APUSH (Unit 5, #4)
Name ___________________________
Date ________________ Pd ________
American Antebellum Changes: The Transportation & Market Revolutions
I. The Transportation Revolution
A. Henry Clay’s American System promoted internal improvements
1. The National Road & private turnpikes were built to connect east and west, but did not meet demand
2. Steamboats & state built canals helped reduce costs, increase speed, & move goods to and from the West
B. The railroad proved to be the greatest advance in transportation
1. Spurred American industrial & agricultural growth
2. Led to new forms of business & gov’t financing that would later influence corporations
C. By 1840, the USA had an intricate network of rivers, roads, canals, & railroads that connected the country
II. The Market Revolution
A. The Beginning of Commercial Agriculture
1. Farmers in the West and South specialized in staple cash crops, especially Southern cotton
2. Lower transportation costs & new inventions (McCormick reaper & Deere plow) helped farmers make money
3. Farmers benefited from new forms of credit (especially under the 2nd BUS) & long-distance marketing
B. Early Industrialism
1. In 1815, most textiles were produced in the “putting out” system
2. By 1840, textile factories were growing, especially in New England
a. Due to Slater’s factory designs, Whitney’s interchangeable parts, & inventions (power loom & sewing machine
b. Case study: the Lowell Factory in Boston was America’s 1st dual purpose textile factory
C. By 1840, the USA developed a self-sustaining national economy that was driven by regional specialization
1. The Deep South was divided between rich cotton plantations with slaves & poor yeoman farms
2. The West had cheap land for farmers & were connected to eastern markets via improved transportation
3. The North shifted to commercial farming & industry to supply the West & South with manufactured goods
D. By 1840, the market revolution connected all 3 regions but America was not yet an industrial society
III. Mass Immigration Begins
A. From 1840 to 1860, 4 million Irish & German immigrants came to America
1. Due to desire for industrial jobs or western lands, access to cheap transportation, & to escape potato blight
2. Many immigrants stayed in Eastern urban factories & helped fuel the early American Industrial Revolution
B. The increase in industrialization, urbanization & immigration led to slums, poverty, & crime
1. Urban reformers attempted to clean up cities via police forces & improved sanitation, sewage, & housing
2. Increased immigration brought Nativism due to suspicions of ethnic cultures, especially Catholics
IV. Conclusions