Heimler's History: Market Revolution Impact on Society and Culture

Introduction

Continuation of Unit 4 in AP U.S. History.
Focus on the societal and cultural impacts of the Market Revolution in the 19th century.

Industrial cities in the North expanded due to European immigration (Irish and German).
- Irish Immigration: Driven by the Irish Potato Famine.
- German Immigration: Displaced farmers due to crop failures and failed democratic revolutions in 1848.
Immigration statistics:
- 1820s: 150,000 immigrants.
- 1830s: 600,000 immigrants.
- 1840s: 1.7 million immigrants.
Immigrants contributed labor to the industrial sector and transformed urban landscapes.
- Established cultural institutions such as synagogues and churches.

Nativists opposed immigrant cultures, especially against Catholics and Jews.
Stereotypes:
- Jews seen as avaricious moneylenders.
- Catholics seen as agents of the Pope.

Developed primarily in the North.
Included businessmen, shopkeepers, journalists, doctors, and lawyers.
Characteristics:
- High value on education, temperance (moderation in alcohol), and Protestant religious affiliation.
- Leisure activities: plays, circuses, and sporting events.

Cult of Domesticity:
- Women's roles centered around child-rearing and homemaking.
- Men were considered the workforce earners.
- This idea was prevalent among the middle class; laboring class women continued to work outside.

Many women worked in factories under strict conditions.
Example: Lowell Factory in Massachusetts.
- Staffed by former New England farm girls.
- Supervised closely, with controlled leisure activities.

The Market Revolution significantly altered American society and culture in the first half of the 19th century.
Reminder about the AP U.S. History exam preparation and the value of Heimler's videos for understanding these topics. Encouragement to subscribe to the channel.