Unit+6+-+Day+1

Day 1 - Test on Unit 4 & 5 - (Ch 9.1)
 * How did the "Market Revolution" impact the regions?
 * What inventions helped fuel westward expansion?
 * Why was Cotton called "King Cotton?"
 * Why did cities develop in the North, but not so often in the South?


 * How did the "Market Revolution" impact the regions? **

The inventions and improvements on old ideas fueled growth in all regions of the nation. In the South, the Cotton Gin made slavery 40 times more efficient = 40 times more profitable. To maximize any slave investment, more land was required which is whet fueled Southerners to move west. Meanwhile, in the North, manufacturing boomed due to new inventions. A large part of the boom included farm implements like the John Deer steel Plow, and McCormicks Mechanical Reaper, which made farming easier. This ease of farming helped fuel a westward migration of people from the North. It also tied the Western region much more closely to the North than to the South.

As we approach the magic year of 1860, when the Civil War begins, it will do you well to understand why the North and West are closer than the South and West.


 * What inventions helped fuel westward expansion? **

The inventions named above certainly helped. Other inventions included barbed wire, the telgraph, Morse code, steam engines for boats and trains, and the vulcanization of rubber. Medicine was changing as inoculations against certain diseases were being developed.

Barbed Wire helped farmers fence in their crops and protect them from wildlife, as well as cattle drives that were common by the cowboys of the day. The Telegraph kept people connected with a way to send instantaneous messages across the country and the world. Steam power brought people west with more ease than having to walk across the country with your oxen, wagons, and all belongings. The steam boat connected people from the upper and lower river regions.


 * Why was Cotton called "King Cotton?" **

Cotton was the USA's #1 export, thus a huge supplier of tax dollars for the US government. This crop was called "King" because of the economic dependency the government had to it, but also because it gave the South a degree of power over the North, who needed it for their own industries. In addition, Britain could not buy enough Southern Cotton. If anything (like banning slavery) were to affect Cotton production, the South wrongly assumed that the entire western civilization would collapse. In fact. the South wrongly assumed that Britain would ally themselves with the South if anyone ever "made war on Cotton" in any way.


 * Why did cities develop in the North, but not so often in the South? **

The South had self-sufficient plantations that all small "yeoman farmers" depended upon for every service they might need, including the renting of slaves to help the poor farmer with their own harvest. The North, on the other hand had only small farms, none being self sufficient. Cities developed as a means to provide services and products to those who needed it, be it black-smithing services, medical, schools, or stores to buy needed supplies. With the advent of manufacturing as a means of earning wages, cities developed around the needs of the labor forces that appeared at work sites. Laborers needed food, clothing, ect, and could not produce this for themselves.