Geographic Predisposition to an
Industrial Revolution
ECONOMIC GROWTH
 Between 1820 and 1860
 The economy shifted from reliance on
agriculture to an industrial and technological
future
 Periods of boom (1822-1834, mid-1840s-1850s)
alternated with periods of bust (1816-1821, 18371843)
 A third of working-class Americans lost their
jobs in depression years
 Problems in one area tended to affect
another
THE TRANSATLANTIC CONTEXT FOR
GROWTH
 Economic growth in America was linked by a host of
events in England
 The British Industrial Revolution spurred technical
innovations
 By 1850, Britain was the most powerful country in
the world and its citizens the richest
Factors Fueling Britain’s I.R.
Iron
Improvement
=
Steam Engine
Improvements
Cheap
Machines
Railroads
Cottages to
Factories
Steamships
Cloth
Production
via
S.P.
Machinery
FACTORS FUELING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN
THE U.S.
 abundant natural resources
 Increased labor pools and consumers
 immigration from Europe
 Improved modes of transportation encouraged
economic and geographic expansion
 canal building projects
 spurred by 363 mile Erie Canal ≜
 railroad construction
 could operate year round and be built almost anywhere
Economic Development in the US
Natural
Resources
Agricultural
Expansion/
Specialization
Economic
Change/
Growth
Improved
Transportation
Immigration
FACTORS FUELING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
 Canals and railroads
 provided farmers, merchants and manufacturers with
cheap and reliable access to distant markets and goods
 encouraged Americans to settle the frontier and cultivate
virgin land which…
 Fostered technological innovations such as what?
 Tied Northwest and East together
 shared political outlooks
 Railroads determined settlement patterns and city location
 drastically reduced travel times
 Stimulated agricultural expansion
 regional specialization leading to cheaper food for
workers. How does this lead to…?
 increased spending income for farmers
Industrial Revolution tied to
Agricultural Revolution
E. Shift in Occupational Structure
How were they able to feed
the population with a lower
percentage of the
population in agriculture?
Government Involvement
 Rulings of Marshall Court
Rulings of the Marshal court
Palmer v. Mulligan (NY State Supreme Court)
Purpose of land was being redefined
Eminent Domain
Williams vs. Central Mich. R.R.
Contracts become binding (Dartmouth v. Woodward)
Debtors Pay Debts
Sturges v. Crowninshield
Laws of Incorporation, Special Priveleges, Tax Breaks
for Big Business, Loans, Underwriting Bonds
An Early Road System
Horace Mann & The Expansion of
Education
 The rapid spread of literacy and education after 1800
spurred innovation and discovery
 leading to increased productivity
 By 1840, most whites were literate
 public schools were educating 38.4% of white children
between 5 and 19
 Horace Mann: reform of Mass. state education: 1837
 Industrialists convinced that education produced
reliable workers
 handle complex machinery without undue
supervision
Schools: Promoter or Opponent of
Change?
 “He who rises early and is industrious and temperate will
acquire health and riches.”
 Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
 Message: Hard work and good character lead to success.
 Americans also believed in social value of education
 mold student character and promote “virtuous habits” and
“rational self-governing” behavior
Textile Revolution
Social Implications
A NEW ENGLAND TEXTILE TOWN
 Lowell, Massachusetts
 Planned and built in the 1820s
 Hired women who would work only until
marriage
 female workers had limited job mobility and
much lower pay than men
 Low wages, long hours, increased workloads
and production speedups constantly
threatened “wage slavery”