America’s Economic Revolution
Theme: The market revolution, Industrial Revolution, and large-scale immigration created tremendous changes within the United States during the early and mid- 19th century. During this time span the same forces behind America’s great industrial growth that created a sense of national unity for some, also contributed to the rising sectionalism that peaked in the latter half of the 19th century with the Civil War.
I. the American population
A. Reasons for population increase:
1. Improvements in public health: the number of diseases decreased along with the mortality rate; the birth rate also increased: women on average had 6 children which all were expected to grow of age to bore children themselves.
2. Immigration: European immigration contributed little to the enormous population growth because of the wars in Europe in the early 19th century, but the numbers soon increased by around 80,000 by 1837. This was greatly due to lowered transportation costs and increased economic opportunities.
3. Migration into the industrializing areas created the rapid urbanization within existing cities. Also migration westward spread industrialization into new parts of the country. Compared to in 1790 when one in every thirty people lived in cities by 1840 one in twelve did. B. Immigration and urban growth
1. Major city’s population growth:
- New York: rose from 312,000 to 805,000.
- Philadelphia: from 220,000 to 565,000.
- Boston: from 93,000 to 177,000
2. Western cities also grew due to the booming agricultural economy; Cincinnati, Pittsburg, St. Louis, Louisville all benefited from trading posts along the Mississippi river.
3. European immigration:
-1840- 84,000
-1840 to 1850- 1.5 million
-By 1850 there were 23 million people in the US and 2.2 million were foreign born.
-In the 1850’s over 2.5 million arrived.
-In St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee foreigners outnumbered natives
-Few immigrants settled in