Agriculture and the national economy

1. The importance of cotton to the economy
1. Invention of the cotton gin
2. Revolutionary impact of the gin
1. Impact on slavery
2. Encouragement of westward migration
3. Cotton became an important export

1. Changes in land laws
1. Land law of 1820
2. Preemption Act of 1830
3. Graduation Act of 1854
2. Development of improved iron plows
3. Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper

Transportation and the national economy

1. Opening new roads
2. Water transport
1. Steamboats
2. Flatboats
3. The Erie Canal

1. Early rail lines
2. Advantages of rail service

1. State and private funding of railroads
2. Federal land grants to railroads

1. Impact of new modes of transportation
2. Delivery of mail

1. Emphasis on practical application of science in the United States
2. Examples of the impact of inventions
3. First telegraph transmitted in 1844

Industrialization

1. The growth of industry
1. Britain's lead in industrial production
2. Samuel Slater's mill
3. Impact of War of 1812 on early textile manufacturing
2. Emergence of the factory system
1. The Lowell system
1. Raw material to production of finished cloth
2. Use of young women
3. Failure of Lowell idea
2. Labor unrest in textile industry
3. Rhode Island or Fall River system
3. Industrialization and the environment

Urbanization

1. Leading cities of the antebellum period
2. Interaction of manufacturing with urbanization

Popular culture

1. Urban recreation
1. Colonial amusements
2. Alcohol consumption
3. Taverns as social centers
4. Popularity of blood sports
5. Performing arts
1. Theater
2. Minstrel shows

Immigration

1. Continuing need for labor
2. Ebb and flow of immigration
3. Characteristics of ethnic groups
1. Irish
1. Reasons for immigration
2. Irish immigrant life
3. Led to growth of Catholic Church
2. Germans
3. British
4. Scandinavians
5. Chinese
4. Nativist reaction to immigrants
1. Reasons for antagonism toward immigrants
2. Examples of nativist activity
3. Nativist organizations
1. Early associations
2. Know-Nothing party formed in 1854
3. (1) Political gains
4. (2) Specific demands

Labor organization

1. Daily life of the skilled urban working class
2. Importance of Commonwealth v. Hunt decision, 1842
3. Efforts to create national trade unions
4. Urban labor politics
1. Working Men's parties
2. Locofocos in New York
3. Impact of labor parties
5. Continuing activities of unions

The rise of professions

1. Growing sophistication of American life
2. Growth of professions
1. Teaching
2. Law
3. Medicine
4. Engineering
3. Changing role of women

Jacksonian inequality

1. Examples of self-made men
2. Distribution of wealth
3. Growing inequality-possible reasons

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