Economic+and+Transportation+Revolutions+-+D

= Economic and Transportation Revolutions = Pages 252-267 in APP / by Jay and Daniel



=BELLWORK QUESTION=

At the end of the War of 1812, why did US nationalism rise rapidly? For what specific reasons?

=OBJECTIVES (in blue)=


 * //1. Describe how western lands were organized and sold.// **

With events such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican Cession, US started to own a huge area of land on the western side; they were fulfilling their “continental destiny”. Settlers moved into the trans-Appalachian West, kicking out Indians as they went. The federal government officially supported this through treaties with the Indians taking away their land (east of the Mississippi River).

Most of these newly gained land, however, went through the hands of speculators first. The new western land was bought under cheap prices by speculators, then the speculators sold the land to coming residents, who wished to farm on the lands, at higher inflated prices.


 * //2. Realize the reasons behind American families moving westward and their living conditions.// **

Most settlers were farmers from the seaboard states, and rising land prices and declining fertility of the soil in the older regions often motivated migration. Few wished to escape the “civilized” and settled way of life they had known in the East. Western settlers moved in family-units and communal cooperation eventually accomplished most of the work that had previously required self-reliance.

The idea of the western hero or the western romanticism developed during this time. East Americans imagined the West as an untamed American wilderness inhabited by Indians and solitary white “pathfinders” who turned their backs on civilization and learned to live in harmony with nature. Novelist Cooper helped this trend through the popularization of Natty Bumpo or “Leatherstocking”. Cooper’s characters demonstrated the superiority of solitary life in the wilderness.

Korean Pop Culture attempts to capture the sense of American Romanticism - "Let's Go West!" media type="youtube" key="WQFvXx46Kv4" height="505" width="640" align="center"

Big Bang - Sunset Glow
 * //3. Understand the development of a national transportation network and its contribution to a market economy.// **

Leaders realized how important it was to connect the three distinct sections of the American economy: the West, the North, and the South. And America became more united than ever before with transportation networks including roads, steamboats, and canals.

In 1813, took 75 days for one wagon of goods drawn by four horses to make a trip of about a thousand miles from Massachusetts, to South Carolina. National Road between Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac and Wheeling, Virginia on the ohio. But this was pretty much a fail. Travelers benefited more than the transporters who needed to transport heavy materials. For heavy commodities, water transportation was needed. However, it is still important to realize that the United States still made this.

River transportation was one of the most significant reasons for its rapid economic development. The Ohio-Mississippi system encouraged the flat-boat trade. This system was important because it provided ready access to the rich agricultural areas of the interior and a natural outlet for their products. However, this system also had a problem because flat boats were not able to go against the river. It was easy to float down, but when people go back up, they had to walk overland.

This problem was solved when flatboats were replaced by steamboats that Robert Fulton created. Steamboats allowed people to go up the river too. Steam transport reduced costs, increased the speed of moving goods and people, and allowed a two-way commerce on the Mississippi and Ohio. Steam boats' problem, though, was that it frequently ran aground, collided, or blew up.

As water transportation grew, politicians and merchants of the Middle Atlantic and midwestern states decided to build a canal, so that they could reach Mississippi. The first great project was between Albany and Buffalo. Despite the fact that the longest canal United States had before was only 26 miles, they succeeded at this project and in 1825, the Erie Canal was opened. There were other canals built too, starting the canal boom.

ROADS The National Road, chartered by the states, was the first tolled roads. These were not good enough to meet the need for cheap transportation over great distances. STEAMBOATS The Ohio-Mississippi system held the first flatboat trade. And then Robert Fulton invented the steamboat in 1807. And the rivers proved themselves to be a bit more efficient than the roads. CANALS A series of canals were needed to connect the Great Lakes, the Ohio, and the Mississippi with the coastal states. In 1825, the Erie Canal was finished, signaling the birth of the "canal boom," which lasted until the late 1830s. In addition to roads and steamboats, these canals merged economies of different regions.
 * Short Summary**

Transportation improvements instigated more agricultural income and advocated commercial agriculture to take hold of the nation’s economy, involving the country more into the global market.


 * //4. Recount the process of how the South became the world's greatest cotton producer.// **

At the beginning of 19th century, life styles of farming households were pretty simple; they produced their own food and manufacture articles. However, as all the transportation system developed and they were able to access different markets easier and cheaper than before, this lifestyle changed. As the demand of cotton rose by the rise of textile manufacturing in England and the land in Southwest was available, cotton farming started to rise. However, there was a problem to this farming because taking out the seed from the cotton was a work that was done by human-labor, and took a lot of time. This problem was solved when Eli Whitney created the cotton gin, that did this work in a short time, in a faster rate. As the technological problem was solved, the demand for slave increased incredibly. The invention of cotton gin made the labor so easy and simple, that more labor simply meant more product. If one had more slaves to do the work, then he or she had more cotton to sell. Adding on, the South's splendid natural rivers helped South's cotton farming since it already provided ways to reach the cotton ports from the farm. The South's farmers had less need to develop transportation than other regions did because of the river; all they had to do was simply ride a boat and flow down to the ports where they were able to sell their products.

So, the Deep South became the world's greatest producer of cotton by five main factors. One is the rise of textile manufacturing in England since it increased the demand for cotton. Second is Eli Whitney's invention so called 'cotton gin'. Third is the huge land in the Southwest. The fourth factor is the existence of slavery, which provided all the work for massive cotton production. The very last main factor is that the South naturally had a nice transportation route to trade.


 * //5. Comprehend how the new US economic activities resulted the early factory system.// **

The development of the aforementioned US economic activities such as commercial agriculture encouraged the early factory system. The first factory system appeared in New England’s textile industry. Before the 1840s, however, US industries were underdeveloped compared to European regions. Only a small 8.8. % of the population worked in factories initially.

=OUTLINE=

5 min Bellwork time 10 min speed quiz game 15 min presentation with keynote, primary sources analysis 5 min assessment quiz


 * total 35 min

=PRESENTATION=



=QUIZ=