Early American Industrialization

Industrialization, no matter what benefits it may bring, always causes social and economic dislocations. Some people gain, others lose, and even some who eventually gain may feel buffeted by forces over which they have no control. Given this type of situation, it is not surprising that many groups wanted to "reform" society, attacking real as well as imagined grievances.

Differences between  subsistence and capitalist economic systems:

Subsistence Production

Commercial Production

for use-value limited in quantity family/community based directed towards self-sufficiency

for exchange-value open-ended individualistic directed for capital accumulation

Cultural changes as part of developing market economy:

•  Demographic pressures
•  Widespread geographic mobility
•  Rapid environmental change
•  Government support of markets/business
          --"transportation revolution"
•  Market expansion: geographic & substantive
•  Reorganization of work
• Reorganization of the family/ gender roles
•  “Progress” vs. “Defense of Liberty” 

Resources:

• "The Roots of American Industrialization, 1790-1860" from EH.net

• Roots of American Economic Growth" from Digital History

• From edsitement!, a lesson plan "Was There an Industrial Revolution? New Workplace, New technology, New Consumers"

• From the National Endowment for the Humanitites: "Inventing America: Lowell and the iIndustrial Revolution"

• From shmoop: Antebellum Period Statistics

(See: History 110)

(See: Foundations of U.S. History)