Download AP Chapter 10 Study Guide

Brown/APUSH
American History
Chapter 10 p. 254-290
America’s Economic Revolution
1790-1850
Chapter Summary
After the War of 1812, a combination of rapid population growth, the expansion of communication and transportation
systems, and the development of an agricultural system sufficient to feed an urban population gave rise to the American
industrial revolution. The two sections of the nation most affected by these changes were the Northeast and the
Northwest, which were drawn closer together as a result. Canals, railroads, and the telegraph made it easier to move
goods and information. Business grew as corporations began to shape the world of trade and commerce. Technological
innovations helped expand industries as the factory system began to replace the artisan tradition. In the Northwest,
agriculture expanded to meet the increasing demand for farm products. All of these developments had profound
implications for American men and women, both in the ways that they worked and in their family lives.
Chapter Ten Main Themes
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The nature of the rapid immigration and urban growth between 1820 and 1840, and its effect on the nation's
economic, social, and political systems.
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The pronounced effect of the transportation and communications revolutions of the 1820s and 1830s on the
American economy.
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The transformation in women's social and economic roles as a consequence of the factory system.
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The social changes wrought by America's economic revolution in the fields of public leisure and Northern
agriculture.
Analytical Journal
COMMONWEALTH V. HUNT
DE WITT CLINTON
GODEY’S LADY’S BOOK
MACHINE TOOLS
SAMUEL F. B. MORSE
“CULT OF DOMESTICITY”
ERIE CANAL
KNOW-NOTHINGS
NATIVISM
SARAH BAGLEY
CYRUS H. MCCORMICK
FACTORY SYSTEM
LOWELL SYSTEM
P. T. BARNUM
TRUNK LINES
Defining the chapter terms in your journals will help you better understand:
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The changes that took place in the nation’s population growth, internal migration, and urbanization, as well
as the impact of such changes.
The importance of the Erie Canal in developing the West and New York City.
The changes that took place in transportation, business, industry, labor, and commerce.
The reasons why the Northeast and Northwest became more dependent on each other, while the South
became isolated from the rest of the nation in the 1840s and 1850s.
The vast changes taking place in the Northeast as agriculture declined while urbanization and
industrialization progressed at a rapid rate.
The role immigration played in the development of the nation.
The reasons for the popularity and growth of the nativist movement.
The living and working conditions in the northern factory towns and on northwestern farms.
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Long Essay Questions
1. What role did changes in population, transportation, communication, and technology play in the development of the
American economy before the Civil War? How did these changes also influence American culture?
Possible thesis statement: Before the American economy could grow, it needed a population that was large
enough to provide a cheap and reliable work force, a transportation and communication system that could sustain
commerce throughout the continent, and the technological advances that would encourage the large-scale growth
of manufacturing.
Discuss
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Population
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Transportation
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Communication
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Technological advances
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Changes in American culture
Possible conclusion: In the four decades before the Civil War, tremendous changes in population,
transportation, communication, and technology helped create the climate for commercial and industrial growth, as
well as promoted greater social and economic mobility for some Americans. In essence, these changes marked the
beginnings of a modern capitalist economy and an advanced industrial capacity that would rival the great powers
of Europe.
Long Essay Exam Tips
These are straightforward questions asking about the factors that led to America's first Industrial Revolution. The
thrusts of the questions are to identify the elements, and to explain their impact on the great increase in American
production and productivity before the Civil War. One can easily categorize the developments into three categories:
labor and entrepreneurship, capital, and technology. These usually work for any period of economic transformation.
Changing demographics, immigration, and migrating farm workers provided an industrial labor force that accumulated
in America's growing cities. The embargo and the War of 1812 provided a stimulus for domestic manufactures, and
fortunes made through trade and during the war provided a ready pool of capital for investment in new ventures.
Finally, technological improvements combined entire manufacturing processes in a single factory. Eli Whitney's
innovation of interchangeable parts in machinery made this possible. Textiles, particularly cotton fabrics, were the
major product. In addition, first canals and later railroads and the telegraph helped create a national market. These
factors combined the demand for and supply of goods that inspired the Industrial Revolution before the Civil War.
AP Exam Tips
Certain events instigate significant social, political, and cultural change: war and economic transformation are two of
the most important. The first American Industrial Revolution demonstrates this clearly. The following changes relate to
economic change.
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Society and gender--women’s roles were affected by underlying economic change. In this period
opportunity expanded with the Lowell System, but also diminished with the cult of domesticity.
Relations between labor and capital—industrialism sharpened differences between owners and
workers, and stirred the beginnings of organized labor. Violent strikes, fears of anarchy, and the
threat to property threatened stability in the public mind.
Urbanization—industrialism provided economic opportunity for workers and they flocked to cities
where industry located.
Culture and Communication—industrialism lowered the price of books and newspapers, making
them more accessible, and higher incomes supported cultural endeavors such as theater.
Politics—government has tended to promote the interests of business more than those of labor.
Protection of property favors the owners of factories, as do tariffs.
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