Chapter 10
Economic Transformations
in the Northeast and the
Old Northwest
The American People, 6th ed.
I. Economic Growth
The Trans-Atlantic
Context for Growth
 Economic growth in America was linked and
influenced by a host of events elsewhere in the
world, particularly in England.
 The British Industrial Revolution spurred
technical innovations that had far-reaching
implications.
 Population growth and improvements in food
production through agricultural science also
were factors in European and American growth.
Factors Fueling Economic
Development
 The abundant natural resources of the
United States
 Increased labor pools, due to immigration
from Europe
 Improved modes of transportation (canals,
railroads)
A New Mentality
 The rapid spreads of literacy and
education after 1800 spurred innovation
and discovery, leading to increased
productivity.
 Under the direction of Horace Mann,
reform of state education for white
children ballooned in 1837.
The Advance of
Industrialization
 Based on the British model, the growth of
industrialization in America fueled
enormous economic growth in the years
before the Civil War.
 Organization of production into the
separate steps of manufacturing began
to replace the age-old process of “putting
out.”
Environmental Consequences
 The impact of the swift economic growth
of America had significant environmental
repercussions.
 Insatiable demands for wood as fuel and
building material destroyed forests and
promoted soil erosion.
 A later shift to coal blanketed the larger
cities in pollution.
II. Early Manufacture
Two Examples of
Transformation
 Unprecedented increase in availability of
printed material and increased literacy
gave Americans the opportunity to form
their own opinions and enrich their lives.
 Production of inexpensive timepieces
focused the average American’s attention
on the value of time and created the
industrial rhythm of life as we know it
today.
III. Urban Life
The Process of
Urbanization
 The impact of economic growth was
experienced most directly by those
living in the nation’s cities, which
emerged into three types:
Commercial centers
Mill towns
Transportation hubs
Class Structure
in the Cities
 The inequities of wealth and lifestyle in
the urban areas reflected social fluidity
and the potential for everyone to “make
it.”
 Americans believed capitalists deserved
the profits from the economic expansion
of the country.
 The growing inequities solidified class
lines and led to increased social agitation
and labor protests.
Middle-Class Life
and Ideals
 The new middle class benefited from the
economic growth in antebellum America.
 Furnished houses with the latest
conveniences were the rule compared to
the inadequate housing of the working
class.
 Genteel behavior and etiquette as well as
specific designations for gender.
Mounting Urban Tensions
 Social tensions as a result of class
distinctions and wealth inequities led to
dramatic increases in urban violence in
the years before the Civil War.
 Large American cities were slow to
establish a professional police force
relying instead on volunteer constables.
The Black Underclass
 In the sixty years before the Civil War, the
number of free blacks in America rose
dramatically.
 Most of these free blacks lived in the large
northeastern cities.
 They did not enjoy the rewards of the economic
expansion of the times.
 Black civil rights were repressed everywhere.
 Educational opportunities for free blacks were
minimal.
IV. Rural Communities
Farming in the East
 During the antebellum period, fertile land in the
east was beginning to run out.
 Irresponsible farming techniques drained the
land of nutrients, and eastern farmers realized
the futility of competing with western grain
farmers.
 The solution was an increase in cattle farming
for meat and milk and fresh vegetable
production for the urban markets.
Frontier Families
 After the War of 1812, movement to the
Old Northwest began in earnest.
 Changes in federal land policy helped
stimulate migration.
 The Old Northeast was only considered
the frontier for thirty years.
 Mistaken ideas about agriculture caused
farmers to ignore prairies as arable land.