Historical Period 4: Part 2 Flashcards
What was the Old Northwest?
It consisted of six states that joined the Union before 1860:
-Ohio
-Indiana
-Illinois
-Michigan
-Wisconsin
-Minnesota
Where from these states from?
They came from territories formed out of land ceded to the national government in the 1780s by one of the original 13 states
Why did the Old Northwest become closely tied to other northern states?
Because of military campagins by federal troops that drove American Indians from the land;
Because of the building of canals and railroads that established common markets between the Great Lakes and the East Coast
What were the two crops that were very profitable in the Old Northwest?
Corn and wheat
What technologies helped the Old Northwest grow corn and wheat?
The steel plow and mechanical reaper
What was Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Turnpike?
Built in the 1790s;
Connected Philadelphia with the rich farmlands around Lancaster
What was the National, or the Cumberland Road?
A paved highway and major route to the west extending more than a thousand miles from Maryland to Illinois
What was the Erie Canal?
Completed in 1825;
Located in the New York State;
Linked the economies of western farms and eastern cities
What did improved transportation mean?
It meant lower food prices in the East, more immigrants settling in the West, and stronger economic ties between the two sections
How did the development of steam-powered engines revolutionize the location of factories?
It meant that factories could be located anywhere;
Initially, factories had to be located on a stream since they ran on the power of moving water
What did steamboats do?
They made the time for the tranportation of people and goods shorter
How did the combination of railroads with the other major improvements in transportation change small western towns like Cleveland, Cincinnata, Detroit, and Chicago?
They became booming commercial centers of the expanding national economy;
They also linked the regions of the North and Midwest as people in growing cities in Massachusetts and New York purchased much-needed wheat and corn raised in the bread basket states
Why were railroads less common in the South?
Because it continued to rely on rivers more than rails
What was the telegraph?
It transmitted messaages along wires almost instantaneously;
As wires were strung around the country, people could communicate as fast as electricity could travel
What were the political effects of the telegraph?
It meant that politicians, government leaders, and military leaders could direct people even faster than before
How were inventors pushed to create new practical tools or machines?
By patent laws, which meant they would be rewarded handsomely if their ideas for new tools or machines
What did Eli Whitney do as an inventor?
Developed the cotton gin;
Developed the interchangeable parts system, which standardized product parts enough that one could be replaced for another
What law did New York pass in 1811 regarding stock?
It passed a law that made it easier for a business to incorporate and raise capital by selling shares of stock;
An investor only risked the amount of money the invested
In the 1820s, what was New England to the country?
It emerged as the country’s leading manufacturing center for two reasons
Why did New England emerge as the country’s leading manufacturing center?
Because of the region’s abundant waterpower for driving new machinery and the excellent seaports for shipping goods;
The decline of New England’s maritime industry = more capital available for manufacturing;
The delince of farming in the region = a ready labor supply
Why was the Lowell System used?
To provide labor for mills
What was the Lowell System?
In which textile mills would recruit young farm women and housed them in company dormitories
What led to widespread discontent among factory workers?
Long hours, low pay, and poor working conditions
What was the goal of unions?
To advocate for better treatment of employees;
A prime goal of early unions was to reduce the workday to ten hours
Why did farming become a more commercial enterprise and less of a means of substinence for the family in the early 1800s?
-Because of improved agricultural technologies
-Large areas of western land were made available at low prices
-The development of canals and railroads opened new markets for the Midwest, the farming countries, in the growing factory cities of the East
Why did farming become a more commercial enterprise and less of a means of substinence for the family in the early 1800s?
-Because of improved agricultural technologies
-Large areas of western land were made available at low prices
-The development of canals and railroads opened new markets for the Midwest, the farming countries, in the growing factory cities of the East
What were the leading crops of the colonial period?
Tobacco and indigo
What were the leading crops of the industrial period (19th century)?
Cotton;
Courtesy of the cotton gin
How did the popularity of cotton change America?
It connected the South with the global economy;
The North were responsible for transporting it and prospered through their transportation of it;
The Midwest became responsible for providing for the other regions as the many Southern plantation owners focused their land on cotton
What did the growth of cities, industrialization, and development of capitalism mean for America?
It meant the end of self-sufficient households and a growing interdependence among people
How were women impacted via the Industrial Revolution?
Women were limited to two jobs:
-Domestic service
-Teaching;
Factory jobs for women were not common
What did married women work as, usually?
They usually worked as housewives and fulfilled duties at home
How did women gain more control over their lives via the Industrial Revolution?
They took on new responsibilities as leaders within the home (refer to the cult of domesticity)
During the Industrial Revolution, what emerged?
A gap between the very wealthy and the very poor
What provided both the laborers and consumers required for industrial development?
Population growth
Why were people from Europe coming to the Americas during the Industrial Revolution?
-The development of inexpensive and relatively rapid ocean transportation
-Famines and revolutions in Europe
-The growing reputation of the United States as a country offering economic opportunities
What was the cost in industrial expansion, as seen in large, working-class neighborhoods?
The growth of slums, which housed crowds, poor sanitation, infectious diseases, and high rates of crime
How did towns like Cleveland, Detriot, etc. become commercial centers?
Because they served as transfer points, processing farm products for shipment to the East and distributing goods from the East to the Midwest
What was one notable victory organized labor achieved?
In 1842;
The Commonwealth v. Hunt case;
Some Northern state legislatures also passed laws establishing ten-day workdays
What did the Commonwealth v. Hunt case determine?
It established that peaceful unions had the right to negotiate labor contracts with employers
How was equality a governing principle of American society?
Men and women of all classes ate together at common tables;
Men and women of all classes wore similar attire, even if well-to-do women emulated the fanciful and confining styles illustrated in women’s magazines
Was democracy still limited to white men during the Industrial Revolution?
Yes;
But white men from humble beginnings were able to rise up the social rankings
During the Industrial Revolution, how did the right to vote for white men change?
Throughout the country, all White men could vote regardless of their social class or religion;
This also extended onto the holding of political offices
How were candidates for office elected, and how did that change during the Industrial Revolution?
-State legislatures
-Caucuses (replaced by nominated conventions, which was open to popular participation and was therefore more democratic)
What were the two large national parties in the 1830s?
The Democrats and the Whigs
What was the Anti-Masonic Party?
Attacked the secret societies of the Masons;
Accused them to belonging to an antidemocratic elite
What was the Workingmen’s Party?
Tried to unite artisans and skilled laborers into a political organization
What happened to state and local offices during the Jacksonian era?
More of them became offices where candidates had to be elected to office instead of being appointed
How did campaigning styles change in the 1830s and 1840s?
They used more ad hominem arguments in their attempts to appeal to the every man
What was the spoils system, and when was it practiced?
The practice of dispensing government jobs in return for party loyality;
The Jacksonian era
What was a system of rotation in office?
Limited a person to one term in office to appoint some other deserving Democrat in his place
What ideals was the spoils system and system of rotation in office promoting?
The democratic ideal that one man was as good as another;
That the ordinary American was capable of holding any governmetn office
