Heimler's History: The Market Revolution

Introduction

Coverage of the Market Revolution across two videos.
Focus of this video: Changes in technology, agriculture, and commerce in the 19th century.
Definition: Market Revolution was the linking of Northern industries with Western and Southern farms, created by advances in agriculture, industry, and transportation.
Transition from agrarian society to a capitalist society.

National Road (Cumberland Road):
- Connected Maryland to Illinois, spanning 1000 miles.
- Significant as it was one of the first major highways in the U.S.
- Facilitated transport of goods and raw materials.
Canals:
- Human-constructed rivers for trade.
- Erie Canal (1825): Linked western farms with eastern manufacturing.
Steamboats:
- Allowed for upstream and downstream travel, improving trade efficiency.
Railroads:
- Became main technology for trade by the 1820s and 1830s.
- Received government support through loans, tax breaks, and land grants.

Eli Whitney's Interchangeable Parts:
- Revolutionized manufacturing, especially in gun production.
- Allowed for mass production and easier repair/replacement of parts.
Factory System (1820s):
- Mass production by unskilled laborers.
- Shift from artisanal crafting to factory assembly.

Cotton Gin (Eli Whitney):
- Sped up cotton processing.
- Transformed Southern agriculture, making cotton a cash crop.
Commercial Farming:
- Shift from subsistence farming to growing cash crops (e.g., cotton, tobacco).
- Linked American farms to international markets, particularly with British textile demand.

Innovations in transportation, industry, and agriculture interconnected American regions economically and linked them to international markets.