Teacher Notes

SSUSH7 Students will explain the process of economic growth, its regional and national impact in
the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
Overview: The War of 1812 marked the beginning of Americas transition from an agrarian nation to an
industrial power. Stymied by on-going war and blockades between France and her enemies in the first
years of the 19th century, Americans began developing its own native means of industrial production that
were not dependent on European imports. At the same time Americas began moving westward into the
Ohio Valley and beyond the Mississippi. Most students are familiar with the California Gold Rush but
few know of Oregon Fever in which families moved westward in hopes of free or cheap land in
Washington and Oregon. Thus Americas great economic prosperity in the early 19th century had both
national and regional impact. This prosperity allowed Americans to reflect on social problems and to seek
reforms that took hold in some regions more easily than in others.
a. Explain the impact of the
At the time of the American Revolution, Great Britain was
Industrial Revolution as seen in undergoing a transformation from purely agrarian to a modern
Eli Whitneys invention of the
industrial and commercial economy. The era known as the Industrial
cotton gin and his development Revolution is the name given to the period beginning the 18th century
of interchangeable parts for
when hand-made and home-made goods were replaced by machine
muskets.
made and factory made goods. Power driven machines operated by
semi-skilled or unskilled workers soon replaced skilled laborers,
altering the quality of work for many people. In the United States, the
Industrial Revolution began in 1793 with the completion of Samuel
Slaters water powered textile mill in Rhode Island. Real impetus was
given in the first decade of the 19th century as the Napoleonic Wars
interfered with Americas exports to European markets and imports
from Great Britain. The inability of the American Army to effectively
arm itself coupled with the desire not to be subject to the vagaries of
European international relations caused Americans to seek ways to
improve the national economy.
Like the Industrial Revolution in England, the Industrial
Revolution underwent a four stage process. First, transportation was
expanded (See USH 6d). Second, a power source was effectively
harnessed (Water-power and, shortly thereafter, steam power). Third,
improvements were made to industrial processes such as improving the
refining process and accelerating production (For example, the cotton
gin). The government helped protect American manufacturers by
passing a protective tariff.
Eli Whitneys impact
Eli Whitney (1765-1825) was born in Massachusetts to a
prosperous farming family. As a boy of 14, Whitney operated a nail
making business in his fathers workshop. Forbidden to attend school
by his step-mother, he worked as school teacher and farm laborer.
Through a private tutor he was able enter Yale University and
graduated in 1792.
Unable to find funds to continue a study in law, Whitney left for
South Carolina to become a private tutor on a plantation around
Charleston. A chance encounter changed his destination to coastal
Georgia where he became a tutor on the plantation of the widow of
Revolutionary war hero Nathaniel Greene. It was on this plantation
that Eli Whitney developed a simple machine to separate cotton from
its seeds. Operators of the cotton gin could separate 10 times the
amount cotton than could be separated by hand.

Teacher Notes

b. Describe the westward

growth of the United States;
include the emerging concept of
Manifest Destiny.

The machination of cotton processing made the production of cotton

cost effective at a time period when power driven spinners and looms
needed more raw fiber than could be produced by wool producers.
Plantation owners began shifting production from rice and tobacco to
cotton. As new lands opened up to settlement in the deep South, cotton
production exploded as did the need for more slaves. Whitney and his
business partner sought to lease the new cotton gin but plantation
owners were unwilling to lease the machines and instead copied the
simple design. Unable to stop the patent infringement, Whitney left
the South and returned to Connecticut. In the late 1700s, Whitney
began to perfect the idea of interchangeable parts in an effort to mass
produce muskets and musket parts. In order to produce the machine
that would produce the parts Whitney developed a milling machine
capable of producing the dies necessary to create machine parts.
Eli Whitneys creations impacted both the South and the North. In
the South, by creating an effective way to process cotton he tethered
the Southern economy to cotton and slavery. His advocacy of
interchangeable parts and the development of a milling machine
pushed northern businessmen toward creating an industrial system
based on unskilled, cheap wage labor.
In the first textile mills, New England farm girls served as the first
workers in the Lowell Mill system in Massachusetts, but would
eventually be replaced by Irish immigrants in search of work, and
desperate enough to work for low wages.
Westward Movement
Americans have always looked westward. As the coastal plains
filled, colonists arriving from Europe sought unclaimed land in the
backcountry of each colony. After the French and Indian War, settlers
crossed the Appalachians and entered in the Tennessee and Ohio River
Basins. After the American Revolution, settlers began to fill the Ohio
Valley and moved out into western Georgia and Alabama. The
conclusion of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of
Americas land holdings and brought new opportunities to move
westward into the Mississippi River Valley. Florida, the last piece of
foreign held territory in the east was acquired in 1818 from Spain. By
1850 Americans had settled California, Oregon and Washington. The
process of settlement took 150 years to reach the Appalachians, fifty
years to reach the Mississippi and another 30 years to settle the Pacific
states. In 230 years Americans had come to dominate the continent.
Americans believed such rapid expansion must have been as a result of
divine favor referred to as Manifest Destiny.
Manifest Destiny was a phrase coined to describe the belief that
America was to expand and settle the entire continent of North
America. The phrase originated in 1845 when John L. OSullivan, a
newspaper editor, wrote that it was Americas "Manifest Destiny to
overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free
development of our yearly multiplying millions."
The center of population growth in the years after the War of 1812
was in future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and northern Kentucky.

Teacher Notes

c. Describe reform movements,

specifically temperance,
abolitionism, and public school.

In this region three factors encouraged families in the eastern states to

move into the Midwest. First, Native Americans were removed from
the region. Second, land speculators had acquired large tracts of land
and were eager to sell. Third, as the national infrastructure moved
westward it was easier to migrate westward. Although interest rates
were high, so were grain prices throughout the 1830s and 1840s.
Fertile soil and the development of better plows and harvesters allowed
farmers to produce huge crops. Farmers were able to quickly pay off
loans with these bumper crops.
As the lands east of the Mississippi filled, attention turned to lands
further west. In the 1830s the new government of Mexico began
encouraging Americans to settle Texas. Americans living there
ultimately rebelled against the Mexican government, created the
Lone Star Republic, and petitioned to join the United States.
The Panic of 1836 caused many farmers to lose their homes in the east.
Hearing of plentiful cheap land in the west families began leaving the
east along the Oregon Trail for the northwest. By the mid-1840s
large wagon trains of 1000 families headed west toward Oregon. By
the end of the 1840s Americans has settled large areas along the west
coast.
In the 1820s a Second Great Awakening arose in America. While the
movement itself is not the subject of this element, one of the effects of
the movement was a desire by Christians to attack perceived social ills
in 19th century America. Some of these groups created utopian
communities where they lived in communal settings. The most famous
was New Harmony in Indiana. Mormons, persecuted in Illinois,
moved to the great Salt Lake, in Utah, creating their own community.
Temperance
The consumption of alcohol increased during this period. The stress of
an industrial environment, poor quality of water, and cheapness of
liquor all contributed to alcoholism. The temperance movement grew
out of a desire to protect women and children from abuse and general
poverty associated with the workingman spending his pay on drink.
Temperance movements originally attempted to get people to drink
less (temper their drinking) but quickly moved to pledges of abstaining
from drinking. In the beginning of the period there were many
temperance societies, but around 1835 most merged into the American
Temperance Society. The movement was successful in reducing the
amount of alcohol consumed but never succeeded in gaining the total
abolishment drinking in the United States.
Abolitionism
Probably the most heated reform issue in America was the abolition of
slavery. Abolishment movements had existed in America since the
colonial period. Their popularity waned after the American
Revolution. Renewed interest in the abolition of slavery began in the
1830s. Three groups emerged during this period. One group the
American Colonization Society (1818) called for the emancipation
and transportation of freed slaves back to Africa. The second group,
The American Antislavery Society (1833), led by William Lloyd
Garrison called for immediate emancipation by any means necessary.
A moderate group, the Liberty Party, had pledged to end all through

Teacher Notes

d. Explain womens efforts to

gain suffrage; include Elizabeth
Cady Stanton and the Seneca
Falls Conference.

e. Explain Jacksonian
Democracy, expanding
suffrage, the rise of popular
political culture, and the
development of American
nationalism.

legal and political means.

Public School
Until the 1840s there was little public education. Only the wealthy
educated their children.
Reformers believed that in order for democracy to be effective an
educated population would be needed. Horace Mann of
Massachusetts, along with Henry Barnard of Connecticut, began the
Common School Movement. The Common School Movement hoped
to create good citizens, unite society and prevent crime and poverty.
Mann advocated a free public education, financed by local funds, and
administered by a local school board and superintendent. This model
is essentially the one used in America today.
Womens Rights
Women in the early 1800s were legally and socially inferior to
men. Women could not vote and, if married, could not own property or
retain their own earnings. Women were leaders in the reform
movements such as the temperance and abolitionist movements.
However, in the 1840s a number of prominent women activists were
denied access to the London World Anti-Slavery Convention antislavery because they were women. These women, including Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and the Grimke Sisters (Angelina and
Sarah) became outspoken advocates for womens equality. They were
credible speakers on the abolitionist circuit because they had grown up
on a South Carolina plantation. With the advent of universal male
suffrage, women began to hope that suffrage would be extended to
them.
To push forward their ideas, Stanton and Mott organized a meeting
to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of
woman." The conference was held in Seneca Falls, New York on July
19-20, 1848. The meeting was attended by 300 people including 40
men. Curiously, none of the women felt that they could preside over
the meeting so Motts husband initially led the conference. Stanton
drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, modeling her work after the
Declaration of Independence. Stantons Declaration called for an end
to the unequal treatment of women. In addition, Stanton drafted eleven
other resolutions dealing with womens equality. Her ninth resolution
which called for women to have the right to vote nearly failed but
Frederick Douglass gave a speech which persuaded the delegates to
vote for the proposal. One hundred men and women signed the
declaration. The Seneca Falls Conference marked the beginning of the
Womens Rights Movement.
The development of American nationalism
After the War of 1812 the United States entered a period of
introspection. Americas leaders were determined never to be dragged
into another international crisis that also, through partisan political
politics, nearly split the Union. The period became known as the Era
of Good Feelings. The critical feeling of the period was to promote
and strengthen the United States through a series of improvements.
National finances were strengthened through the creation of a
new national bank that served as a depository for federal funds

Teacher Notes

New white male voters

put Jackson in the
White House

Spoils System

The Nullification
Crisis was the threat
of SC supported by
the VP, John C
Calhoun, to nullify
the Tariff of
Abominations.

and stable source of currency.

After the first bank charter lapsed regional banks printed their
own currency without the backing of specie. The War of 1812
exposed these weak currencies.
Many investors and depositors were left without recourse
when local banks failed. Furthermore, local banks had refused
to honor federal bank notes making it difficult for the federal
government to pay the army and purchase supplies.
A new tariff was passed in order to protect American industry
from what seen as unfair trade practices by British
manufacturers who had reputation of dumping cheaply
produced goods on American markets to the detriment of
American manufacturers. Led to Nullification Crisis.
The Supreme Court strengthened the federal governments
power through a series of critical court decisions that
backed the power of the new national bank to regulate
finances.
The expansion of nation westward was eased through new
federal land purchasing policies that made purchasing a
homestead easier. New roads, canals, and river improvements
were made so that western farmers could market products in
the growing eastern cities.
Jacksonian Democracy
According to Arthur Schlesinger In the Age of Jackson (1945)
Jacksonian Democracys characteristics included
Expanded Suffrage: Prior to 1820 only the wealthy could
participate in politics or vote in elections. Campaigning for
office was done quietly. Voters would defer to the wealthy and
elites. Voting was by voice vote. In the 1820s the new western
territories liberalized voter requirements to encourage
settlement. This resulted in the extension of voting rights to
all white men by 1840. By 1840 nearly 80% of white males
went to the polls.
Patronage: Jackson believed that the winning party should
have the right to appoint office holders. A permanent civil
service was viewed as corrupting to government.
Manifest Destiny: The right of Americans to settle western
lands was a critical. Jackson needed to support of the free
farmer. Cheap land was the key to maintaining support. Led to
Indian Removal Act of 1832 & Cherokee Trail of Tears where
Cherokee of Georgia moved to Oklahoma reservations.
Strict Constructionism: As their ancestors, the Jeffersonians
believed, the Jacksonians favored a limited federal
government, but they were not extremists as exhibited by the
Nullification Crisis. Jacksons Presidency was also noted for
its expansion of the power of the executive branch.
Laissez-faire Economics: The Jacksonians generally favored a
hands-off approach to the economy, as opposed to the Whig
program sponsoring modernization, railroads, banking, and

Teacher Notes

Key Terms

Suggested Resources

economic growth. No national bank: Jackson was opposed to

all banks.
He believed they were devices to cheat common people; he
and many followers believed that only gold and silver could be
money. He developed pet banks that would ultimately lead
to the Panic of 1837 when the banks risky behaviors led to a
serious economic depression.
The rise of popular political culture
After the War of 1812 there was only one political party, the
Democratic-Republicans.
Campaigning was generally a tepid affair with regional candidates
promoting regional issues. The inconclusive favorite son election of
1824 and resultant corrupt bargain gave rise to a two-party system
the Jacksonian Democrats and the National Republicans (led by John
Quincy Adams and Henry Clay). Political Campaigns took on a
military model as candidates mobilized supporters. Loyal supporters
were often rewarded for their service with political office.
Newspapers supported particular candidates and as a result become
sources of party information. Candidates were selected by political
conventions. Candidates and their supporters would canvas
communities seeking like-minded individuals to support them. When
candidates spoke in communities the atmosphere was reminiscent of
church social with plenty of food (and unlike a church social) and
alcohol. Speeches took on a moralistic tone and usually demonized the
candidates opponents. The rival party was portrayed as a threat to the
republican system and therefore should be kept from office. Popular
participation in the political process made America a truly democratic
nation as almost every level of political office was selected by the large
enfranchised population.
Abolitionism
American Nationalism
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Industrial Revolution
Interchangeable Parts
Jacksonian Democracy
Manifest Destiny
Public School Reform
Seneca Falls Conference
Temperance Movement
Womens Suffrage
General History
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
American Industrial Revolution
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/slater_hi.html
Samuel Slater
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/whitney_hi.html
Eli Whitney
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/

Teacher Notes
The West. Teaching materials that accompanied the PBS documentary.
http://www.teachushistory.org/Temperance/forteachers.htm
The emerging idea in the mid1800's that the United States should control the land between the Atlantic
Ocean and the Pacific Ocean was known as
A.
B.
C.
D.

American Destiny
American System
Manifest Destiny
Mutual Obligation

The Declaration of Sentiments, adopted during the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, is most closely
associated with the rights of
A.
B.
C.
D.

Immigrants
Women
Enslaved persons
Native Americans

A direct effect of the invention of the cotton gin was

A.
B.
C.
D.

New industrial machines expanded American manufacturing

The increase of slavery and dependence on cotton in the south
New farming methods increased American production of crops
Inventors were encouraged to look for new innovations

Starting with the election of President Andrew Jackson (1828), voter participation increased due to
A.
B.
C.
D.

Passage of an amendment ending religious qualifications for voting

Extension of suffrage to Native American Indians
End of property requirements for voting by many states
Arrival of more immigrants from nations with democratic governments

During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the spoils system resulted in

A.
B.
C.
D.

Federal laws being nullified by the states

Elected officials rewarding their supporters with government jobs
All free males being given the right to vote
The end of political corruption in the federal government

Dorothea Dix worked to reform

A.
B.
C.
D.

Education
The policy of placing the mentally ill in prisons instead of mental asylums
The policy of immigration restriction
Alcohol consumption in the US creating the Womens Christian Temperance Union

Writing Prompt:
What was the long term impact of the removal of the Cherokee, and what responsibility of the presidency
did Andrew Jackson abandon when he supported Cherokee removal? (Think Worcester v Georgia).
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Teacher Notes
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