Agriculture and the National Economy
Agriculture and the national economy
The importance of cotton to the economy
Invention of the cotton gin Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793
Revolutionary impact of the gin It made cotton producing much faster and more efficient
Impact on slavery It made less work for the slaves, and it made the cotton much easier to work with
Encouragement of westward migration It was encouraged to grow cotton westward because there was more land and it was more fertile. Cotton became a crucial component of the national economy.
Cotton became an important export From the mid 1830s - 1860, cotton accounted for more than half the value of all exports in the nation.
The westward movement
Changes in land laws
Land law of 1820 A national law that lowered the price of all land after the panic of 1819
Preemption Act of 1830 Squatters could stake out claims ahead of the land surveys and later get 160 acres for $1.25 per acre
Graduation Act of 1854 An act that stated that all prices of unsold lands would be lowered in stages over 30 years 4. Development of improved iron plows
Jethro Wood invented the iron plow in 1819, which would make plowing fields much faster and more efficient
5. Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper
A device invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831 that made the harvesting of wheat much more efficient
Transportation and the national economy
Opening new roads
As settlers moved west, people demanded better roads for smoother traveling. Roads were opened to stagecoaches and wagons.
Water transport
In the early 1820s, people started to use water travel such as steamboats, flatboats, and canal barges because it was a cheaper means of transportation.
Steamboats Invented by Robert Fulton, this boat ran on the power of steam
Flatboats
Flatboats could not go upstream, so when people went down the mississippi, they would chop up the boats in New
The importance of cotton to the economy
Invention of the cotton gin Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793
Revolutionary impact of the gin It made cotton producing much faster and more efficient
Impact on slavery It made less work for the slaves, and it made the cotton much easier to work with
Encouragement of westward migration It was encouraged to grow cotton westward because there was more land and it was more fertile. Cotton became a crucial component of the national economy.
Cotton became an important export From the mid 1830s - 1860, cotton accounted for more than half the value of all exports in the nation.
The westward movement
Changes in land laws
Land law of 1820 A national law that lowered the price of all land after the panic of 1819
Preemption Act of 1830 Squatters could stake out claims ahead of the land surveys and later get 160 acres for $1.25 per acre
Graduation Act of 1854 An act that stated that all prices of unsold lands would be lowered in stages over 30 years 4. Development of improved iron plows
Jethro Wood invented the iron plow in 1819, which would make plowing fields much faster and more efficient
5. Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper
A device invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831 that made the harvesting of wheat much more efficient
Transportation and the national economy
Opening new roads
As settlers moved west, people demanded better roads for smoother traveling. Roads were opened to stagecoaches and wagons.
Water transport
In the early 1820s, people started to use water travel such as steamboats, flatboats, and canal barges because it was a cheaper means of transportation.
Steamboats Invented by Robert Fulton, this boat ran on the power of steam
Flatboats
Flatboats could not go upstream, so when people went down the mississippi, they would chop up the boats in New