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In 1790 only 2 American cities had more than 20,000 population. These were Philadelphia and New York City.
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Samuel Slater brought British factory plans to the United States by memorizing them. He built the first factory in 1791. It was able to spin cotton thread.
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Eli Whitney built the first cotton gin in 10 days. It mechanically separated the cotton from the seed. This machine revolutionized the South's eeconomy. Overnight cotton became profitable throughout the world.
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In 1798, Eli Whitney began marketing the idea of interchangeable gun parts to the United States Army. The generals were initially skeptic but, were impressed by his demonstration.
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In 1803, shipping was so unreliable that one Rhode Island farmer sent a shipment of yarn 60 miles away. It was going to be delivered "in the course of winter".
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The Nonintercourse Act of 1807 stifled the growth of American factories.
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The Clermont was the first steamboat. It traveled 150 miles in 32 hours, a record.
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Westerners now had easier access to the coast, by way of The National Road.
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This was one of the first mills to combine all stages of production under one roof, from removing seeds to weaving.
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In 1815 war-inflated wheat prices were cut in half in Ireland.
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The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. This allowed Britain to unload its surplus goods onto the American market at incredibly low prices. This bankrupted all the factories in one RI district except the Slater Mill.
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This was a feeble attempt to protect the American economy from the flooding of cheap imports.
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The Erie Canal construction began in 1817. The canal eventually stretched 363 miles.
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The Savannah sailed slowly across the Atlantic to Britain. It was equipped with steam ability, but moved under sail most of the trip. The ship was pursued by a British ship who thought it was on fire.
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American fur trappers were setting traps all along the Rocky Mountains. The fur industry was based on the Rendezvous System. The trappers would trade for manufactured goods.
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In 1820, approximately 60 steamboats existed on the Mississippi River.
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In 1823, Boston pioneered the American sewer system.
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The first railroad appeared in 1828, during Jackson's presidency.
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Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper. It increased production of crops.
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In 1832 George Catlin observed Sioux Indians in South Dakota, killing buffalo only for the tongue. He proposed the creation of a national park. This later became Yellowstone.
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A Catholic convent was burned in Bostonby an angry mob. A few Catholic schools were also attacked.
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It was a book by Maria Monk. It sold over 300,000 copies. It was a sensational book that was supported by the Know-Nothing Party.
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In 1836 violence broke out along the New York waterfront. Laborers were striking for higher wages.
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In 1836, the Ancient Order of Hibernians was founded. The society was designed to help fight unfair landlords.
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John Deere of Illinois designed a steel plow to break the hard soil of the Midwest. It was light enough to be pulled by a horse.
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In 1838, the clerk of the Patent Office resigned because "no more worthwhile inventions can be discovered".
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The National Road is finished in Vanada, Illinois.
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By 1840, the demographic center of population of the United States moved past the Allegheny Mountains. By 1860, the center moved past the Ohio River.
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In 1840, massive amounts of Irish and German began to add to already growing population.
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With the large growth of the Irish an German population in the United States, Catholicism had increased from a negligible minority to a powerful force.
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With the increase in population brought on by a high number of Irish and German immigrants, there was more labor to make operating a mechanized factory economically viable.
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President Martin Van Buren established a ten hour day for federal emplyees. Many states followed by lowering the work day to 10 hours.
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The Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled that labor unions were not illegal conspiracies. There methods were, in fact, "honorable and peaceful".
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Ralph WaldoEmerson wrote, "Europe stretches to the Alleghenies; America lies beyond."
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In Philadelphia, 2 Catholic churches were burned. 13 citizens were killed. 50 people were also wounded during the several days of fighting.
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In 1844, Samuel Morse invented the telegraph. He strung a 40 mile wire from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The first mesage was "What hath God wrought?".
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In Ireland, a potato disease wiped a majority of the crop. The people had become very dependent on the potato. Over 2 million people died from starvation.
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Tammany Hall became much more powerful in 1845, when over 2 million Irish people were living in New York City.
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Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in 1846. It was perfected by Isaac Singer.
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After the failure of democratic revolutions in Germany, many Germans moved to America, which was the great hope for democracy.
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Free incorporation laws allowed businesses to incorporate without a charter from the legislature.
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The Know-Nothing Party began as the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was known as the Know-Nothing Party because of its secrecy. They promoted nativism.
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By 1850, over half of all Americans were under the age of 30.
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In 1850, the American population was doubling every 25 years, the same doubling rate as in colonial days.
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By 1850, Catholics had risen to the biggest religion in the United States.
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In 1850 it was estimated that approximately 10% of women were earning income outside the home.
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At London's World Fair in 1851, fairgoers gazed at inventions such as McCormick's reaper, Morse's telegraph, Colt's firearms, and Goodyear's vulcanized rubber.
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Cyrus Field led an effort to lay the telegraph line to connect North America and Europe. This would create much faster communication.
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The Mark Twain novel "Roughing It", is about the journey to the Far West using horse-drawn carriages.
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The Thompsons's Skirt Factory in New York City was one of the first mills to transition to the sewing machine.
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The Pullman "sleeping palace" train was introduced. It was the most luxurious train of its time. America was now linked by thousands of miles of iron.
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In 1860, 42 cities had greater than 20,000 population.
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In 1860, over one thousand steamboats were floating down the many rivers of America. Some were essentially palaces.
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By 1860, the US had over 30,000 miles of railroad line, with over 75% of it in the North.
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The Pony Express was founded in 1860. It only lasted 1 year, until telegraph lines were laid to California.
