The American Yawp
Chapter 8
In the 19th century, the U.S began a revolution that was meant to mark the beginning of modern America. The revolution was called the market revolution. The market revolution was the expansion of the market made possible by improvements in communications, transportation, and manufacturing. Some factors contributed to the market revolution. For instance, the urge to sell products across borders was supported by the improvement in communication, transportation, and manufacturing. For example, the telegraph was the first advancement of communication in human history. People could communicate instantaneously over vast distances; therefore, farmers could order tools from across the borders. But for the tools to reach the farmer, transportation was needed; therefore, better roads were built, and canals were dug. This way, traders could sell their products to distant buyers and order supplies from distant suppliers. With these improvements, there was a need for more production. This was when machines were introduced in the factories to produce cheaper and plentiful quantity products.
These advancement led to changes in America significantly. First, the market revolution made it possible for some founders, including craftsmen, to make more money than they did previously. Secondly, it allowed the growth of industries and factories. Factories and industries could sell more products to more people. The above two changes led to the third change, which is the growth of the middle class. The factories and industries needed more engineers, salespeople, managers, lawyers, etc. who were all middle class. The fourth change was the decline of skilled laborers. After the advancement in of the factories, machines started producing cheaper products efficiently and faster. Therefore, skilled laborers went out of the business since they could not compete with the machines.
Chapter 9
Senator Roland Burris held the same position the Jesse Thomas held in 1820.
During the Missouri compromise, three necessary policies were set forth. The first one was that the Congress should agree that Missouri was a slave state. The second policy was that Congress would agree that Maine, which is a territory of Massachusetts today, should be a free state. This means that it was to maintain the poise between the Free states and the slave states. The third policy was that every part of Louisiana Purchase territory would be divided along 36°30’ line of latitude, which was the southern border of Missouri. With the three policies, slavery would be abolished in the new states north of the line and allowed in the southern states. After the compromise passed by both houses of the Congress, the crisis in Missouri ended in peace.
Chapter 10
When the American Revolution ended, the efforts to abolish slavery gained support from the white activists and free African American activists. In 1831 white abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison Joined hands with African American Abolitionists to establish American Anti-Slavery society and to convince Americans that slavery was morally wrong. However, African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass separated with William Lloyd Garrison, claiming that political action was needed to end slavery. Also, they disagreed on whether violence should be required to end slavery and whether African Americans should remain in America or move back to Africa.
In some way, the abolitionists were linked to the women’s rights movements. The women’s rights movement grew in 1847 and received support from Douglas and other black abolitionists. In 1851 at the women’s rights convention, black abolitionist Sojourner Truth challenged the idea that women were weak and needed support from men. She said, “I have plowed and planted and gathered into vines, and no man helped me, and ain’t I a woman”?