Evolution of the Market Economy: Jobs
The evolution of the market economy began during the pre-industrial era and ended roughly, by the end of the industrial revolution. Throughout this time, the nature of labor drastically changed for the American workers and slaves, specifically in Philadelphia. Society was predominantly based off artisan work up until the emergence of the division of labor. Adam Smith and Alexis de Tocqueville have different opinions on how it affected the development of labor in America. Smith has a positive view on it, whereas Alexis views the negative. Furthermore, the introduction of machines majorly affected the workplace. Aside from the increase of productivity, Eli Whitneys cotton gin and the mechanical loom caused rebellions to occur among slaves and artisans, respectively. Needless to say, production in early America skyrocketed at this time due to these machines and the division of labor.
By the 1700’s, the nature of work relied on skilled craftsmen called artisans. Each worker specialized in a field based on what they owned. For example, if you owned a loom, you were a weaver, and nothing else. The artisans would usually have an apprentice/journeyman to work alongside him. This kind of work was great for the individuals because there was little to no competition. Typically, in a colony, there was only one blacksmith, one baker, one sewer, one shoemaker, etc… All of the artisans were self employed and had complete control over their work. It was an autonomous system, which means that the workers had independence but were still tied to the economy.
During this time, there was also merchant class, who focused on selling, rather than creating. Although the craftsmen were the majority of th...
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... and creativity among common workers decreased. However, the overall welfare of the country increased enormously. There was more production, more jobs, and more trade, which all led to a higher flow of money. The development of the market economy began with artisan work, merchants, slavery, and the division of labor. And from these, we begin to see the origins of capitalism in America.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric (2004) Tom Paine and Revolutionary America. New York: Oxford Press.
Clark, Christopher et. al (2008) Who Built America? Working People and the Nation’s History. Volume One: To 1877. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s.
Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/WEALTH1.HTM
De Tocqueville, Alexis. How an Aristocracy May be Created by Manufactures http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/ch2_20.htm
The Industrial Revolution in America began to develop in the mid-eighteen hundreds after the Civil War. Prior to this industrial growth the work force was mainly based in agriculture, especially in the South (“Industrial Revolution”). The advancement in machinery and manufacturing on a large scale changed the structure of the work force. Families began to leave the farm and relocate to larger settings to work in the ever-growing industries. One area that saw a major change in the work force was textile manufacturing. Towns in the early nineteen hundreds were established around mills, and workers were subjected to strenuous working conditions. It would take decades before these issues were addressed. Until then, people worked and struggled for a life for themselves and their families. While conditions were harsh in the textile industry, it was the sense of community that sustained life in the mill villages.
Work, Exchange, and Technology: How did the Market Revolution impact the country? How did the continuing dominance of agriculture and the slave system affect the southern economy?
Henretta, James A. and David Brody. America: A Concise History, Volume I: To 1877. 4th ed. Boston:
consciousness of artisans in New York City during the Jacksonian period. (pp. 14 & 25) The pre-industrial revolutions of the 1800s provided many avenues of employment for masters, journeymen, and laborers; however, the transformation of a merchant capitalist economy provided for many masters to subdivide labor. (pp. 113) Contracted work caused a rift in the structure of the old artisanal class. Masters no longer needed to employ apprentices since they hired out separate tradesmen for the...
There were many key elements of the market revolution. During the early nineteenth century, large economic changes known as the market revolution forever changed America.What triggered these massive changes was new innovations in communication and transportation. During the colonial times, technology was not very advanced, there were not any canals, ships were not very fast and all manufactured goods were created by hand. Many farm families in the 1800s were not bound to the marketplace and just made most of what they needed to live on at home. With the lack of canals or other means of transportation, it was almost impossible for many farmers to reach distant cities or waterways to get their goods to market. The serious demand for quick
The market revolution was a time of change, liberation, growth, and of course American ingenuity. This new kind of revolution brought about many changes in the lives of Americans everywhere. New technology from the steamboat to the telegraph connected the country in a new way. The emergence of factories (and the factory system) brought the growth of commerce, specialization of products, and many jobs to a rapidly growing nation. The market revolution benefited our country by impacting the social groups of the slaves and the middle class, generating a change in laws of the economy and warranting the redefining of freedom.
There were a lot of courses and effect that the Market Revolution left in the U.S. The Market Revolution was a series of innovations that led the creation of nb integrated national marketplace; it included the long distance coordination of the production, and distribution and consumption of goods. The Market Revolution in the United States was a drastic change in the manual-labor system originating in the South; and it was soon moving to the north. The Market Revolution was a change in the economic transformation that occurred in America during the first half of the nineteenth century. The market revolution changed more than just where people sold their goods, it also transformed how people lived and did. While the market revolution provided new opportunities and increased freedom, it also generated a great deal of concern.
During the first Industrial Revolution, many social standards of the community were starting to change. Since there were new spinning and weaving machines available, the textile mill factories were built to increase their profit. The people who established these mills hired children and women to decrease their labor cost by paying them low wages and having poor working conditions for them as well. The Labor force impacted American culture through various means such as the child labor conditions, women in the factories, and the immigrants working in the factories.
Pre-industrial labor mostly consisted of farming and agriculture involving the entire family. In 1823, 97 percent of all Americans still lived in farms therefore the rural population and workforce was much larger than the urban population and workforce. The production and growing of food was used by the...
During the late 1700’s, the United States was no longer a possession of Britain, instead it was a market for industrial goods and the world’s major source for tobacco, cotton, and other agricultural products. A labor revolution started to occur in the United States throughout the early 1800’s. There was a shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial market system. After the War of 1812, the domestic marketplace changed due to the strong pressure of social and economic forces. Major innovations in transportation allowed the movement of information, people, and merchandise. Textile mills and factories became an important base for jobs, especially for women. There was also widespread economic growth during this time period (Roark, 260). The market revolution brought about economic growth through new modes of transportation, an abundance of natural resources, factory production, and banking and legal practices.
The social and economic developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century drastically changed the United States. The business world changed once industrialization was introduced to the world. Opportunities grew as people heard about the boundless American opportunities. Immigrants from all races flooded the cities which doubled in population from 1860-1900 (Barnes and Bowles, 2014, p. 34). However, as industries grew, owners prospered off the hard work of others. People started to feel they were not being treated fairly. People had to work harder and longer for their money. Barnes and Bowles (2014) noted “In the era of industrialization, millions of workers fought to simply have the right to work in safe conditions, and earn a fair wage” (p. 45). Many Americans feared that giant corporations would one day seek to restrict the ability of common people to get ahead and curtail individual freedoms. These fears were particularly strong among farmers, laborers, an...
The antebellum era was a period that had great political change. During this period there were also technological and economic innovation. The Industrial Revolution had produced new inventions and methods of production. American inventors helped to transform the United States economy with new innovations of their own. This rapid evolution of manufacturing and upgraded farming had an extreme effect on society in America. This change is something that historians refer to as the Market Revolution. It is shown in this paper that the lives of the working class changed significantly. The Market Revolution and the rise of market capitalism influenced the working class by bringing them greater opportunities in the work field in the North, and new inventions encouraged planters to raise more cotton in the South.
Ritchie, D. and Broussar, A. (1997). American History: The Early Years to 1877. New York: Glencoe
The mid 19th century was an age of growth like no other. The term “Industrial Revolution” refers to the time period where production changed from homemade goods, to those produced by machines and factories. As industrial growth developed and cities grew, the work done by men and women diverged from the old agricultural life. People tended to leave home to work in the new factories being built. They worked in dangerous conditions, were paid low wages, and lacked job security (Kellogg). It is difficult to argue, however, that the economic development of the United States was not greatly dependent on the industrial revolution.
With many craftsmen out of jobs and more hungry laborers coming from Europe, the society was changing and growing and innovations had to keep up with that. “Pressure for change came from several directions. Immigrants from Europe, especially the Middle Atlantic region, increased the supply of urban labor” (332). Men came from Europe in the hopes that they could create big industries, especially because they knew that there was enough space and people to make it happen successfully. One of the biggest industries to arise during the industrial revolution was the addition of textile mills. These textile mills could quadruple the amount of work one woman could do at home. These factories provided many people with employment but many of the employees complained that they were working long hours without enough money earned to compensate for it. “But increasing competition in the textile industry cut profits, and by the 1830s, operatives found wages cut, boardinghouse rents raised, or workloads increased. Twice, in 1834 and again in 1836, women took strike action to resist these changes” (351). Most women that could not find jobs before the industrial revolution gained them after but they felt the injustice that was being put on them. Consequently, it was very popular for the employees to build labor unions to fight against what republicanism was turning out to