Introduction

=“The hallmark of the United States has been growth…= =Never has this been more true than in the first half= =of the nineteenth century, when an unparalleled rate= =of growth took place in three dimensions:= =population, territory, and economy.”= —//Battle Cry of Freedom//, James McPherson

= = = = =Consider the following:=

Territorial Growth:
In 1790, the United States owned roughly 828,000 square miles of the North American continent.



By 1860, the country had quadrupled in size by settling, claiming, annexing, or purchasing territory from Native Americans, France, Spain, Britain and Mexico. It now stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific cost taking up more than 3,300,000 square miles.(1)



Urbanization:
In 1790, only **24** places in the United States had more than 2,500 people living there. Only **6**% of the total population lived in one of these cities or towns.

By 1860, there were **392** places had a population of 2,500 people or more. Roughly **20**% of the total population lived in these urban areas.(2)


 * New York City in 1850**

Total Population:
In terms of population, the United States had doubled in size, and then doubled again. From 1800 until 1850 the American population grew four times faster than Europe's and six times faster than the world average.(1)


 * US Population in 1790:** 3,929,214

(3)
 * US Population in 1860:** 31,443,321

Slave and Freed Black Population:
By 1860 roughly four million of those were black slaves.



Black Americans in 1790: **740,000**

Slave: **680,000**

Free: **60,000**

Black Americans in 1860: **4,441,830**

Slave: **3,953,760**

Free: **488,070** (3)

Immigration Statistics
By 1860 over **five million** immigrants had settled in the U.S.- roughly **19** percent of the total population.



**Irish Immigrants**
There were two large movements of immigration during this time period:

From 1820 until 1840, **700,000** immigrants moved to America. Over **60** % of them were Irish or German. (2)

From 1840 until 1860, over **4 million** immigrants came to the United States:
 * O****ne million** of them were Irish - roughly **one fourth** of Ireland's total population. (1)

Economic Growth:
During the same time period, the Gross National Product - a measure of the total economic output of the United States - had grown **seven** times bigger. The country was getting wealthier.

So were individual people: the average income of the U.S. rose **102** percent, with real wages for **workers** increasing by somewhere between **40** and **65** percent. (1)

**Industry**:
At the same time, new machinery, specialization of labor, and improved efficiency had vastly changed American industry: An **industrial revolution** was taking place in the United States.



In 1790, roughly **79**% of the American population made their living in agriculture.

By 1860, that number had dropped to **65**%. Many Americans began working in factories and mills instead of on farms. (1)

**Inventions:**
The rise of industry also prompted a large number of inventions in the U.S. A patent is a license to make, use, or sell a new invention.

In 1800, there were **309** patents registered in the United States.

By 1860, there were **28,000** new patents.(2)



**Transportation:**
Before 1815 it cost roughly the same amount to ship cargo thirty miles inland as it did to ship it across the Atlantic.(1) Most American roads were dirt paths, impossible to travel on in bad weather.


 * A "Corduroy" Road** made from logs and dirt

To travel from Cincinnati to New York took a minimum of three weeks.

The only way to ship goods from these two cities was down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans and then by salt water along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts—a trip of nearly seven weeks.

Because of this, American traded more across the Atlantic Ocean than internally, most manufactured goods purchased in the United States came from Britain, and farmers living more than a short distance from the coast consumed most of what they grew instead of selling it. (1)

But with the rise of industry, the United States needed better transportation to ship goods from place to place.


 * An Early Steam Powered Locomotive**

By 1860 there were **30,000** miles of train rail and **3,700** miles of canals in the United States. Innovations in transportation cut travel time between New York to Chicago from **three weeks** to **two days.** It reduced the time it took to ship something between Cincinnati to New York from **fifty** days to **five.** (1)


 * A Later Version of the Steam Powered Locomotive**

Because of transportation costs, in 1790 a barrel of pork cost **$9.53** more in Cincinnati than in New York. By 1860, the difference had dropped to **$1.18**.

A sack of flour cost **$2.48** more in Cincinnati than in New York in 1790. By 1860, the difference had dropped to **28 cents**.(1)

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1. //Battle Cry of Freedom//, McPherson, James, 1988, Oxford University Press 2. //America Is//, Drewry, Henry; O'Conner, Thomas, 1995, Glencoe, Macmillian/Mc-Graw-Hill 3. United States- Race and Hispanic Origin: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, Internet Release Date: September 13, 2002