Chapter 11 Section 2 - Rocky River City Schools

April 21, 2018 | Author: Anonymous | Category: History, European History, Europe (1815-1915), Industrial Revolution
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Chapter 11 Section 2 “The North Transformed” * * * * * * * * * * * * Focus Question: How did urbanization, technology, and social change affect the North? Northern Cities *1790 – New York City was largest city (33,000) which was small compared to major cities of Europe. Growth of Cities *1800s – US cities grew larger. Industrial Revolution spurred urbanization (the growth of cities due to movement of people from rural areas to cities). As capitalists built more factories, farmers were attracted to new types of work in cities. *As eastern coastal cities became crowded, new immigrants moved west. Pittsburgh, PA, and Louisville, KY, were two of the cities that grew dramatically. Urban Problems *Growing cities had problems: filthy streets, absence of adequate sewage systems, and a lack of clean drinking water. These problems spread disease.

*Since most buildings were made of wood, fires were a problem. Volunteer firefighters were untrained and poorly equipped. Insurance companies paid firefighters for saving insured buildings so rival fire companies often fought each other. The Growth of Northern Industry *The most important invention in communication was the telegraph (a device that used electrical signals to send messages over long distances). The Telegraph *Samuel F.B. Morse invented the telegraph. It sent short and long bursts of electricity in a code (Morse code) which represented the letters in the alphabet. *The first telegraph message was sent from the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. in 1844. *The telegraph became part of American life. Thousands of miles of wires were strung across the nation. Factories in the East could communicate with their markets in the West in hours rather than weeks. Advances in Agriculture *Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper which cut stalks of wheat faster than humans. This allowed farmers to cultivate more land with fewer workers.

*Threshers were improved and speeded up the process of separating grains of wheat from their stalks. Eventually, the mechanical reaper and thresher were combined into one machine called a combine. *Farm laborers who had been replaced by machines went to cities to work in shops and factories. Some cities (Cincinnati) grew as both agricultural and industrial centers. Advances in Manufacturing *1846 – Elias Howe patented a machine that could sew seams in fabric. *Isaac Singer – improved Howe’s design with a sewing machine that made it more efficient to produce large quantities of clothing. *By 1860 – factories in New England and the Middle Atlantic states were producing most of the nation’s manufactured goods. Over 90% of invested money was in businesses in the North. A Transportation Revolution *As transportation became faster and easier, factories could make use of raw materials from farther away. It also allowed factory owners to ships their goods to distant markets.

Steamboats and Clipper Ships *1807 – Robert Fulton used a steam engine to power a boat. The Clermont was the first practical steamboat and had wooden side paddles that pulled it through water. *Steamboats were ideal for traveling on rivers. *Clipper ships were the world’s fastest chips until the 1850s, when Great Britain was producing oceangoing steamships. These ironclad steamships were faster and could carry more cargo. Railroads *Railroads did the most of all transportation improvements in tying together raw materials, manufacturers, and markets. Steamboats had to follow rivers which could freeze in winter, but railroads could be built almost anywhere. *America’s first railroad was the Baltimore and Ohio, begun in 1828. Its cars were drawn along the track by horses. *1830 – Peter Cooper built the first Americanmade steam locomotive. By 1840 – about 3,000 miles of railway track and been built in the US. A New Wave of Immigrants *1840s – American population grew rapidly.

*Millions of immigrants entered, mostly from western Europe. They came for cheap land, they believed their skills would get them jobs, and they could not survive at home. The Great Hunger *Ireland had a fungus that destroyed its main staple crop, the potato, in 1845. It led to a famine (widespread starvation). During the Great Hunger, over a million people starved to death and another million left Ireland. *The Irish immigrants that came to the US had been farm laborers. They took jobs doing construction and laying railroad track in the East and Midwest. Young Irish women were household workers. German Newcomers *German immigrants came to US when revolutions against harsh rulers failed. *Most Germans moved west into the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes region. Reaction Against Immigrants *Americans that worried about immigrant population were nativists (people who wanted to preserve the country for while, American-born Protestants). Nativists especially opposed Irish immigrants because most were Roman Catholic.

*A group of nativists in NY formed a secret group that became the Know-Nothing political party. In 1856, the Know-Nothing candidate for President won 21 percent of the vote but the party soon split over the issue of slavery and dissolved. African Americans in the North *African Americans in the North faced even more discrimination (the denial of equal rights or equal treatment to certain groups of people) than immigrants. *Early 1800s, most of slavery in the North had ended. Free African Americans were joined by new arrivals from the South. African Americans were often denied the right to vote and were not allowed to work in factories or in skilled trades. *Even when willing to take the least desirable jobs, many employers preferred to hire white immigrants over African Americans. *Prejudice of African Americans led to racial segregation of schools and public facilities. African Americans had to form their own churches (ex. African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia). *1827 - African Americans started their own newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, in NY. John B. Russwurm, one of first African Americans to graduate from college, was its editor.

Review Questions *What problems did cities face in the early 1800s? They were unclean and had poor drinking water, which spread disease; the air was poor; fires were common, and firefighters often ill-equipped. *What new inventions helped northern industry to grow? The telegraph, mechanical reaper, improvements in threshers, the combine, and sewing machine *Why were railroads a better means of transportation than steamboats? Unlike steamboats, railroads could be built almost anywhere and travel in any season. *Why did Irish and German immigration to the United States increase in the 1840s? The Irish were fleeing from a famine, and the Germans were fleeing from failed revolutions. *What obstacles did African Americans face in the North? They faced discrimination in terms of the right to vote, getting jobs, and segregation in schools and other public places.

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