ToPI c I | a market economy 193D
uring the first half of the nineteenth century, innovations in technology
and infrastructure transformed the economic landscape of the United
States. These changes allowed goods to be produced more efficiently and
to be traded more easily between the various regions of the United States
and between the nation and the world. These changes also affected where
and how Americans lived, reshaped regional and national identities, and influ-
enced how citizens interacted with each other at home, in the marketplace, and
at work. These economic changes and their social effects are often called “the
Market Revolution” by historians.
Technological changes made the mass production of goods like textiles more
efficient, and transportation innovations like canals and steam-powered water
travel allowed a wider movement of people and goods. In this newly integrated
economy, certain regions could specialize in the production of particular goods
for trade with other regions in the young nation. This regional specialization led
to greater economic integration through trade but also to starker economic and
social differences between different regions.
The changes brought about by the Market Revolution transformed the lives
of Americans in ways that shaped where they lived, how they understood gender
and family, and what they expected from American politics and politicians. The
Market Revolution ultimately proved to be as socially important as the American
Revolution itself.Seeking the Main Point
As you read the documents that follow, keep these broad questions in mind.
These questions will help you understand the relationship between the documents
in this chapter and the historical changes that they represent. As you reflect on
these questions, determine which themes and which documents best address
them.•
In what ways did technological and economic changes in the United States
between 1800 and 1848 shape US regions differently? How did these changes
transform labor relations?•
How did ideas about individuals and economics shape economic policies
during this period?192 chAPTEr 8 | the marKet reVoLUtion | period Four 180 0 –184809_STA_2012_ch8_191-212.indd 192 19/03/15 5:51 PM