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Chapter 8
The Emergence of a Market Economy, 1815–1850
TRUE/FALSE
1. Following the War of 1812, the United States economy stalled due to its continued reliance on European factories.
2. The United States had the fastest growing economy in the world by 1850.
3. A market-based economy characteristically produces boom-and-bust cycles.
4. In 1817, Senator John C. Calhoun refused to believe that canals would benefit the growth of the United States.
5. In the nineteenth-century United States, the overwhelming consensus was that private corporations alone must begin
and fund transportation projects.
6. Trains could operate year-round, whereas canals shut down for winter.
7. The cotton gin made cotton the most profitable agricultural product in the United States.
8. British cotton manufacturers preferred cotton from the American South to other types from around the world.
9. In the dormitories where workers of the Lowell System lived, the staff enforced rules such as church attendance and
curfews.
10. Industrialization drove the rapid expansion of towns and cities throughout New England.
11. During the first half of the nineteenth century, social drinking was pervasive.
12. The greatest proportional influx of German immigrants in the history of the United States came in the 1820s.
13. Because they, too, had suffered discrimination, Irish immigrants tended to be sympathetic to blacks.
14. By the start of the Civil War, Irish immigrants had become the most important ethnic group to support the
Democrats.
15. Most of the growth of the Catholic Church in America in the mid–nineteenth century can be attributed to
immigration from Ireland.
16. Chinese immigrants to the United States in the nineteenth century often did the heavy work of construction projects.
17. The American party condemned the rise of nativism, which was the belief that different ethnicities all had an
inherent right to own land in the United States.
18. Despite the rapid progress in education and professional activities in the first half of the nineteenth century, most
women still primarily worked in the home or on the farm.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements accurately describes the United States between 1815 and 1850?
a.
The United States evolved into a transcontinental power and experienced a period of economic
prosperity.
b.
The United States experienced a period of stagnation in that people mostly stayed in the same
place.
c.
The United States decreased in size and power because several states left the Union.
d.
The United States successfully outlawed ethnic prejudices, making assimilation by immigrants
rapid.
e.
The United States became so focused on building factories that commercial agriculture turned
obsolete.
2. New England became the first major industrialized region in the United States due to
a.
labor-saving machines and water- and steam-powered industries.
b.
its rocky and sandy soil that was well suited to farming.
c.
its status as the first place where all immigrants arrived.
d.
the rapid expansion of slavery there.
e.
the extensive cultivation of cotton in the region.
3. What was a result of the increase in jobs in mills and factories?
a.
The North and South maintained the same political alliances as one another.
b.
Americans left towns and cities for the countryside in droves.
c.
Social values managed to stay consistent with those before the rise of an industrial economy.
d.
An urban middle class developed.
e.
The cotton economy suffered and was outsourced mainly to Europe.
4. Over the course of the nineteenth century, many regions of the United States experienced a shift from ________
agriculture to ________ agriculture.
a.
international; regional
d.
machine-based; labor-free
b.
subsistence; commercial
e.
regulated; unregulated
c.
corporate-owned; government-owned
5. 3Which of the following MOST contributed to the development of a market economy in the
United States?
a.
internal transportation and communication projects that increased the flow of goods
b.
a general trend toward farming for consumption alone
c.
lines in the Constitution stipulating the role of the federal government in infrastructure
d.
a decreasing standard of living overall due to more limited job opportunities
e.
the decline of the lumber industry due to the growing scarcity of natural resources
6. Which of the following notable developments took place in Ohio between 1811 and 1818?
a.
the successful curbing of westward expansion due to a focus on local construction projects
b.
the building of the first interstate roadway financed by the federal government
c.
the invention of the flatboat, which came to surpass the steamboat in efficiency
d.
the virtual replacement of the outdated turnpike system with a railroad network
e.
a major increase in transportation costs that limited the movement of goods and people
7. Which of the following statements about steamboats is accurate?
a.
Steamboats were commercially profitable by the 1790s.
b.
Steamboats were only able to travel downstream.
c.
Steamboats brought cheaper and faster two-way traffic to the Mississippi Valley.
d.
Steamboats contributed to a widespread increase in the cost of shipping goods.
e.
Steamboats soon made railroads obsolete.
8. The Erie Canal led to the growth of which city as a major processing center of wheat and corn?
a.
Savannah, Georgia
d.
Rochester, New York
b.
Louisville, Kentucky
e.
Omaha, Nebraska
c.
Columbus, Ohio
9. Which of the following statements accurately describes trains by the 1850s?
a.
They moved much slower than stagecoaches and steamboats.
b.
Their role in transporting people west helped protect Native American culture.
c.
They failed to reduce transportation costs.
d.
They could operate year-round and on all types of terrain.
e.
They transported only freight, not people.
10. The advantage clipper ships had over traditional merchant vessels was their
a.
greater cargo space.
d.
comfort for passengers.
b.
speed.
e.
durability.
c.
ability to sail up rivers.
11. Railroads created the first
a.
big corporations employing thousands of workers.
b.
steam-powered means of transportation.
c.
bans on canal construction.
d.
fast-food restaurants.
e.
type of transportation that was free of noise pollution.
12. By the 1850s, a communications revolution had been triggered by the development of the
a.
telephone.
d.
railroad.
b.
telegraph.
e.
post office.
c.
Pony Express.
13. Which of the following statements accurately describes the role of the government in the development of
transportation in the nineteenth-century United States?
a.
The government successfully sabotaged such projects as a means of slowing the rise of capitalism.
b.
State governments took on the full burden of financially supporting transportation projects.
c.
The government was unable to contribute to such projects because long-distance communication
was virtually nonexistent.
d.
The government took a backseat in the development of transportation projects out of fear of
disrupting the lives of Native Americans.
e.
State governments, the federal government, and private investors all contributed to such projects in
their own ways financially.
14. Which of the following statements accurately describes the cotton gin?
a.
It made possible efficient separation of seeds from fiber.
b.
It was an engine that manufactured cloth.
c.
It made the South the wealthiest part of the country.
d.
It had no significant effect on the North’s economy.
e.
It resulted from a government bounty paid to its inventor.
15. Who invented the cotton gin?
a.
John Deere
d.
Robert Fulton
b.
Samuel F. B. Morse
e.
Eli Whitney
c.
Horace Mann
16. Which of the following was a result of the invention of the cotton gin?
a.
It meant that fewer slaves were needed.
b.
It made cotton a major export item.
c.
It spurred immigration to the South.
d.
It caused slavery to spread to Ohio and Illinois.
e.
It increased imports from Britain.
17. What encouraged migration to the West?
a.
land made available by the government
b.
poor soil
c.
advances in industrial production technology in factories
d.
the desert
e.
construction of numerous frontier forts
18. In which of the following ways was Cyrus McCormick’s grain reaper significant?
a.
It transformed the economy of the South.
b.
It required farmers to rely more on muscle power than ever before.
c.
It was powered by gasoline engines rather than horses.
d.
It helped bring mechanical power to the Midwest, Old Northwest, and Great Plains.
e.
It had to be assembled by farmers.
19. Jefferson’s embargo in 1807 and the War of 1812
a.
almost destroyed American manufacturing.
b.
had little effect on the growth of textile manufacturing in America.
c.
encouraged rapid growth in domestic American textile manufacturing.
d.
restricted exports and thereby hurt the growth of American manufacturing.
e.
encouraged Americans to live more simply because consumer goods were scarce.
20. The first American factories produced
a.
cotton textiles.
d.
glass products.
b.
leather goods.
e.
muskets.
c.
tobacco products.
21. Which of the following statements is true of the textile plant established in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1813?
a.
It brought together the mechanized processes of spinning yarn and weaving cloth under one roof.
b.
It refused to pay wages to its workers.
c.
The state government owned it and the British destroyed it in the War of 1812.
d.
It predominantly employed enslaved Africans.
e.
It manufactured thread, which it then sold to artisan weavers who worked at home.
22. One striking aspect of the Lowell factories was
a.
their ability to prevent the occurrence of strikes.
b.
their employment of young single women.
c.
their undemanding working hours.
d.
their minimal impact on natural surroundings.
e.
the fact that they paid workers in stocks.
23. What became a major problem in the Lowell mills by the middle 1830s?
a.
a shortage in cotton and other materials needed to create cloth
b.
the growing dominance of textile mills in the South
c.
the long commute of workers from out of state
d.
labor unrest due to working and living conditions
e.
their reliance on the work of enslaved Africans
24. By 1860, what had become the largest city, as its population surpassed 1 million?
a.
Boston
d.
New Orleans
b.
Philadelphia
e.
New York
c.
Baltimore
25. Which of the following became popular with all classes?
a.
cockfighting
d.
boxing
b.
bear baiting
e.
fishing
c.
stand-up comedy
26. The MOST popular form of indoor entertainment in the first half of the nineteenth century was
a.
theater.
d.
dog fighting.
b.
cockfighting.
e.
ballet.
c.
prizefighting.
27. Which of the following statements accurately describes audiences in theaters during the first half of the nineteenth
century?
a.
They quietly watched performances.
b.
They were an equal mix of men and women.
c.
They preferred patriotic dramas to comedies.
d.
They were reluctant to judge the quality of the acting.
e.
They were predominantly men but from all walks of life.
28. Which of the following was a result of minstrel shows?
a.
They made museums the center of recreation and leisure.
b.
They reinforced the idea that America still did not have its own unique forms of entertainment.
c.
They brought professional productions of Shakespeare to the United States.
d.
They helped whites become more racially tolerant.
e.
They helped perpetuate familiar stereotypes of African Americans.
29. Which of the following statements describes the minstrel shows between the 1830s and 1870s?
a.
Immensely popular, they often included the songs of Stephen Foster.
b.
They featured black performers made up as whites.
c.
They were similar to operatic shows.
d.
They portrayed black characters positively.
e.
Primarily elite and educated audiences embraced them.
30. The major impetus for the huge Irish immigration to the United States after 1845 was
a.
religious freedom in the United States.
b.
an abundance of cheap land.
c.
high wages in factories.
d.
a deadly potato famine.
e.
hatred of British rule in Ireland.
31. Of all the immigrant groups that came to the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century, which was
LEAST tolerant of free African Americans?
a.
Chinese
d.
Mexicans
b.
free blacks
e.
Germans
c.
Irish
32. Anti-Irish prejudice was especially based upon
a.
fear of growing Catholic influence.
b.
Irish sympathy for black equality.
c.
Irish support for the Republican party.
d.
jealousy over the fact that so many Irish were well educated.
e.
competition for housing in industrial cities.
33. Which of the following statements accurately describes Irish immigrants by the start of the Civil War?
a.
Most of them had remarkable careers in business, especially real estate.
b.
They had energized American trade unions.
c.
Most of them had converted to Protestantism.
d.
They started a new party for immigrants out of disdain for the Democrats.
e.
They had warm relations with German immigrants and tended to live in the same communities.
34. Which of the following statements correctly characterizes the Germans who came to the United States during the
first half of the nineteenth century?
a.
They were overwhelmingly Catholic.
b.
They were poor and uneducated.
c.
They settled mainly in rural areas.
d.
They were highly individualistic.
e.
They did not drink beer for religious reasons.
35. German immigrants in the 1850s
a.
were mostly poor and nonreligious.
b.
almost never returned to their native country.
c.
tended to come as groups and families.
d.
usually spoke English already.
e.
were not a target of the nativists.
36. The German migration to the United States
a.
included few educated professionals or skilled workers.
b.
peaked in 1831 before falling rapidly.
c.
was in most respects similar to that of the Irish.
d.
was sometimes temporary, as a significant percentage of Germans returned to their native land.
e.
provoked race riots in several cities.
37. By 1860, one would MOST likely encounter Norwegian and Swedish immigrants in
a.
New York and New Jersey.
d.
Wisconsin and Minnesota.
b.
Ohio and Pennsylvania.
e.
Texas and Louisiana.
c.
California and Oregon.
38. Which of the following statements accurately describes Chinese immigrants in the United States
in the first half of the nineteenth century?
a.
They were by far the largest immigrant group of the period.
b.
They primarily worked in mines and farms.
c.
They had become eligible for citizenship under the 1790 federal naturalization law.
d.
They earned the highest wages of any other immigrant group.
e.
Many traveled to California because of its rapid development.
39. Which of the following statements about the Know-Nothing party is correct?
a.
It was strongest in the 1850s.
b.
It was weakest in New England.
c.
It was based on prejudice against blacks.
d.
It opposed the spread of public education.
e.
It elected two presidents in its brief history.
40. The Know-Nothings campaigned primarily to
a.
cut taxes.
d.
prohibit drinking.
b.
establish public schools.
e.
limit immigrant influence.
c.
promote Christianity.
41. To uphold standards of quality and maintain decent wage levels, craftsman at first formed
a.
trade associations.
d.
health clubs.
b.
labor unions.
e.
chambers of commerce.
c.
political parties.
42. Early labor organizations were popular with which of the following groups?
a.
skilled craftsman
d.
clergy
b.
mill owners
e.
politicians
c.
investors
43. In the case of Commonwealth v. Hunt, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that
a.
immigration quotas established in the late 1830s were constitutional.
b.
immigration quotas established in the late 1830s were unconstitutional.
c.
forming a trade union was illegal.
d.
forming a trade union was legal.
e.
employers could not hire strikebreakers.
44. Why was the National Trades’ Union formed?
a.
to confine labor unions to only textile workers
b.
to organize local trade unions into a stronger national association
c.
to prevent the formation of craft unions
d.
to restrict women from joining unions of any type
e.
to increase the number of foreign imports and limit tariffs
45. Which of the following was one of the desires of the various Workingmen’s parties?
a.
higher taxes for the wealthy
b.
less government oversight
c.
the abolishment of trade unions
d.
laws regulating banks
e.
an increase in the imprisonment of debtors
46. What was the largest professional occupation for men in the United States by 1860?
a.
teaching
d.
nursing
b.
medicine
e.
engineering
c.
the law
47. Which of the following statements describes physicians in the early 1800s?
a.
They were required to go to medical school.
b.
They were closely regulated by the government.
c.
They were mostly self-taught or apprenticed with an experienced doctor.
d.
They were experts in modern medical science.
e.
They provided roughly the same services as nurses.
48. Which of the following did the public generally consider acceptable activities for women outside the home?
a.
working in professional occupations
b.
teaching at universities
c.
engaging in politics
d.
working in religious and social service realms
e.
working in international banking
49. Which of the following was a result of the market-based economy that emerged during the first half of the
nineteenth century in the United States?
a.
The movement for women’s rights continued to be virtually nonexistent for another century.
b.
Equality of opportunity came to guarantee equality in outcomes as well, for most of those pursuing
wealth proved successful.
c.
The belief spread that individuals should have equal opportunities to advance through their abilities
and hard work.
d.
The prevailing theme of political life in the first half of the nineteenth century revolved around the
question of African American rights.
e.
The population of cities declined as immigrants became disenchanted with the American dream and
urban quality of life.
ESSAY
1. How did the opening of the Erie Canal economically transform the Midwest?
2. Compare the growth of roads, river transportation, and railroads through 1860. What were the advantages and
disadvantages of each means of transport?
3. What factors account for the tremendous growth in cotton cultivation from 1790 to 1860?
4. What were the major developments that John C. Calhoun saw as imperative to “binding” together the growing
“market-economy” of the United States?
5. Examine the impact the War of 1812 had on American industrial development.
6. Explain the unique character of American technological development in the first half of the nineteenth century.
7. Describe the general immigration trends of the period. What forms did the nativist response to this immigration
take?
8. How did the steamship transform the cities and economies along America’s major rivers?
9. Describe the Lowell system and both its short-term and long-term effects on American industry.
10. Discuss the environmental and legal developments that occurred in the United States as a result of the rising number
of mills in New England in the first half of the nineteenth century.
11. Discuss the various aspects of popular culture in antebellum America.
12. Discuss the unique role Catholicism played in the resistance to immigration.
13. Trace the development of organized labor in early America. Be sure to include both the early union movement and
the development of labor politics.
14. During the first half of the nineteenth century, professionalization increased with the development of education, law,
medicine, and engineering. Examine this development.
MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
a.
invented the telegraph
b.
invented the sewing machine
c.
with Boston Associates, formed the Boston Manufacturing Company
d.
earned a medical degree, a first of its kind
e.
was a piano maker and immigrant
f.
helped found schools to train teachers and promoted the idea of free public education
g.
was the first clipper ship
h.
improved the steel plow, thereby making it possible to farm the Great Plains
i.
was the first commercial steamboat, built by Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton
j.
was a Jewish tailor who made work pants during the gold rush and would become the origin story
of a major brand
k.
was a famous composer whose song “Oh! Susanna” emerged as a national favorite
1. Heinrich Steinweg
2. Rainbow
3. John Deere
4. Elizabeth Blackwell
5. Clermont
6. Elias Howe
7. Francis Cabot Lowell
8. Samuel F. B. Morse
9. Horace Mann
10. Stephen Foster
11. Levi Strauss
