Life Changes Along the Atlantic Seaboard

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Life Changes Along the Atlantic Seaboard

• Chapter 7.1

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Vocabulary

• Middle Class-members of society who have better
  than average education and income who share
  common values.
• Working Class-members of society who are employed
  for hourly wages, usually in manual labor.

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Family Farms Become More Profitable

• Two developments drastically change the farmers
  way of life.
• 1. Growing demand for wheat
• 2. Invention of new farming tools

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The Wheat Boom

• 1. Population growth and wars in Europe effected
  the farm economy.
• 2. Thousands of Americans sank their fortunes
  and plows into fertile lands.

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Improved Farming Methods

• 1. Americans were using simple tools and methods
  as used in Europe for hundreds of years. (scythe)
• 1 acre per day.

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Improved Farming Methods

• 2. In 1831, Cyrus McCormick invented the
  mechanical reaper. (12 Xs faster)

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Improved Farming Methods

• 3. In 1837, John Deere invented the steel blade
  plow to slice through the hard rocky soil.

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The American Economy Matures

• 1. American farmers have become self-sufficient.
  (grew own food, wove own cloth, made own tools)
• 2. Work was any farm or household task that
  had to be done.

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Home and Workplace Divide

• 1. As the price of manufactured goods became
  cheaper, women spent fewer hours making these
  items. They could spend more time producing
  surplus to be sold.
• 2. Many women took on outwork in their homes.
  The little money made from outwork allowed
  families to start saving.

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Home and Workplace Divide

• 3. Better transportation, increased
  manufacturing, and labor saving inventions
  changed the work of many men. Mens work became
  separate from the home.
• 4. The home became a place away from the harsh
  working world.

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Women Acquire New Status

• 1. The rise in manufacturing help create the
  middle class. The chief value of this group is
  education.

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Women Acquire New Status

• 2. Publishers offered hundreds of how-to
  books. (child care, cooking, etc.)
• 3. These books helped shape the ideals of the
  middle and working class.

13
Port Cities Provide Economic Opportunities

• 1. Between 1790 and 1860 the major port cities
  in America doubled in population.
• 2. Boston textile mills fueled its growth. The
  harbors were swarmed by sailors, dock workers,
  and peddlers. Boston opened the first free public
  school.
• 3. Port cities in the South became the centers
  of trade.

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Port Cities Provide Economic Opportunities

• 4. Hand crafted goods were in high demand. When
  craftsmen couldnt keep up factories started mass
  producing these items. (The quality and price of
  the items decreased.)

15
Some African Americans Experience Changes

• 1. Free African Americans and former slaves were
  drawn to cities like Philadelphia, New York, and
  Baltimore.
• 1820233,000
• 1860488,000

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No Rights for Slaves

• 1. Most African Americans living in the United
  States in the first half of the of the 1800s
  were slaves.
• Legally, slaves had no rights. They were
  considered property.
• The only way they could become free was if the
  slave owner granted freedom.

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No Rights for Slaves

• 2. Slaves could not legally marry or testify in
  court. Slaves were held responsible for any
  crimes they might commit.

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Slow Steps Toward Freedom

• 1. Slavery never becomes profitable in the north
  because of the climate.
• 2. Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and
  Rhode Island outlawed slavery by 1784.

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Slow Steps Toward Freedom

• 3. Many free black in the South worked in the
  port cities. If slave ships entered the city,
  the black workers would be put in prison.
• 4. Slave laws were being developed to slowly
  eliminate slavery in the North. Once free, the
  former slaves would work until they could buy
  their families freedom.

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African Americans Form Communities

• 1. The number of African Americans continued to
  grow in large cities.
• Societies were started for protection and
  support.

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African Americans Form Communities

• 2. Black organizations started up to help with
  social activities. Blacks began to create their
  own schools opened to children and adults who
  wanted to learn how to read.

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African Americans Form Communities

• 3. Black churches began being built as well.
  Theses churches became a powerful voice for
  African American rights and freedom.

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African Americans Form Communities

• 4. Race riots broke out in the 1820s and
  1830s. The fighting was over limited jobs and
  housing in large cities.
• 5. Many free blacks also chose to head west.
  They went west in search of the same
  opportunities enjoyed by white pioneers.