Chapter 10
The Opening of the United States
1815–1850
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Outline and discuss the formation of the national market economy in the nineteenth
century.
• Explain the chief motives and reasons behind the mobility of nineteenth-century
republican society.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter deals with fundamental economic changes that occurred in the quarter-century after
1815. Advancements in technology and communications greatly strengthened the forces of
commercialization in American life and decisively changed the course of American
development. During this period, the Supreme Court adopted a pro-business stance, which
encouraged investment and risk-taking. State laws fostered economic development by
THEMES
The National Market Economy
As the development of widespread markets fundamentally transformed opportunity in the United
States, government played an important role. After 1815, Congress enacted the program of the
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A Restless Temper
The pace of American life, especially as seen through European eyes, seemed hurried to the
point of being frantic. Americans were a restless people, driven by dreams of wealth and haunted
by fears of failure. Americans of this period were constantly on the move, pouring steadily
westward or flocking to the burgeoning cities in search of opportunity. Though vast, the
American continent was beginning to grow smaller because of new technologies that allowed
The Rise of Factories
As markets developed, entrepreneurs reorganized their operations to increase production. For
the first time, factories developed in the United States, beginning with the textile industry.
Eventually all operations (from opening the cotton bales to weaving the cloth) were combined
on one site, with the work done largely by machines tended by semiskilled operators. Lowell,
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Social Structures of the Market Society
As opportunities for profit expanded, wealth became more unequally distributed in American
society. The rich became richer and controlled a larger proportion of the nation’s total wealth.
Prosperity and Anxiety
Prosperity brought with it anxiety, as Americans feared they would be plunged into poverty
by sudden economic downturns that were beyond the control of individuals. After 1815 the
LECTURE STRATEGIES
Causes of Economic Growth
Because students often find it difficult to integrate structural economic themes with the more
personal flow of American history, it might be useful to set out in a lecture the primary causes
of economic growth, and why that growth came after 1815 and not before. Prior to this time,
American economic growth was tied to international trade, limited not only by the vicissitudes
Technology and Economic Expansion
Technology also played an important role in American economic expansion. You might
highlight the role of inventions in both transportation and manufacturing. In discussing the
development of cheap inland transportation through canals, steamboats, and railroads, Charles
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Lowell Textile Mills
Some of the earliest and most prominent factories were those of the textile industry. Lowell,
Massachusetts, provides an excellent case study of factory development. It was conceived as a
model community, based on paternalism and profits, that would alleviate the harshness of
Impact of the Market Revolution on Society
A worthwhile topic is the impact of the market on society at large. (Charles Sellers’s The Market
Revolution discusses many of these changes from a decidedly hostile perspective.) European
travelers’ accounts contain much information on the American penchant for speed, the rampant
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
Anxiety about Factories
Students might be asked why Americans were uneasy about factories (Jefferson’s fear of cities
and a property-less urban proletariat could be noted). Lowell was designed to alleviate the fear
Social Consequences of the Market
The social consequences of the new market extended far beyond just factory workers. Farmers,
artisans, planters, slaves, shopkeepers—everyone was touched, as the case studies of Kingston,
Sugar Creek, and the Rocky Mountain fur trade suggest. Students might draw on these examples
The Costs and Benefits of the Market
The market brought opportunity and wealth, as well as anxiety, more complex social structures,
a loss of individual autonomy, and the decline of a sense of community. You might want to bring
POWER OF PROCESS FOR PRIMARY SOURCES
Power of Process for Primary Sources is a critical thinking tool for reading and writing about
primary sources. As part of Connect History, McGraw-Hill Education’s learning platform, Power
of Process contains a database of over 400 searchable primary sources in addition to the
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capability for instructors to upload their own sources. Instructors can then select a series of
strategies for students to use to analyze and comment upon a source. The Power of Process
framework helps students develop essential academic skills such as understanding, analyzing,
and synthesizing readings and visuals such as maps, leading students toward higher order
thinking and writing.