Reform, Religion and Culture

Economic Standings• At this time America is an

overwhelmingly agricultural nation

• Very limited transportation- 20 days to send a letter from Maine to Georgia

• Primitive farming and manufacturingo Domestic system- most items created by

individuals working at home

Developments• 1807-Robert Fulton tests the first steamboat-

the Clermont- both water and land transport

• 1830s-40s- Samuel Morse and other inventors develop the telegraph- transmits electrical impulses over wire- Morse code

• Despite initial resistance- America became the world leader in industrialization in the 1820s and 30s.

Industrialization• Industrialization- development of

industry on an extensive scale

• Companies began adopting labor saving machinery- more product at a lower price

• American system of manufacturing- Eli Whitney- inventor of the cotton gin- manufacturing interchangeable parts

Agriculture• Cash crops- not raised for sustenance,

but to sell the excess for profit- cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, flax, etc.

• New technology- iron plow, scythe, etc.

• Decrease in labor- people moving to the cities for manufacturing work

Early Labor Reform• Factory System-centralized system of

manufacturing- employees supervised by employers, each worker with limited skill

• Opportunity for unmarried women- freedom not offered to them in other realms of life

• Corruption and mistreatment of workers- Samuel Slater example

Early Labor Reform• Unfair pay for many hours- 14.5 hours

a day, 6 days per week -$2.50-3.50

• First labor unions- protect worker rights

• Labor and businesso They are dependent on each other but their

interests are opposed to each other

• Main goal at this time- 10 hour work dayo Did achieve some shortening- 11.5

Moral Reform• Growth of the cities led to more crime and moral

decay

• Temperance- movement against liquor- blaming it for violence and abuse- anti-liquor societies

• Crime, capital punishment, imprisonment for debt- all criticized

• Mental illness- Dorothea Dix- work with mentally ill inmates- attempt to improve conditions and work towards cure

Education Reform• Increased call for general public

education

• Horace Mann- lead the fight for government to support public education- teacher training, curriculum, corporal punishment

Women’s rights• No access to college or professional occupations

• A wife had no legal identity apart from her husband- could not sue or be sued, could not make a contract or own property, couldn’t gain custody of children in a divorce

• Early 19th century- first women’s colleges, many women chose not to marry, new opportunities in factories and schools.