Overview
This lecture covers the Market Revolution in the United States (1800–1840), highlighting economic, technological, and social transformations, westward expansion, changing concepts of freedom, and their impact on work, religion, class, women, immigrants, and race.
The Market Revolution: Causes and Impacts
- The Market Revolution refers to rapid economic changes from 1800–1840 due to new transportation, communication, and manufacturing technologies.
- Key drivers were the spread of market relations, westward migration, and the growth of political democracy.
- Innovations like roads, canals, steamboats, and railroads drastically reduced costs and times for transporting goods.
- The telegraph enabled near-instant communication across long distances.
- Industrialization and population growth fueled westward migration and urban expansion.
- Slavery expanded westward and defined racial boundaries in American democracy.
Transportation and Westward Expansion
- Early transportation advances included turnpikes, steamboats (Robert Fulton, 1807), and canals (Erie Canal, 1825).
- Railroads opened new areas and connected regions, but differences in rail gauge increased North-South divides.
- Massive westward migration resulted in new states and cultural transfer; three main migration streams reflected regional differences.
Industrialization and the Cotton Kingdom
- The invention of the cotton gin (Eli Whitney, 1793) revolutionized cotton production, reinvigorating and expanding slavery.
- Northern industrialization led to urban growth, increased manufacturing, and new agricultural technology (steel plow, reaper).
- Factory systems replaced household and artisan production, centralizing workers and increasing output.
- Factories increasingly used power-driven machines, first water, then steam powered.
- The American system of interchangeable parts allowed for mass production of standardized goods.
Urbanization and Labor Changes
- Urban centers grew rapidly; new cities flourished along rivers and railroads.
- The factory system led to wage labor, longer hours, and stricter work discipline.
- Early factory labor included women and children; major labor systems included the Rhode Island Plan (whole families) and Lowell System (young, unmarried women).
- Immigration (mainly Irish and Germans) filled labor needs, with most immigrants settling in the North.
Corporate Growth and Legal Changes
- Corporations became central, receiving special legal status and protection from liability.
- Court decisions favored business interests, often at the expense of workers and unions.
Immigration, Nativism, and Social Tensions
- Irish and German immigration swelled city populations and transformed the workforce.
- Irish immigrants faced discrimination and poverty, while Germans often arrived with more resources.
- Nativist movements arose to resist Catholic and immigrant influence, blaming them for social problems.
Manifest Destiny and American Identity
- Manifest Destiny was the belief in a divine mission for the U.S. to expand across North America.
- Themes: American exceptionalism, a mission to spread a particular way of life, and a sense of racial superiority.
- Westward expansion was seen as key to preserving American freedom and opportunity.
Religion, Transcendentalism, and Social Reform
- The Second Great Awakening was a mass religious revival promoting individualism, free will, and participation.
- Evangelical churches (Methodist, Baptist) grew quickly, appealing to women and African Americans.
- Transcendentalists (Emerson, Thoreau) emphasized self-reliance and personal judgment.
- Religion and reform movements were intertwined with changing ideas of freedom.
Social Class, Race, and Gender
- A new middle class emerged, separating work and home and embracing Evangelical values.
- Most African Americans remained enslaved; even free blacks faced severe discrimination and exclusion.
- The Cult of Domesticity emphasized that women remain at home, focusing on moral and family roles, while restricting legal and economic rights.
- Not all women could remain at home; many worked in factories or as servants with limited rights.
Labor Movements and Class Conflict
- Skilled artisans and workers formed early labor organizations and "workingmen's parties" to advocate for better conditions and shorter hours.
- Labor demanded a voice in politics, drawing on Revolutionary ideals of freedom.
- Industrialization widened inequality and fueled class consciousness and social strife.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Market Revolution — Period of rapid economic transformation in the U.S. (1800–1840).
- Cotton Gin — Machine invented by Eli Whitney to separate cotton fibers from seeds, making cotton production more profitable.
- Turnpikes — Toll roads built to improve land transportation.
- Erie Canal — Major canal linking the Great Lakes with the Atlantic, spurring trade and settlement.
- Manifest Destiny — Belief that Americans were destined to expand across the continent.
- Transcendentalism — Intellectual movement emphasizing self-reliance and personal spiritual experience.
- Cult of Domesticity — Ideology that confined women to the home with roles as moral guardians.
- Second Great Awakening — Religious revival movement promoting individual salvation and social reform.
- Nativism — Anti-immigrant sentiment seeking to limit rights of newcomers.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Prepare for next lecture: Jacksonian America.
- Review chapter 9 and class notes for key developments in the Market Revolution.
- Reflect on how economic, social, and technological changes redefined American freedom and identity.