HIST 216 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Life Insurance, Cotton Gin, Religious Pluralism
17 Oct 2016
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14/09/16
HIST216 Civil War and Reconstruction Week 1
Lecture 2
differences between the north and south—> establish what they are
• both dynamic and successful, both prosperous and grow economically in this period—> economic,
social, idealogical
• critical differences between them- these differences matter more and more over time with how
americans respond to events between 1820 & 1861
• conflict between political parties, between catholics and protestants, etc. these will look different in
different places —> it'll look diff. in New York than in Boston, etc.
• the “Whigs” and the democrats
• most people didn’t go very far- wasn't great transportation- travel between the states was incredibly
hard- easiest way: by boat- provided you don't get hit by a hurricane
• many americans had never been outside their home county
• physical isolation is important up until the 1820s & 30s
• literate rate: 94%- not super illiterate- can read the bible, scribble their name
• southerners were 50% less likely to read a newspaper than northerners
• north; substantially more urban—> place w a population of over 2000 people —>10% of northerners—
> but most people lived in a rural town 26% in 1860
• south: 5% live in cities in 1820- 10% 1860
• fewer and fewer ppl working in agriculture in the north
• #of people free and unfree working in agriculture drop slightly- most remain working in agriculture
• value of farm land plus machinery is so much higher in free states- 1860 84% invested manufacturing
was in the north
• 1860 massachusetts produced more manufactured goods than the entire confederacy
• cotton states; had only 6% of cotton manufacturing
• much more investment in machinery and manufacturing in the north- north was still agriculture but not
as much as the south
• south stays quite rural
• agriculture predominates in the south- very little diversification in the south- not large
commercial/industrial/merchant sector— not much interest in having one
• people who owned land in the south were white- a tiny amount of coloured free ppl owned land
• these people also grow crops for themselves but most of what they crop are staple crops- most notably
cotton
• cotton grows the southern economy- grows throughout this period-grows robustly- thriving
economically-
• grows for 2 reasons
• doesn't grow bc theres exciting implements invented for farming, no harvesters, no fancy plows, no
improved techniques
• it grows because
• 1) there’s more land put under cultivation over the period- growth of cotton market goes right up to the
civil war
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