Chapter 14: Forging the National Economy

What was the main factor contributing to rapid population growth in the 1840s and beyond?

• widespread immigration

• increased imports of slaves

• rising birthrates

• improved health

• acquisition of new territories

All of the following contributed to the increased influx of new immigrants to America in the 19th century EXCEPT

• Europe was running out of room for its rapidly expanding population

• new technologies made transatlantic travel faster and cheaper

• letter from American loved ones beckoning family member to join them

• lucrative incentives by companies seeking workers

• the perception of America as the land of opportunity

German immigrants to America differed from the Irish in all of the following EXCEPT

• German immigrants left their homeland for political reasons

• German immigrants tended to be poorer

• Germans settled in the Middle West rather than in eastern cities

• Germans became outspoken opponents of slavery

• only a minority of Germans were Roman Catholic

Which of the following was NOT a cause of the antiforeign/nativist movement that emerged in the 1840s and 1850s?

• Fear that immigrants would drive wages down and compete for jobs

• Concern that increased immigration would drive up land prices

• Rampant anti-Catholicism

• Fear that foreigners would outnumber native-born Americans

• Concern that immigrants would outvote native-born Americans.

Americans lagged behind the British in industrializing largely because they

• feared that they could not compete with the quality of British manufacturing

• preferred to import rather than manufacture goods

• associated the factory system with the worst qualities of European society

• were not interested in shifting from handmade goods

• lacked the capital and infrastructure necessary to support the factory system.

Who is considered the father of the American factory system?

• Moses Brown

• Eli Whitney

• Samuel Slater

• Francis Cabot

• Isaac Singer

New England was well suited to becoming an industrial center for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

• its land was too rocky and difficult to farm

• its dense population provided a ready labor force and customer base for factory- produced goods

• its seaports made importing raw materials and exporting finished goods easier

• its fast-flowing rivers provided the perfect power source for factory cogs

• it was hardest hit by the lack of imported goods during the War of 1812

Despite poor working conditions, there were only 24 recorded strikes before 1835. Why?

• It was against the law for workers to organize for better wages

• Workers were often poor and could not afford to walk off their jobs

• Many of the workers were children

• The workers used their newly acquired right to vote to effect change instead

• The workers distrusted group activism and preferred to act as individuals.

The 19th century cult of domesticity is best defined as the

• idea that women should determine family size

• belief that women should work only as household help, maids and cooks

• notion that upon marriage, women should leave their paid jobs

• celebration of women's roles within the home

• new innovations that simplified housework and freed up women's time

Which of these did NOT play a role in stimulating the U.S. economic growth and its connections to the broader world?

• The rise of railroads

• The Pony Express

• The development of canals

• The market revolution

• The emergence of steam