Preview

How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect The American Economy

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
414 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect The American Economy
How did the Industrial Revolution Change the American Economy

Before the Industrial Revolution, the American economy was built on cotton plantations, hand-woven textiles, farming, fishing, and trade. Products were made by hand on farms and in homes. The Industrial Revolution changed how goods were produced which had a major impact on the American Economy both positively and negatively. The invention of machines, water power, and steam engines, for example, led to materials being produced more quickly while reducing the cost of production. Although many changes were being made, the South trailed the growth of the North. In the South, the economy came to rely on cotton and slave labor. Cotton became one of the greatest sources of wealth

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    During Industrialization many changes occurred which greatly affected American Society. The U.S. started to industrialize after Reconstruction. America became a leader of industry towards the end of the 19th century. Some examples of the changes that occurred were the growth of railroads and the rise of cities or monopolists. They were a big part in changing America’s society.…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    FRQ APUSH North vs. South

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Economically, the South had one relied resource and one only: cotton. It was the root of their profits, their lives, their surroundings. Despite the white majority of the 1860’s not being a part of the planter aristocracy, it was still their personal American Dream: to own slaves on a plantation with a pretty wife and white kids. The Southern economy depended primarily on the production and working of slaves, as the cheap labor force. On the industrial hand, the North was all about hard work and…equal rights, but mostly hard work. Their primary focus for economic gain was industry. Railroads, telegraphs, machines…oh my! The North also had the advantage of economic stability from the California Gold Rush which aided them to flourish dramatically, though plummeted during the Panic of 1857, which negatively affected the North due to the inflation caused by the gold. Once California was accepted into the Union (as a free state), its abundance of gold deposits held the North on its high horse before the reoccurring panics.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The South's predominant economic principle before the War of Northern Aggression was "Cotton is King." The South, as it was known around the turn of the 19th century, was solely dependent upon its cotton production. Low prices, unmarketable goods, and over-used land were driving the necessity for slavery and the need for cotton production out. Were it not for a Yankee's ingenuity, the South as we study it now may have been vastly different.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the decades following the Civil War, the United States emerged as an industrial giant. Old industries expanded and many new ones, including petroleum refining, steel manufacturing, and electrical power, emerged. Railroads expanded significantly, bringing even remote parts of the country into a national market economy. Industrial growth transformed American society. It produced a new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Slavery was closely linked to the Industrial Revolution. According to class lecture, cotton plantation production boomed in the south and slave labor was needed to harvest the cotton and tend the cotton gins. The northern industries also benefited from slavery since they were supplied with cotton harvested by slaves. A primary source is the picture of a huge cotton gin shown in class that demonstrates how technological innovation contributed to the south’s success in becoming the world’s largest producer and provider of cotton. The new economies were intertwined as southern cotton feed northern textile mills. Although the northern states were against slavery, they contributed in the slave economy in the south. However, not all blacks were involved…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southern economy was mainly based on slavery and agriculture. They made lots of money off of cotton from their plantations, but the only way that they would harvest cotton was through slavery. Without slavery, it seemed impossible for the southern economy to even exist. Slaves lived very poorly in the south. They usually didn’t make any money, were forced to work long hours, weren’t fed very well, and some didn’t even have beds to sleep on.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cotton for the most part was the only thing the South had to keep the relevant. It was extremely profitable for both the states and the ranch owners. That is until they continued to overplant cotton and eventually took most of the nutrients and soil needed to grow the cotton. Advancements such as Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin and others such as the sewing machines and power looms caused an increase in demand from the cotton from the Northern states. Throughout this time period the plantation owners were able to buy land at extremely low sums of money. In order to keep the plantations running smoothly, they needed to purchase slaves. Slavery was the perfect answer for the plantation owners, because it provided a strong labor source that could not quiet or demand more money, but they also insured that the labor source would continue for generations. The increasing demand for slaves, as well as the ban of purchasing slaves from Africa, cause the price of slaves to sky rocket. Making it more profitable for smaller farmers to sell their sales to the West or farther South. Slavery was a huge part of the economy for the south, and the Antebellum period only increased the need for slaves, with advancements in technology and transportation.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The southern economy in itself relied purely on the production of cotton and slavery. Following the invention of the cotton gin, cotton production soared in the South. Southerners believed in elegance and had values of chivalry which is why they discouraged the growth of cities & industrialization. The South not only discouraged growth,…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1800s North and South

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages

    On the other hand, the south had an economy that did not exceed because it was centered on agriculture. The south had very fertile soil with a good delightful The major crops were cotton, indigo, tobacco, rice, sugar cane, and indigo. They were grown to export them and gain profit. Unfortunately, there were tariffs that prohibited this, causing tension between the north and the south. One major problem between the north and the south was that the north opposed slavery, while the south favored it. The south wanted slavery because they needed them for labor, especially after the invention of the cotton gin. The south had a weak economy, due to the fact, that plantations were so far apart that they were self-reliant.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The south however thrived in slave trade, sugar, cotton, and tobacco production. Southern economic prosperity also derived from well developed plantation systems that were operated on free labor by black slaves.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many changes were happening all over the world and if the United States was to grow as a nation it had to keep up and compete with other countries. Three aspects that really changed how life was lived after the war were transportation, urbanization, and work conditions. Trains along with boats made it easier for people to buy and sell at a faster rate which led to supply and demand of goods or services. Businesses trying to keep up with the demand opened mills and factories then hired many workers that led to people moving away from agrarian society. Looking for work outside the home made it possible for business to have enough people to work machines that mass produced product for sale (Macionis, 2010). These significant changes from the Industrial Revolution affected how the Government worked, the original indigenous people lived, and how Reconstruction…

    • 1931 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to all the advancements and newfound knowledge during the Industrial Revolution, there were many changes in economics, politics, and social aspects. Despite the many benefits of this occurence, child labor, lack of education, and the style of government, completely outweigh the positive components of mass production and new ways of transportation. The effects of the working and living conditions, lack of education, and pollution, affected the society socially. Then, due to the lack of involvement of the government within businesses, the Industrial Revolution went on to affect those societies involved politically as well. One of the only positive impacts that the Industrial Revolution truly had were through the economic point of view. The Industrial Revolution impacted the lives of many people living in an industrialized society both negatively, through political and…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the south, agriculture was the big business. Cash crops were grown, often using slave labor, on big plantations and small farms throughout the south. Cotton, tobacco, and food crops (rice, Indian corn) were all grown to some extent, but cotton was by far the most profitable. In the first half of the nineteenth century, manufacturing was taking root in the North. Among the first industries to grow was textiles. Northern textiles were made from Southern cotton. Southern cotton fueled the South’s economy even more directly. In both North and South, the institution of plantation slavery influenced the economy and social life, though to differing extents.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Child Labor Dbq

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In 1820, the Industrial Revolution had started. The Industrial Revolution helped America grow (especially the north), along with changing its society and its economy because they could now use machines to make tools instead of making them by hand. However, with this came many issues, including child labor and horrible working conditions for factory workers.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Pierre Gervais says that “technologically, the United States took its first steps toward mass production almost immediately after independence, and had caught up with Great Britain by the 1830s. Following the British lead, American innovation was concentrated in cotton and transportation” (Gervais). Next, in the article Industrial Revolution by History.com Staff, a comment was made saying, “the Industrial Revolution brought about a greater volume and variety of factory-produced goods and raised the standard of living for many people” (History.com Staff). As the success of the mills continued the Lowell mills were able to reduce the cost of textile production in order to grab a larger share of the market (The Lowell System). With factories developing positively on their own, American factories quickly passed production in Britain's factories (Gervais). With the economic success from the revolution, banks and the stock market were able to formed which helped the prosperity of the United States. Even though the revolution did not start in the U.S it was able to become the most industrial country in the world (History.com Staff). The first Industrial Revolution was successful in New England and then the whole country. The revolution took ideas from England but ended up making them beneficial to the United States making an extremely successful…

    • 1701 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays