Economic Growth of the U.S. in Early 19th Century. History Essay
Identify the economic growth of the United States by region throughout its early beginnings to the mid-19th century. How did aspects of remarkable economic development in the U.S. in the first half of the 19th century contribute to the sectional crisis of the 1850s?
TERMS TO KNOW:
1. Dred Scott Decision
2. Kansas – Nebraska Act
3. Fugitive Slave Act
4. The Compromise of 1850
5. Election of 1860
No additional materials (outside sources, internet sites, etc.) will be needed to answer the questions.
Prompt should be answered in essay-format and contain a minimum of 5-6 paragraphs. In answering the question, you are required to support your claims with historical evidence and analysis. Overall, your objective, in answering the question, is to “respond/ think like a historian,” meaning your arguments and claims should be supported with evidence from primary and secondary sources.
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Economic Growth of the U.S. in Early 19th Century
In the early to mid-19th century, two distinct regions emerged in the United States. These regions were different in the way they operated, their acceptance of industrialization, and their views on slavery. The North, on the one hand, accepted or welcomed industrialization with open arms. The region thrived as a result of the above. However, the South region did not welcome industrialization as much as the North. Its growth was thus slow and was mainly dependent on agriculture. Also, the ideals of the two regions changed as the North became more industrialized.
After Samuel Slater opened the first mill in the United States in 1790, the country started a wave of industrialization that propelled to higher economic heights. However, this development and industrialization was not universal because the country was divided into two distinct halves. The North welcomed development, and industries flourished in the region. More industries gave rise to the need for factory and wage labor. Employment in the factories grew immensely as subsistence farming dropped. People did not want to work on farms anymore, and many were employed in the new factories. Factories gave rise to urban centers as they necessitated the development of centers to host the people who worked in factories. So, in the North, urban centers and cities soon emerged. Because of the developments that were happening in the North, New York grew to become the largest and most important city. Its population also grew since more people wanted to live there. Aside from the above, it is crucial to note that slavery also dropped. Factory employment was the main attraction, and the need for slavery dropped in the North.
The South, on the other hand, took an entirely different route. As farms were decreasing and disappearing in the North, they increased and became bigger in the South. Crops like cotton and tobacco necessitated the need for large farms in the South, therefore, agriculture flourished as it was decreasing in the North. Instead of looking toward industrial development, the South looked toward agriculture. Therefore, the growth of urban centers and cities was slow in the South as opposed to the North. Labor was largely concentrated in farms and not in factories. The above necessitated the continuation of slavery in the South, and the population of African Americans increased in the region. Also, the concentration of labor in farms meant that fewer people lived in urban areas or cities, and thus no large cities existed in the region. New Orleans was the only large city in the South whose growth matched that of the Northern cities. However, as Chenault and Reinders (232) wrote, the city’s growth was largely due to the North. The researchers write that “into a society dominated by Creole and sou...