Chapter+14

Chapter 14

1. The Westward Movement Young Americans constantly moving westward Life grim for most pioneer families Disease, depression, premature death, unbearable, loneliness, madness James Fenimore Cooper – Natty Bumppo Herman Melville – Captain Ahab

2. Shaping the western landscape Pioneers exhausted the land Burned old cane to make land ideal for livestock Beaver hat trade thrived for two decade almost made the hapless beaver disappear Buffalo robes led to the total annihilation of the bison herds that had once blanketed the western prairies George Catlin – National Park

3. The March of the millions American population growing rapidly Over-rapid urbanization – smelly slums, feeble street lighting, inadequate policing, etc. Lots of immigrants

4. The Emerald Isle moves west Black 40’s – Irish flocked to America because so many had died from starvation already Irish were treated terribly in America

5. The German Forty Eighters Many Germans also came to America – mostly uprooted farmers, displaced by crop failures and other hardships Germans greatly shaped American life against slavery

6. Flare-ups of anti-foreignism Native Americans started to be suspicious of Catholic Germans & Irish Worried about them “stealing” elections Catholic schools started to develop Mob burned one Catholic convent Attack on Catholic schools and churches Immigrants were undeniably making America better

7. Creeping mechanization America slow to adopt machinery Had trouble producing well-made cheap products

8. Whitney ends the fiber famine Samuel Slater – memorized British machinery plans and then came back to American to build it; (machine for spinning cotton thread) Eli Whitney built the cotton gin – used for separating the seed from the cotton Much more time and cost effective than slaves Some west land was plowed to make room for cotton Cotton grown in South, manufactured in North (water power)

9. Marvels in manufacturing Wearing American clothes created nationalism Eli Whitney – interchangeable parts Became basis for modern mass production Sewing machine – invented by Elias Howe; perfected by Isaac Singer Many imaginative inventions (led to what we have today)

10. Workers and “wage slaves” Workers had bad conditions – low wages, poor heating, skimpy meals, etc. A lot of factories had child labor Andrew Jackson – shorter hours, better conditions and wages Strikes began in 1830’s – 1840’s for higher wages, ten hour day, mostly the workers lost

11. Women and the economy Women/girls were important in industry as well (yarn, cloth, candles, etc.) Women had bad work conditions too Married women were homemakers and had power in her family New style of discipline (punishment)

12. Western farmers reap a revolution in the fields Obstacle of farmers – matted soil out west – messed up wooden plows John Deere – metal plow Cyrus McCormick – mechanical mower reaper Farmer – business people were harvesting a bigger crop than the South

13. Highways and steamboats Lancaster Turnpike = 62 miles from Philadelphia to Lancaster made shipping easier Stimulated western development National/Cumberland Road – Cumberland to Vandalia – 591 miles Robert Fulton – Clermont Steamboats revolutionized water travel Steamboats too often blew up 14. “Clinton’s Big Ditch” in New York Erie canal – Great lakes – Hudson River 363 miles Shipping costs went down New cities blossomed – Rochester, Syracuse

15. The Iron Horse Railroad – cheaper to construct, more reliable, not frozen in winter First Railroad – 1828; by 1860 the U.S. had 30,000 miles of track

16. Cables, clippers, and pony riders Cable was laid to link America to Europe Clipper ships – helped shipping Very fast Pony express – mail carrier for 2,000 miles Could make the trip in ten days Worked year round no matter what

17. The transport web binds the union West – grain and livestock to feed factory workers East – machines and textiles for the west

18. The market revolution Families used to make all their own products but now they buy products from factories Great economic differences – drifters = unskilled workers