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The extent of european influen (Click to select text)
From the early day of the colonization, trade and commerce has played an important role in the forming and shaping of civilization in America. The first English settlement at Jamestown was established for the sole purpose of creating a source of revenue and profit for individual investors and the mother country. The vast majority of people who migrated to these new lands during colonial times did so not to escape religious and political persecution (although many did) but mainly for economic purposes. America offered the common people of the world the opportunity for financial gain and self-sufficiency. From these humble beginnings, the roots that became the American economic system formed. After securing independence for Great Britain, the new nation greatly expanded foreign trade and underwent revolutions in transportation and farming methods that gradually lead to the creation of a national market economy. At the close of the Revolutionary War, the states found themselves in urgent need of manufactured good. War-born shortages of goods quickly brought about a revival of foreign trade. After the signing of The Treaty of Paris, American and British merchants were free to resume trade between the two countries. America also expanded trade to other countries. During the colonial period, Britain did not permit the colonies to transport any goods directly to the European continent north of Cape Finisterre. The Navigation Act also prohibited the exportation of tobacco, rice, indigo, furs and naval store to other countries except Great Britain and other colonies. American victory in the Revolutionary War ended all such restrictions and regular trading developed several countries in Europe, Asia, the Far East and Central and South America. Because of the 150-year trade history of Britain and American familiarity with British goods and trade system, most American merchants preferred trading with Great Britain. In a short period of time, Britain quickly reestablished its self as Americas premiere trading partner, accounting for almost half of the total trade volume of the United States (Nettels 45,46). Transportation of goods to and from foreign markets was dominated by the American Merchant Marine. American vessels transported over eighty-five percent of foreign trade. As a result, merchants in major port cities received major profits. The Merchant Marine provided an avenue by which investment and immigrant workers and consumers migrated to America (Kirkland 192). The gradual improvement in Americas transportation system after the Revolutionary War was a major contributing factor to the economy. Transportation prior to the 1800's served mainly to supply farmers with goods, to get their products to market and to take pioneers to new lands. The road network that existed after the Revolutionary War was inadequate to meet the demands of a growing nation (Kirkland 132,133). Most roads had been constructed to connect major cities such as Baltimore, Providence, New York, and Boston. In smaller towns, roads were built to connect with seaports or to river towns (Nettels 255). At the close of the 18th century, these roads were in terrible condition. Most small towns of the time showed little interest in constructing and improving roads. As a result, private turnpike companies developed. These companies consisted of several investors who hoped to turn a profit by charging tolls for the use of the road. The turnpike era lasted from 1810 to 1830. During this time, roads in most states improved significantly. Competition among the different companies helped to lower freight charges and consequently, few turnpike companies became profitable. By 1830, the turnpike era gave way to other transportation advances. Another significant contribution to the American transportation system was the invention of the steamboat. Steamboats permitted the travel against strong river currents, allowing two- way travel on rivers. By the 1830's, steamboat lines connected New York with New Jersey and the southern ports of New England. Boston had a regular steamboat service with the ports of Maine. On the Delaware, steamboat lines fanned out from Philadelphia. After 1846, New York had a regular connection with Charleston and New Orleans (Kirkland 139). The construction of new canals began in earnest after the completion of the highly successful Erie Canal. Considered an engineering marvel at the time, the canal stretched 363miles from Buffalo to the basins at Albany (Kirkland 145). The opening of the canal in 1825 connected the markets of the west to the northeast. The success of the Erie Canal was dazzling. In the first year of operation, 13,110 boats and crafts passed through the canal and tolls equaled one seventh of the total construction cost. In twenty-five years time the canal was carrying 1.6 millions tons with annual toll in excess of three million. The great success of the Erie Canal served to spur a boom in canal construction throughout the country. By shortening the length of travel and by linking inland waters like the Hudson and Lake Erie, the exchange of products and the transportation of people were greatly improved. The combination of improved roads, steamboats and canals served to connect vast areas of the country with an increasingly dispersing population to major ports and markets. The flow of goods and products two and from markets became much more efficient and cost effective. The increased trade that resulted stimulated economic growth throughout the country and encouraged migration to western lands. New farming methods and machinery that developed in the early 19th century significantly increased efficiency and productivity of the American farmer, enabling more product to be brought to market. One of the most significant improvements was that of the plow. The colonial period plow was clumsy and inefficient. It required two or three people to operate and several horses or oxen to pull it, and it turned up an edge rather than a flatten furrow. When settlement spread to the prairies, the plows of the east were unable to turn the heavy soil. An Illinois blacksmith by the name of John Deere developed a very light plow made of high-grade rolled steel. The new plow could be operated by one man and pulled by a team of half size (Kirkland 112). Improvements in the reaper greatly reduced the harvest time of grain. In a contest at the Paris Exhibition in 1855, the American reaper harvested an acre of oats in 22 minutes. The competing reaper from France and England both took over 70 minutes to complete the same task. Other labor saving inventions include the horse hay rake, which performed the work of seven men, the mowing machine did the work of 10 men equipped with scythes and the thresher which could harvest over 12 times as much in an hour as six men equipped with hand flails. These mechanical improvements in farming greatly reduced man-hours and made it possible for a family to farm between 30 or sixty acres rather than 10 or 15 (Kirkland 114). In the South, the invention of the cotton gin in by Eli Whitney gave birth to the Cotton Kingdom. Prior to the cotton gin, the difficulty of removing the seed from the fibers prevented the crop from being commercially farmed in large quantities. A pound of cotton took almost a whole day to process. The crop could now be prepared cheaply and easily for the market. In the year prior to the invention of the cotton gin, the country produced around six thousand, five hundred pound bales. The following year, production had increased by 10,000 bales. By 1859, 4.5 million bales were produced, accounting for half of the entire country's exports (Kirkland 125,126). The rise in cotton production reinvigorated the institute of slavery. Prior to the cotton gin, slavery was becoming less profitable and practical, and may have died on its own. With the demand for cotton high, the slave trade grew. The wealth generated from the cotton industry created a demand for products such as corn, flour, pork and beef. The need for manufactured goods from the North also increased. The growth of the Cotton Kingdom expanded internal trade and stimulated settlement in the West (Nettels 204). While the American improvements in transportation, farming and trade created the framework and structure that led to the national free market, it was the spirit, vision and will of the American people that created it and made it work. The country provided a non-interfering, non-oppressive government and opportunity for personal advancement to the common man on a scale never before seen in history. It is this freeing of man that accounts for the development of the free market. The economic system that started from such humble beginnings, in a short period of time, grew to become greatest the world has ever seen and has elevated the quality of life mankind to levels that not even the boldest visionaries of the day could of predicted. Works Cited Kirkland, Edward C. A History of American Economic Life. New York, NY: Meredith Corporation, 1969. Nettels, Curtis P. The Emergence of a National Economy Volume II. New York NY: Holt, Rinehart and Wilson, 1962.
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