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After the war of 1812, a revolution took over transportation, leading to the Market Revolution. People in power realized that it was necessary to improve the country’s transportation network in order to keep up with the growing economy. The invention of the steamboat brought economic development to the trans-Appalachian west. The Erie Canal, which was the longest man-made waterway, linked the region around the Great Lakes to the Atlantic coast, through the Hudson River. Additionally, railroads were built to improve the speed of commerce.
The market revolution had a tremendous impact on many regions in the U.S., most notably the South and Northeast. The market revolution is a term used by historians to describe the expansion of the marketplace that occurred between 1815 and 1830, prompted mainly by major transportation improvements and various unique inventions to connect distant communities together for the first time. The South developed and thrived mainly from the cotton gin and the expansion of slavery. The Northeast flourished and bloomed from the factory system, interchangeable parts, transportation improvements, and women in the work force. The market revolution impact on the South and Northeast brought about widespread economic growth yet affected the regions differently, the South shifted from subsistence farming to commercial farming and the Northeast grew in mechanization and industrialization.
The Market Revolution and the Second Great Awakening both dramatically shaped the individual stories of Elijah Pierson and Robert Matthews. When the Market Revolution brought Elijah from New Jersey to New York, his life was a lot different than what he was used to. Elijah had come from a town where everyone attended church and where social hierarchy was unproblematic. At a young age he learned that “God had placed men and women into families and social ranks, then governed their destinies according to his inscrutable Providence” (15). However, when he moved to New York, few people attended church and homelessness was seen all over the streets.
Following the Market Revolution the ideals of American Womanhood were reinterpreted due to many social reforms, abolitions movements, and the fight for political equality. Many social reforms took place between the American Revolution and the Civil War. The Market Revolution led to many of the social changes for women at this time. Both men and mostly single women began to find work outside of their family farms. Young girls would often find work at Lowell factories.
The America of the 1790s remained relatively religiously closed-minded and economically exclusive. First, religions of the time focused solely on white people of British descent. They ignored major marginalized groups such as slaves. In addition, religious leadership remained dominated by the patriarchy; although religious groups of the late 18th century held meetings to plan and to discuss finances, the meetings typically only included men. Ideas surrounding religion also confined themselves to certain doctrines: centralized organizations and their creeds far exceeded individual interpretation in terms of importance.
The market revolution, which started in 1815, transformed worker lives, and improved the nation vastly; although it also dropped the economy as well. The traditional market, which was based upon power generated by animals and water, was slow in activities such as transportation. The growing nation underwent peace, which then catalyzed the reform of the organization of the economy. As such, transportation was heavily improved upon, along with manufacturing, banking, and commercial law. However, there were also two panics during the time that occurred that led to many Americans who were anxious and uncertain about working in the country.
The market revolution sparked explosive economic growth and new personal wealth. It affected the lives of workers by giving them jobs. It did bring them from skilled labor to cheap labor though. There were far more immigrants in the North than in the South because there were more job opportunities due to there being decreased numbers of enslaved persons. The market revolution sparked social change in many ways.
Transportation Revolution The transportation revolution is believed to have begun in 1807 when the government seemed it was going to become active in growing infrastructure. The treasury secretary, at the time, Albert Gallatin was asked to develop “a plan for the application of such means as are within the power of Congress, to the purpose of opening roads and making canals” (W&R). This plan was not to happen and throughout this revolution the government was only responsible for a few projects. Without much government aid, entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands, creating competition.
This was to let steamboats, a new form of transportation, to deliver goods to the states bordering the rivers and lakes they travelled on. Rails was also one of the largest forms of transportation in the North. Steam-powered trains were used to carry passengers and goods to anywhere that track was
Throughout American History, revolutions in transportation have affected the American society politically, socially and economically. Soon after the war of 1812, American nationalism increased which leads to a greater emphasis on national issues, the increase in power and prevalence of the national government and a growing sense of the American Identity. Railways, canals, and Turnpikes began to increase making many people employed. The era of 1830-1860 represents a shift from agrarianism to industrialism. Overall, during the transportation revolution, construction of turnpikes, roads, canals, and railroads led to the market economy expansion, an increased population in America and alternations of the physical landscape of America.
The first way that the economy was impacted was that with the ease and efficiency of the railroads, they created a large demand for goods and labor because they needed a lot of people to help build the railroads and also needed a large quantity of steel for the rails and wood for the railroad ties. Secondly the railroads created a huge national market because of the simplicity of delivering goods from place to place. The railroads helped the people in even the most rural place prosper with the cost efficient transportation of the trains. From 1830 to 1861, the United States laid aproximately 30,000 miles of railroad track, which led to an increase in demand for coal which was used to produce iron for the
The Market Revolution generated a drastic change in the United States economy and altered gender barriers while at the same time accomplishing this in a provocative manner. This economic boom occurred around the first half of the 19th Century. The economic boom was achieved by inventions such as a transcontinental railroad system which resulted in a better transportation system which improved trade and the cotton gin which sped up the rate of removing seeds from cotton fiber. However like what the great Hugo said, “The brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over we realize this: that the human race has been roughly handled, but that it has advanced”.
The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.
In turn, railroad companies spent large sums of money purchasing railroad supplies. The cycle of employing large numbers of workers, building the railroads, and spending large sums of money stimulated extraordinary growth in the economy. In addition, railroads caused the remarkable growth of nationwide marketing in America in the late 19th century. Railroads allowed mail-order
Railroads kick started the Industrial Revolution, propelling the
