Benefits of the Market Revolution on the Economy

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Before the market revolution, American families were producing all of the goods they need in their homes or local communities. It was expensive to create goods, so people depended on trade. Since the market revolution, there has been a change in transportation, industrialization, and urbanization. Market Revolution was beneficial to every region in the states. The northeastern states became more industrialized and urban, the southern states gained more cotton and slavery benefits, and the western states became the new nation and improved in transportation and communication. Transportation improved from the market revolution through many new inventions, railroads, steamboats, and canals. Pressure for improvements in transportation came at least as much from cities eager to buy as from farmers seeking to sell. The first railroad built was in 1792, it started a spread throughout the states. Cumberland which began to be built in 1811 and finished in 1852, known to be called the national road stretched over five hundred miles from Cumberland to Illinois. By 1821, there were four thousand miles of turnpike in the United States. Turnpikes were not economical to ship bulky goods by land across long distance across America, so another invention came about. Robert Fulton created steam boats in 1807; he named his first one ‘Clermont.’ These steam boats allowed quick travel upriver against the currents, they were also faster and cheaper. The steamboats became a huge innovation with the time travel of five miles per hour. It also stimulated agricultural economy of west by providing better access to markets at lower cost. While steamboats were conquering the western rivers, canals were being constructed in the northeastern states. The firs... ... middle of paper ... ...oods in the market place. The market increased vastly, becoming more efficient with cheaper transportation and economic specialization. Industrialization impacted the meaning of work and changed the ways of time management. Urbanization mainly evolved in the northeastern states, which help the states to become more into urban cities showing and improving on communication and industrialization. Though this was great for the Americans it did affect the Native Americans and African slaves in a negative light. Even though it had ups and downs from different point of views the market revolution changed and improved how our economy is today. Works Cited Daniel Walker Howe pg. 259 Harriet Hanson Robinson, a “Lowell Girl,” Describes her labor in a textile mill, 1831 pg.239 Daniel Walker Howe The changes wrought by cotton, transportation, and communication pg.256

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