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Shift from canal to railroad
By the beginning of the 1840's the canal system, which had been used to transport goods from factory to city, was being replaced by the railroad. Trains were much faster and the combination of the steam engines and the railroad allowed factories to be situated away from waterways. This had the effect of opening up new regions to industrial development, which redistributed the workers. -
Period: to
Immigration and Industrialization in the US from 1840-1860
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Morse's telegraph realized
Samuel Morse and his partners made the first working telegraph that could send messages over long distances through eletromagnetic pulses in a wire. As the railroad and the immagrants traveled west, so did the telegraph, enabling faster communication than the pony express. This helped immigrants communicate with their families and encoraged more people to travel west. -
Irish Potato Famine
The Irish potato famine began when an airborne fungus traeled via shiphold from North America to England, then blew over to Ireland on the wind. It caused one species of potatoe plants to rot rapidly and since most of the potatoes were this species, the majority of plants were infected. This caused starvation among the Iris and led to a massive influx of peasants to the Eastern Coast of the United States. Over time, these poor immigrants took over factory jobs and helped build the railroad. -
Migration of German farmers to the midwest
The decade beginning in 1846 saw a wave of German Immigrants that was caused by multiple factors including the potato blight, a shift from farming to industrialization and potitical turmoil as Germany shifted from a feudal system. -
Mexican American War began
This war lasted for two years and in the end, America gained the land that became much of California, Texaz, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and the pan-handle of Oklahoma. The opening of this land for cotton plantations and ranching in Texas to mining in California and Colorado led to an influx of immigrants who were hoping to make a better life for themselves. -
Cylindrical Printing Press perfected
The cylidrical printing press made books more affordable. In 1847, nine out of ten white Americans were literate and women were especially avid readers. Women were allowed to become school teachers at this time and the idea that middle class women should work at home and take care of children began in this era. This caused a demographic shift in the labor market. -
California Gold Rush begins
When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, a massive migration of miners and support folks (like shop keepers) began from east to west. This event also drew many Chinese immigrants to California. Many of these immigrants stayed on the west coast but some helped to build the transcontinental railroad from the west to the east. -
Andrew Downing champions suburbs
In response to the rapidly growing cities that were overflowing with immigrants, noisy factories and dirt, Downing argued that peple needed a home that was removed from the workplace in order to raise the level of "social civilization and social culture" in the United States. He wrote a book with plans for modest sized houses and the suburbs were born! -
Slave trade and cotton
By 1860, cotton plantations had grown from the eastern seaboard to mid-way through Texas, forcing the migration of many Africans. The cotton gin increased the output of the workers dramatically, paradoxically leading to a higher need for slaves. This southern industry exported cotton to the north and to England where it was made into cloth. Rapid growth from industrialization accentuated the differences between north and south in the lead up to the Civil War.
