1460 Apr 12

Industrial revolution
- Artisans
  - 3/4th of American population are middle class artisans
  - Consumer revolution > industrial revolution
  - Industrial revolution takes many jobs and lowers wages for artisans
  - Mass production makes goods cheaper
Before War of 1812
- Jefferson’s Presidency
  - British French bad relations rising
  - America trading with both
  - British / France wanted to put pressure on America to only trade with one
    - Both sides would harass sailors
- 1807 Jefferson’s Embargo
  - 2nd most restrictive trade regulation in American history til this day
  - America’s economy dropped 80%
  - American public blames British
    - Number one export is textiles
  - Shortages
    - Clothes needed
- 1808-1809
  - Desperation in american public
  - “Crisis can mean opportunity” - Frances Cabot Lowell
    - Would go to Britain; textile mills; study them
    - Would make sketches of what he saw
    - Would eventually succeed
- War of 1812
  - Huge desperation
  - American civilians would trade with British soldiers
  - James Madison
    - Embargo of 1813
    - Most rigid trade law ever
    - If you trade w/ british, you can be prosecuted for full extent of law
- Lol able to create fabric factory; does not have any competition
1789 Samuel Slater
- Tried to create factory but could not compete with Britain
Lowell in Massachusetts; Company town
- Did not want poverty that he saw in England
- decides he will pay good wages;
- would hire girls; wages just as good as men
- dormitories
- Limited work day
New textile mills rise after the war
- New ones do not follow Lowell’s economic system
- Hire the Irish for cheap wages
- Lowell eventually must abandon system
1780s
- Slavery’s high cost
- Constitution originally had 20 year moratorium on slavery
- Cotton prices dropped globally
1794
- Eli whitney cotton gin
- Cotton and textile mills flourish
Era of Good feeling
- Just won a war against world power
- Moving into industrial age
- Cotton in the south, textiles in the north
Transportation
- Steam ships
  - 1818 -
  - Digging of 364 mile ditch across state of new york; Connects hudson river to lake eerie
  - Erie Canal
    - Most profitable canal in American history
    - Would increase businesses range of business
  - Ships go 8-12 mph
- Railroads
  - 1830s
  - American trains
    - Evolve from 25-55mph
    - Built for speed
  - British railroads
    - Build to last 20mph
Obsession w/ time
- America is new yorkers on crack
- Alecxsis De Tocqueville “Democracy in America”
  - Observes bizarre american phenomena and writes about it
Rising materialism; declining morals of america
Economically
- People in north and south getting rich; rising wealthy class getting VERY wealthy
- Northern wealthy
  - Diversification; invest in many areas
  - Build new factories that make other products
- Southern wealthy
  - By more land
  - By more slaves
  - Make more cotton
  - Actively shun industrialization in south
1840s President Polk
- Wants to finalize continental United States
  - Believes, in order to be world power, needs access to two oceans
- Wants Mexican land
  - San Diego and San Francisco 2nd and 3rd best ports on west coast
- Puget sound; best port in North America
  - Would like to split oregon;
  - Dividing line would give America Puget Sound
- Offer to buy Mexico for 15 million
  - Wants to buy disputed land in Texas
  - Would send troops in disputed territory; Mexico would view that as act of aggression
  - Would take Mexico city by city until they get to capitol; mexico city
Sutter’s fort
- John Sutter; more of technical business partner
- Started in mexican period
- Would invest in lumber mill;
- James Wilson Marshall; business partner; hands on person
- Discovery of gold
Mormon group that left Brigham young and Utah
- Led by Sam Brannon - Treasurer of mormon church
  - Held the money
  - Printing press in San Francisco
  - Runs store in Sutter's fort
  - Receives gold for goods
  - Follows group at Sutter’s fort; witnesses them panning river
- Investigates how to mine/ pan for gold
  - Writes easy guidebook; prints it at printing press
  - List all supplies they will need
  - Loads up store with all they need
  - Prints out flyers advertising gold
- Would be first self-made millionaire of gold rush;
Hawaiians settling in california
- Easier to get to california from hawaii than california from new york
Americans witness asians for first time
Native americans
- getting harassed during gold rush; Californios
- Those that haven’t assimilated
- Anyone who speaks spanish a target; as results of spanish missions
- “Diggers”
  - Stereotype slur for native americans
Foreign Miners tax
- Trying to weave out foreign
French revolution
- French and german miners protest on tax; they get excluded
- Mexican and chinese must pay it
- 4000 mexicans leave immediately
- Chinese can’t afford to leave
Black miners
- Group of miners that does well; able to avoid hostility that mexicans native and chinese would receive
- Many black people weren’t bothered b/c people did not want to appear pro-slavery people
  - Pro-slavery people would be harrassed by others
- Roughly 2,000 black people were in gold rush; most did fairly well b/c people left them alone
California
- In first years of statehood; would demand federal government to do something about native americans
After 1865
- Big push to connect america by rail
- Would meet up in Utah; transcontinental railroad would meetup; would initiate second industrial revolution