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U.S. History I - Economic Growth and Development 1815–1860

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    Study Guide U.S. History I – Economic Growth and Development 1815 – 1860 1. Growth of Manufacturing During the first half of the 1800s, American industry grew rapidly . Several tariffs passed by Congress (1816 – 1828) helped protect U.S. manufacturers, especially textile mills, from foreign competition. As manufacturing shifted from small workshops and homes to factories , the labor force changed: • Artisans and skilled craftsmen became less important. • Factories relied more on semi - skilled or unskilled workers , including women , to operate machines. • Technology boosted production and efficiency, just as it had in agriculture. Some factory production even focused on agricultural inventions , like the reaper and the steel plow, which became important parts of the industrial economy. 1.1 Technological Innovation • Cotton mills: Machines to spin cotton into thread were first developed in Britain , but their designs were secret. Samuel Slater memorized the plans and brought them to the U.S., opening the first American cotton mill in Rhode Island (1790) . • Interchangeable parts: Eli Whitney , famous for the cotton gin, developed machines that could make identical parts. This innovation lowered labor costs and increased efficiency. • Other inventions: o Charles Goodyear (1839) – vulcanization, making rubber stronger. o Elias Howe (1846) – sewing machine, later improved by Isaac Singer. o Samuel Morse (1844) – electric telegraph, revolutionizing communication. The telegraph transformed journalism, helping newspapers spread quickly. Daily newspapers in the U.S. grew from 8 in 1790 to nearly 400 by 1860 , many costing only a penny.

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    Study Guide 1.2 The Factory System New England led the growth of textile factories , which shared three main characteristics: 1. Division of labor – each worker performed only one part of the production process. 2. Use of machines – machines were used in every phase of production. 3. Phased production – the making of an item was broken into separate steps. • In 1813 , the first factory where spinning and weaving occurred under one roof was built in Waltham, Massachusetts . • Lowell, Massachusetts (1822) became a model factory town. Most workers were young women who lived in company dorms, worked 12 hours a day, six days a week , and earned enough to gain some independence. • Women usually worked for a few years before being replaced by immigrants , mostly Irish men, in the 1840s – 1850s. 1.3 Regional Industry • Textiles dominated manufacturing before the Civil War, mainly in the Northeast , where rivers provided water power and transportation . • Cloth made in New England was sent to New York and Philadelphia for turning into shirts, pants, and other clothing. • Other industries developed where raw materials were nearby: o Pittsburgh – iron industry (close to ore and coal). o Cincinnati – early meatpacking hub (near agricultural Ohio). 1.4 Labor Tensions and Early Unions The factory system caused conflicts with skilled workers : • Craftsmen were worried about machines and cheap labor taking their jobs.

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    Study Guide • They formed trade unions and political parties in the 1830s to protect wages, hours, and working conditions. • Eventually, artisans and unskilled workers joined forces. First general strike (1835, Philadelphia): • Workers demanded a ten - hour workday . • By the 1860s, most industries accepted the shorter day, except New England textile mills . 2. Changes in American Society The years 1815 to 1860 brought big changes to the United States, especially in the northern states . Economic growth transformed cities, work, and daily life, thanks to the transportation revolution, urbanization, and industrialization . Wealth and Social Class In northern cities, a small, wealthy elite controlled much of the economy. Meanwhile, the working poor , which included many immigrants , owned little or nothing. • Stories of “rags - to - riches” were popular, but most people did not move up the social ladder , even as incomes rose. • Some skilled workers became factory managers or small business owners, but many remained permanent wage earners , with little hope of advancement. This period highlighted growing inequality despite overall economic expansion. 2.1 Women and the Family The legal status of women in the mid - 1800s was mostly unchanged from colonial times. For example: • New York was the only state in 1848 to give married women control over their property. • In most states, women had very few legal rights and depended on their husbands. Industrialization, however, changed women’s roles in society , especially in middle - class urban families: • Factory - made goods replaced many items that women had once produced at home.

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