartmouth College v. Woodward. Contracts, the Supreme Court held, were secure from the meddling of State and Local officials and Congress was Supreme in dealing with interstate commerce.
These changes laid the foundation for a MARKET REVOLUTION that irreversibly altered the daily activities of people and changed the economic landscape of the nation. Before these REVOLUTIONS, people had produced much of what they ate and wore at HOME OR IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. As late as 1820, no more that ¼ of the harvests on American Farms were exported from their local community. As the MARKET REVOLUTION PROGRESSED, people now increasingly produced commodities for sale and used the income they earned to purchase goods produced by others. Most notably, the production of cotton in the South exploded. BY 1820, the OUTPUT OF COTTON HAD INCREASED 100X since 1790 AND now accounted for over ½ of all agricultural exports from the United States. *****Because Regions of the Nation possessed certain natural advantages, a NATIONAL MARKET ECONOMY DEVELOPED. People in the South specialized in producing crops for export; those in the Northwest produced food to feed the increasing # of people in the East and South who were SPECIALIZING in export agriculture, commerce, or manufacturing.
These changes wrought opportunities and challenges alike for Americans living in the North and South, and working in the factory and the farm. It is true that people increasingly lived and worked in the city. In 1820, only 6% lived in towns of more than 2500 people. By 1860, that had grown to 20%. In 1800, over 80% of Americans labored on plantations and farms—by 1860, that had dropped to 50%. Whether they toiled in the city or rural areas, however, the cadence of their work, the use of their produce, and the structure of their families and communities WERE FOREVER CHANGED.
Reform and the 2nd Great Awakening
Questions to Consider:
In this era, some religious movements developed that underscored the possibility that EVERYONE in society COULD ACHIEVE PERFECTION AND SALVATION. This differed from the belief in earlier eras that salvation was limited to a few people who were saved by a gracious GOD.
How might these changing views be linked to REFORM MOVEMENTS? How did religious change focus upon the family? Did religion liberate or inhibit the lives and freedom of women? Were reformers concerned more about improving society or controlling it? How might people in reform movements, such as abolitionism, view the government? Was it a positive or negative force?
In 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson observed “in the history of the world the doctrine of Reform had never seen such scope as the present hour.” Emerson’s ideas point to a series of Reform Movements aimed at the BETTERMENT OF HUMANKIND. As never before in American History, movements focused on TEMPERANCE, WOMEN’S RIGHTS, PRISON REFORM, EDUCATIONAL REFORM, MENTAL HEALTH REFORM, AND ABOLITIONISM coursed across the United States. Led by charismatic leaders such as William Lloyd Garrison, David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Horace Mann, Dorothea Dix, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony, these movements profoundly influenced American Society. THIS CLEARLY WAS THE ERA OF “THE REFORMER.”
To explain the growth of reform movements in the early 1800s we have to consider four (4) interlocking factors. First, this was a period of great societal change. Americans not only puzzled over changes in society, but also questioned how old patterns of social organization might be reestablished in new forms. Religious belief and social reform were often cited as forces that might either recapture the old order or point to ways in which a new order could be created. Second, the early 1800s saw the growth of intellectual movements that rejected the “rationalism” of the earlier age. Americans were now fascinated by a sense of mystery, with romanticism and sentimentality. These ideas, which permeated society, are important because sentimentality could encourage the development of empathy for others. If Americans could “feel” the human costs of Alcohol abuse or of slavery, they could empathize with the victims and WORK TO ERADICATE THOSE EVILS. Third, many Americans continued to BELIEVE IN PROGRESS. They continued to see the USA as a place of DESTINY, a nation with a mission of greatness. If conditions could improve, it followed that people should play a role in bringing that improvement about. Related to the notions of progress and perfectibility is the Fourth and perhaps the most important underlying factor: RELIGIOUS CHANGE. Between 1795 and 1837, many Americans were roused by religious revivals that changed their views of the possibilities of the World (Two great revival preachers, the Methodists-Peter Cartwright and Charles Grandison Finney are very influential across America). Known as the Second Great Awakening, this religious movement fostered the growth of Christian belief, particularly for the Methodists and Baptists, that saw humans as having a greater role in their own salvation. If individuals could be SAVED, it followed that if all were delivered, the result might be a perfect society. If individuals could choose good over evil, they could eradicate sin from the world.
Religious revivalism was a vital factor underlying the reform movements of the antebellum era. Religious change, moreover, was significant in and of itself. It altered the way in which people interacted with one another and with their government and society. Revivals stressed that people were moral free agents but had a responsibility to reach out to others. The result was attempts to foster morality within society that resulted in movements of social control aimed at the working classes. Should government be “active” in legislating “morality?” The Goal during the Second Great Awakening--- WAS TO CHRISTIANIZE THE ENTIRE WORLD. EVANGELICALISM.
To me one example is telling. Charles Grandison Finney, a Methodist preacher along with his assistant, Theordore Weld, in the 1830s traveled across upper state NY in cities like Rochester and Buffalo---preaching to the most wealthy as well as the poorest canal workers. They called this area of upper state NY the “burned-over district” due to the many hellfire and brimstone revivals that took place during this era. This work among both the rich and poor of the area prompted a radical change in how they worshipped. Previously each, rich and poor, had their separate churches. Yet, after these revivals and work that inter-connected people despite their “class,” THEY DEVELOP THE “FREE CHURCH,” which abolished “Pew Rents” in an attempt to erase class distinctions among church membership. Organized in 1832, as the Free Presbyterian Church, this mission was enormous success. The Baptists and other Christian denominations in the area follow suit by the mid-1830s. The Wealthiest people in these communities, instead of worshipping separately, NOW WORSHIPPED ALONGSIDE FAMILIES OF DAY LABORERS, BOATMEN, AND CRAFTSMEN. THEY CONTINUE, TO BUILD FREE SCHOOLS FOR ALL, UPLIFT AND REBUILD CHURCHES FOR ALL DENOMINATIONS, ORGANIZE SOCIETIES OF CHRISTIAN WOMEN, and work together in an attempt to perfect their communities and raise the standard of living for all through a common commitment to GOD.