How Did Factories Affect The Economy After The War Of 1812

Before the War of 1812, clothes and other goods were made in people's homes, largely by women. Additionally, factories would create a product, such as a pattern for a shoe, and then send it to homes to be finished off. During the war, this changed – America closed the ports to everyone due to the Embargo Act of 1807, decreasing the exports and imports, which were a large part of America’s economy. With little choice, they started to produce goods domestically, which resulted in the growth of factories and the industrial revolution. American businesses created mills in the north, especially in Massachusetts. The first one in Massachusetts was in Waltham, which was made by Francis Cabot Lowell and several of his Boston associates. Boston Associates
The women were put into a contract for twelve months, and those who left early were blacklisted. On top of this, the contract stated that the payments were made monthly. Factory Rules from the Handbook of Lowell. This was very suspicious, as in the contract it only stated their one-year contract and when they were going to be paid, but the amount they were getting paid was fluid and up to the mill owners, and the mill owners ended up cheating the women out of their deserved pay. Even though the pay wasn't fair towards the women, the mills offered the women opportunities they didn't get anywhere else, like education and a voice in society. Their access to education in the mills was nothing they had experienced, and this was one of the reasons they were able to learn how to read and write. The mills produced bad conditions due to the machines, but since the women learnt how to read and write, the newfound power gave them the confidence to have a voice and stand up for themselves. Another reason they stood up for themselves was because they had been wronged through their pay and had the confidence to protest against