HIS-144-RS-Development of the American Economy Worksheet Assignment

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Name: Tiffany Lewis
HIS-144: The Development of the American Economy
Directions: Respond to the five questions below using resources from the Topic 4 Readings,
including your textbook, materials provided by your instructor through class discussion, and
materials from the GCU Library Guide for HIS-144 US History Themes.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is
expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines,
which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. Proof of
research is needed for each answer.
Wikipedia, Ask.com, ehow.com and other online information sites, encyclopedias, or
dictionaries are not considered university academic sources and are NOT TO BE USED.
1. Explain Henry Clay's American System. (50-100 words)
Henry Clay designed the American System after the War of 1812. The American System is still
one of the most notable instances of a government-sponsored initiative to balance and harmonize
the country's trade, industry, and agriculture. The American System was created to enhance our
nation's economy and support America's continued development (U.S. Senate). The system
required three different components to function. A national bank to foster trade, a tariff to protect
and advance American industry, and government grants for infrastructure projects like roads,
canals, and other "internal improvements" to build strong markets for agricultural goods made up
this "System three's" interconnected parts.
2. Discuss America's transportation revolution in the first half of the 1800s. Briefly cover
the importance of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats to the young nation's economy.
(100-200 words)
The 1800s transportation revolution marked the pinnacle of what America would eventually
industrialize. The construction of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats would not have been
possible without the help of the federal government and the entire United States. A textbook part
on the transportation revolution claims that "some states launched internal changes in the years
after 1800, realizing the advantages of fast transportation." many Americans were moving
around in the early 1800s. Still, unlike their ancestors, they could travel large distances from the
eastern states to the newly discovered west, which had so much to offer. They mostly used tax
revenue to build toll roads, canals, and other forms of transportation. These revenues financed
the turnpike, canal, steamboat, and railroad eras (Schultz, 2018). The different transportation
networks produced new chances for trading commodities. They provided a different mode of
transportation for people to use instead of walking, which was how their forefathers traveled.
3. Identify two major industries of America's Industrial Revolution after the Civil War.
What made the men who controlled them so successful? (150-200 words).
Other vital industries, including railroads, cotton, and steel, contributed substantially to
America's industrialization. It is safe to say that without steel, it would not have been possible to

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build railroads in the first place. The most valuable export from the United States by 1815 was
cotton; by 1840, it was worth more than all other exports. Cotton production was ultimately the
most critical sector of the American economy, particularly during the South's cotton boom in the
1800s. Two-thirds of the world's cotton supply was produced in the southern states. However,
the region had limited industrial capacity. Only approximately 29% of the nation's railroad tracks
and only 13% of its banks were located there. The South was content with its Agrarian economy.
The South did experiment with using slave labor in industries (Arrington, 2020). Power is what
made these men who ran the cotton, cotton oil, and steel industries. Because of their influence
over industries, these men almost forced them to cooperate with them rather than compete and
possibly lose money. These business titans' influence is what ultimately made them so
prosperous.
4. Explain the origins and growth of early labor unions in the United States. In what way
did they change America? (150-200 words)
Unfair salaries, horrible working conditions, and poor treatment of employees led to the
formation of labor unions. Businesses often disregarded the horrendous working conditions. In
1768, a strike was called to protest a pay cut (Schuman, 2017). The Federal Society of
Journeymen Cordwainers was established as a union. The beginning of a change in our country
came from this union. Workers' desire for shorter workdays led to the formation of the National
Labor union. They wanted to be able to restrict how many hours a day federal employees may
work. The prejudice that workers experienced while employed or looking for work was
something that labor unions battled for, along with safer working conditions, fair pay, and most
definitely. Harsh labor unions helped achieve what the workers only wanted: protection and
prevention from these situations. African Americans were given the equal recognition they
deserved. To be able to offer the rights. They earned to the formerly enslaved African Americans
before and after the Civil War. As a result, employees began to enjoy their sexual preferences
and orientation in 1997.

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References
United States Senate. U.S. Senate: Classic Senate Speeches. (2019, October 21).
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Speeches_ClayAmericanS
ystem.htm
Schultz, K. M. (2018). HIST. Boston, MA: Cengage. doi: https://viewer.gcu.edu/Jf4bqw
Arrington, B. (2020). Industry and economy during the Civil WAR (U.S. National PARK
SERVICE). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from: https://www.nps.gov/articles/industry-and-
economy-during-the-civil-war.htm
Schuman, M. (2017). History of child labor in the United States--part 2: the reform movement.
Monthly Labor Review, 1–23. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.21916/mlr.2017.24