Essay #2 – American Workers in the Market Revolution

Length: about 1,000 – 1,400 words (about 4-5 pages)

Chapter 8 of our class textbook, The American Yawp, argues that the United States went through a “market revolution” in the first half of the nineteenth century. This market revolution transformed the American economy in a variety of important ways, dramatically increasing economic output, changing the way that labor was performed, and connecting a wide variety of Americans more closely to a national, market economy. The economic impact of the market revolution attracted immigrants, and had a significant effect on gender roles and family life in the United States.

Read Chapter 8 of The American Yawp to familiarize yourself with the key historical transformations caused by the market revolution. Then, using the primary source documents listed, write an essay that answers the assignment question below.

Sources

Textbook

The American Yawp, Chapter 8: The Market Revolution

Primary Sources

An Operative, “Factory Life as it Is,”from Factory Tracts, No. 1 (1845)

Julianna, “The Evils of Factory Life,” from Factory Tracts, No. 1 (1845)

Elias Nason, letter to his parents (1835)

Susan, “Letters from Susan,” Lowell Offering, Volume IV (1844)

Anonymous, “A Working Man’s Recollections of America,” Knights Penny Magazine (1846)

William J. Brown, Life of William J. Brown of Providence (1838)

John Doyle, letter to Fanny (1818)

Assignment

Many Americans in the nineteenth believed that the United States was a land of opportunity, and this belief was especially strong during the era of the market revolution. Based on the evidence found in the documents, do you agree that the United States was a land of opportunity for working-class people in the Northern states? What were some of the benefits and drawbacks of living and working in America, according to the documents?

In your essay, consider issues of labor, income, and quality of life, as well as ideas such as freedom and equality. Pay attention, also, to the particular challenges and opportunities facing groups such as immigrants, free blacks, and women. Did some groups find more opportunities, or face more difficulties, than others? 

http://www.americanyawp.com/  this is the The American Yawp, Chapter 8: The Market Revolution?