chapt 12 vocab
Henry David Thoreau
Transcendentalist writer who emphasized individualism and communion with nature. Conducted a tow- year experiment of living simply in a cabin in the woods outside town. He used observations of nature to discover essential truths about life and the universe. his writings from these years were published in the book for which he is best known, "Walden" (1854). Bc of the book he is remembered today as a pioneer ecologist and conservationist. A transcendentalist and friend of Emerson. He lived alone on Walden Pond with only $8 a year from 1845-1847 and wrote about it in Walden
the MS-Ohio river system
Waterborne transportation was much cheaper and still the major commercial link among the Atlantic seaboard states and in the MS-Ohio River system. Served as inland water transportation.
social mores (rules) for women: ex: widows (were supposed to behave how?) - defined in these novels and idels; were strictly enforced or a social "punishment" of sorts was provoked, damaging reputation (also happening in Brit Victorian times)
Widows were expected to wear "deep mourning" for a year- dresses of dull black fabrics and black bonnets covered with long, thick black veils- and in the following year "half mourning"- shiny black silk dresses, perhaps with trim of gray, violet, or white, and hats without veils. Sentimentalism originally sprang from genuine fear of dangers individualism posed to community trust, it rapidly hardened into a rigid code of etiquette for all occasions. Moments of genuine and deep feeling, such as death, were smothered in elaborate rules concerning condolences, expressions of grief, and appropriate clothing.
Simeon North
With John Hall, created milling machines that could grind parts to the required specificants and brought the concept to fruition, North in 1816. Connecticut gunsmith North did what Eli Whitney had only hoped to do. North produced the first gun with interchangeable parts. North's invention, taken up and improved by the national armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry, formed the basis of the American system of manufacture.
time, work, and leisure (impact of work, the structured work time table; what did ppl do when they were not working?; impact upon the working class?)
Workers did not readily adjust to the demands of the factory. Though used to long hours, they were not acclimated to the strict regimen. Absenteeism was common among workers whose interests differed from their employers. A much more rigid separation between work and leisure developed. Leisure spots like taverns emerged, as did leisure activities like spectators sports.
women workers at the Lowell factory in Lowell, Ma.
Young women from New England farms worked in the Lowell textile mills. Initially, the women found the work a welcome change from farm routine, but later conflict arose with their employers. By the 1830s, mill owners cut wages and ended their paternalistic practices. The result was strikes and the replacement of the young women with more manageable Irish immigrants.
american system
a technique of production pioneered in the US that relied on precision manufacturing with the use of interchangeable parts.
Moses Brown
began to invest some of the profits the Brown family had reaped from a worldwide trade in iron, candles, rum, and African slaves in the new manufacture of cotton textiles, with his son-in-law, William Almy.
women in the workforce review
industrialization threatened skilled male workers. mechanization created opportunities for women to work outside the home. the growing garment industry of the 1820s depended on cheap female labor.
the "middling sort"
people below the elite but above the mass of people. A small professional group that included lawyers, ministers, schoolteachers, doctors, public officials, some prosperous farmers, prosperous urban shopkeepers and innkeepers, and a few wealthy artisans such as Boston silversmith Raul Revere.
Isaac Singer
sewing machine, patented in 1851, was not made of fully interchangeable parts until 1873, when the company was already selling 230,000 machines a year. the sewing machine revolutionized the manufacturing of clothing, which up to this time had been made by women for their families at home and by hand.
class consciousness
social class always existed in Am. market revolution downgraded some independent artisans and elevated others. New work patterns helped form distinctive attitudes of new middle class.
Cyrus McCormick
the most remarkable innovation was Cyrus McCormick's reaper, patented in 183. Harvesting had depended on man power alone, a man could cut 2/3 acres of wheat a day with a cradle scythe, but with a horse-drawn reaper he could cut 12 acres. Agricultural practices were revolutionized by machines such as this.
market revolution
the outcome of 3 interrelated developments: rapid improvements in transportation, commercialization, and industrialization.
"Self-Reliance"
"Self-Reliance" is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow their own instincts and ideas.
Harper's Magazine
(1850) Estimated 4/5ths of the reading public were women, and they were reading novels written by women.
the Boston Associates
(Lowell's partners) Moved their enterprise to a new location in 1823, bought big. they built an entire town at the junction of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers where the village of East Chelmsford stood, renaming it Lowell in memory of Francis who died in 1817.
occupations of women wage earners
(chart) shows how important outwork was for women workers. Textile work in factories occupied less than 20% of women, while outwork in palm-leaf hats, straw bonnets, and boots and shoes accounted for over half of the total workforce. Teaching was a new occupation for women in 1837. The small % of 3.6 would grow in the future.
Margaret Fuller
A feminist (advocate of women's rights) writer and editor. Social reformer, leader in women's movement and a transcendentalist. Edited The Dial (1840-1842)
Transcendentalism
A philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830's and 1840's, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and there is no need for organized churches. It incorporated the ideas that mind goes beyond matter, intuition is valuable, that each soul is part of the Great Spirit, and each person is part of a reality where only the invisible is truly real. Promoted individualism, self-reliance, and freedom from social constraints, and emphasized emotions.
Samuel Colt
American Gun maker, "There is nothing that cannot be made by machine."
John Jacob Astor
Arrived penniless from Germany in 1784, made his first fortune in NY real estate, and when he retired in 1834 with $25 mill, he was reputed to be the wealthiest man in America.
artisans
Blacksmiths and wheelwrights, who did such work as shoeing horses and mending wagons for local farmers.
the national road, 1808 and how and where it expanded over time (by 1850); significance?
Built of gravel on a stone foundation. Crossed Appalachian Mountains (opening up the West). Built in stages: *Wheeling, Virginia (1818), *Columbus, Ohio (1833), *Vandalia, Illinois, *almost to MS River by 1850. Federal government funds the National Road 1808- at the time the single greatest federal transportation expense. The National Road tied the East and West together providing strong evidence of the nation's commitment to expansion and cohesion.
early strikes (when? who? what was accomplished?)
Co-workers, female and male, on strike to protest wage cuts and longer hours. Owners cited worker individualism when they opposed government mandated protections and denounced unions. Most early strikes were unsuccessful. Women played significant roles in these early labor protests.
Samuel Slater
Disguised himself as a farm laborer and slipped out of England without even telling his mother bye. Met Moses Brown. Committed the design to memory of British idustrial technology, he built copies of the latest British machinery for Brown. Slater's mill, as it became known, began operating in 1790. It was the most advanced cotton mill in America. Brought plans for a cotton-spinning factory from England. Built a mill that followed Brit custom by hiring women and children.
Susan Warner (what did women authors have to do to be published? How the female novel depicted women's lives, concentrated on?)
Driven to novel writing when her father lost their fortune in the panic of 1837. Novel writing could be very profitable. Warner's novel (1850) "The Wide Wide World" went through 14 editions in 2 years. Sentimental novels concentrated on private life. Religious feeling, antipathy toward dog-eat-dog world of the commercial economy, and the need to be prepared for unforeseen troubles were common themes. Few novels concentrated on romantic love
"free labor"
Encompassed the range of attitudes- hard work, self-discipline, and a striving for economic independence- that were necessary for success in a competitive, industrializing economy. These were profoundly individualistic attitudes, and owners cited them in opposing labor unions and the use of strikes to achieve wage goals.
roles of the family within the mills
Entire families would work and pool their wages. "family mills"
Charles G. Finney
Evangelist, Began a series of dramatic revival meetings. His spelling binding message reached both rich and poor, converting members of all classes to the new evangelistic religion. In 1830, made famous by these gatherings, Finney was invited by businessmen to preach in Rochester. He preached everyday for 6 months (3 times on Sunday) and his wife, Lydia, made home visits to the unconverted and mobilized the women of Rochester for the cause. Under the Finneys' guidance and example, prayer, meetings were held in schools and businesses, and impromptu religious services were held in people's homes.
Robert Fulton
First to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of steamboats in 1807
Lowell, Ma.; the importance of a well-planned town around a source of manufacturing
Lowell's successors soon built an entire town to house the new enterprise,, Lowell, Mass.` the comprehensive relationship the owners envisioned b/w the factories and the workforce. the mills were located on the Merrimack River, while nearby are the boardinghouses for the single young female workers, row houses for the male mechanics and their families, and houses for the overseers. Somewhat farther away is the mansion of the company agent.
Micajah Pratt
Merchant; built central workshops and brought workers into Lynn,Mass. Modified the putting-out system providing greater control over the workforce and the flexibility to respond to changing economic conditions
family limitations (lower birth rates, birth control;, abortions, "fallen women")
Middle-Class couples limited their family size through birth control, abstinence, and abortion. Physicians urged that sexual impulses be controlled, particularly among women whom they presumed to possess superior morality.
the middle class family (traits of? Characteristic? what does it look like?)
Middle-class women managed their homes and provided a safe haven for their husbands. Attitudes about appropriate male and female roles and qualities hardened. Men were seen as steady, industrious, and responsible; women as nurturing, gentle, and moral. The popularity of housekeeping guides underscored the radical changes occurring in middle-class families.
Dewitt Clinton
New York governor who envisioned a link b/w NYC and the Great Lakes through the Hudson River "The Erie Canal"
middle class children (roles of, traits of, duties of?) - roles of sons vs daughters?
New views of motherhood emerged as women were seen as primarily responsible for training their children in self-discipline. Women formed networks and read advice magazines to help them in these tasks. Mothers made contacts that would contribute to their children's latter development. Children also prolonged their education and professional training. A man's success was very much the result of his family's effort.
the comparison b/w the northern working system and the southern slave system
Northern employer assumed less responsibility for individual workers than had the traditional artisan. Northern employers felt no obligation to help or care for old or disabled workers. Southerners saw this as heartless. but Northerners saw industrialization was certainly freer than the slave system, freer even than the hierarchical craft system, although it sometimes offered only the freedom to starve.
the social order
Preindustrial society fixed the place of ppl in the social order. Most artisans did not challenge the traditional authority of the wealthy. In the early 19th century, the market revolution undermined the traditional social order.
Putting-out System
Production of goods in private homes under the supervision of a merchant who "put out" the raw materials, paid a certain sum per finished piece, and sold the completed item to a distant market. Lynn, Ma, used the putting-out system to become a center of the shoe industry. System gave control of production to merchant capitalists. Putting-out system and the central workshops caused the decline of the artisan shop.
Catherine Beecher's "Treatise on Domestic Economy"
Published in 1841. Became the standard housekeeping guide for a generation of middle-class American women. Beecher combined innovative ideas for household design (especially in the kitchen, where she introduced principles of organization) with medical information, child-rearing advice, recipes, and numerous discussions of the mother's moral role in the family. The book clearly filled a need; for many pioneer women, it was the only book besides the Bible hat the carried west with them.
Francis Cabot Lowell
Studied the Brit spinning machine. Helped invent a power loom and built the first integrated cotton mill (Lowell Mills) near Boston in 1814. His successors soon built an entire town to house the new enterprise, Lowell, Massachusetts.
the Erie Canal; what is it? Significance?
The Erie Canal stimulated east-west travel and was built with New York state funds. The canal connected Buffalo on Lake Erie with Albany along the Hudson River. Constructing the canal was a vast engineering challenge and required a massive labor force, many of whom were contract laborers from Ireland. The canal helped farmers in the West become part of a national market. Towns along the canal grew rapidly.
religion and the 2nd Great Awakening and its impact, influence on the economic system
The Second Great Awakening moved from the frontier to the new market towns stressing salvation through personal faith. Preachers such as Charles G. Finney urged businessmen to convert and accept the self-discipline and individualism that religion brought. Evangelism became the religion of the new middle-class.
disease and the transportation revolution
The Transportation Revolution: *provided Ams much greater mobility *allowed farmers to produce for a national market; and *fostered a risk-taking mentality that promoted invention and innovation. Ams increasingly looked away from the East toward the heartland, fostering national pride and identity.
Sentimentalism ***
The competitive spirit led many Americans to turn to sentimentalism and nostalgia. Publishers found a lucrative market for novels of this genre, especially those written by women. Sentimentalism became more concerned with maintaining social codes.
"brahmins"
The elite, a small, intermarried group, so distinctive in its superior cultural style that in Boston its members were nicknamed "Brahmins" (after the highest castes in India). The expanding opportunities of the market revolution enriched this already rich class: by the 1840s, the top 1% of the population owned about 40% of the nation's wealth
Brooks Bros (an example of what?)
The famous men's clothing firm, by 1860 had 70 "inside" workers in a model central workshop, the firm relied primarily on putting out sewing to 3,00 women who worked at home.
Patriarchy in family, work, and society
The father was head of family and boss of the enterprise. Legally, the father owned all family property and it was representative in the larger society. Women were seen as managers of the household and as informal assistants.
"railroad mania" - and the growth of the rail systems thro 1850
The most remarkable innovation was the railroad. Technical probs included the absence of a standard gauge. By the 1850s consolidation of rail lines facilitated standardization.
impact of mechanization on women's work
The rise of the garment industry led many women to work, sewing ready-made clothing for piece rates. Women worked 15-18 hours a day. Women's work in 1837 was centered` in the manufacture of hats, bonnets, boots and shoes.
the cash economy as opposed to previous barter system
The scarcity of cash led to a barter system for goods and services. The introduction of the cash economy led to the decline of the barter system. Worker contact with employers came through the pay envelope. Workers took advantage of the lack of ties to move about in search of better jobs.
commercial Ag in the Old Northwest (what region is known for what??)
The transportation helped farmers sell in previously unreachable markets. Gov't policy encouraged commercial ag by keeping land cheap. Regional specialization enabled farmers to concentrate on growing a single crop, but made them dependent on distant markets and credit. Innovations in farm tools greatly increased productivity.
apprentices
Trades were controlled thro a system of apprenticeship. Apprentices learned their craft over a 3-7 yr pd. Apprentices usually lived with the master craftsman overseeing their training. End of contract period the apprentice became a journeyman.
