Chapter 10
General Trends- The
population increased and wascentered on northeast and northwest
industrial centers. The population wasmoving west and to industrial
centers. Much of the European migration went tothe cities of
the northeast. The increase in agricultural centers producedurban
centers.
Nativism- Adefense to foreign born people from native
born people combined with a desireto stop or slow down immigration.
It was a result of simple racism. Complainedthat foreigners
were taking their jobs from the native work force. Manynewcomers
voted Democratic so Whigs didn’t like immigration. Native AmericanAssociation
became an association.
Canals, railroads, communication advances- Canalbuilding was
mostly left to the states. NY was the first to build a canal;
fromthe Hudson River to Lake Erie. Railroads began to form as
a result oftechnological advances but the loosely fit together.
When tracks did connectthey were often of different had different
gauges. Railroads and canals weresoon competing. Railroads
eventually spread west of the Mississippi and became a common
thing. Telegraph lines beganto form and permitted instant communication.
Samuel Morse successfullytransmitted Polk’s nomination for presidency.
Western Union Telegraph Companywas the main company.
Change in ways of doing business- One change was theretail distribution
of goods. New laws also permitted limited liability; astockholder
would only loose what they invested and not more. Banks also
beganissuing large quantities of bank notes.
Factories- Factoriesbegan in NY in the textile industry first.
They later took over the shoeindustry. Factories were spreading
but made the biggest impact in the textileindustry.