Due to the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, the South was able to enhance its cotton production and send raw cotton to the North for fabric manufacturing. Francis C. Lowell further improved fabric production efficiency by combining spinning and weaving tools in a single factory. Alias Howe’s creation of the sewing machine in 1846 revolutionized clothing manufacturing, shifting it from home-based production to factories. The emergence of industries and factories prompted a mass migration from farms to urban areas, subsequently leading to overcrowding and increased disease prevalence.
With the introduction of machines and cultivators, agricultural advancements were improved. For instance, Cyrus McCormick’s invention of the reaper enabled fast and affordable grain harvesting. In 1837, John Deere made a significant contribution with his invention of the first steel plow, greatly accelerating farming across the Midwest. As the United States expanded in size, establishing communication networks became increasingly crucial. In 1844, Samuel F. B. Morse developed the telegraph system which extended from the east coast to Mississippi River by 1860. Railroads also played a vital role in facilitating trade throughout the entire United States.
By the start of the Civil War, railroads had linked major cities in the Mid-West to the Atlantic coast, enabling easier access to western areas and aiding in the transportation of raw materials for factories and markets. An important milestone occurred in 1869 with the completion of a transcontinental railroad in Promontory, Utah.
The Missouri Compromise bill, authored by Henry Clay and passed on March 3, 1820, played a significant role. It allowed slavery within Missouri’s territory while outlawing it west of the Mississippi River—the southern boundary of present-day Missouri.
The compromise permitted Missouri to become a part of the Union on August 10, 1821. The United States acquired Florida from Spain on July 10, 1821, without any financial transaction. Instead, citizens were promised five million dollars for property damage. President Jackson encountered resistance from Democrats in 1830 when he vetoed the Massively Road Bill that aimed to allocate federal funds for road construction in Kentucky.
In 1828, Noah Webster published the American Dictionary of the English Language. Around 8,385 immigrants reached the United States in 1820. The Missouri Compromise divided the western territories into free and slave states in March of the same year. By October of 1825, the Erie Canal had been finished, establishing a water route between New York and the Great Lakes. On March 1, 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico and formed its own republic. He declared the bill unconstitutional as it exclusively favored the residents of Kentucky.
During the “Panic of 1837” in America, the American Republican party was established in New York in June 1843. Subsequently, in June 1851, Maine implemented the “Maine Law,” a liquor prohibition that served as an inspiration for other states. Harriet Tubman, a significant figure in US history, fled to the North in 1849 and played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad by aiding at least 300 slaves’ escape efforts prior to the Civil War. Additionally, Tubman served as a nurse, cook, laundress and spy for Union forces behind Confederate lines. In earlier times (1820), newspaper illustrations were primarily linked with unrefined writings.
Gift books were distributed by the affluent as a gesture of friendship for specific events. Pictorial journalism arose around the time the Civil War began. In 1830, Geode’s Lady’s Book innovatively employed fashion prints from metal plates to showcase contemporary clothing styles. These visual representations were referred to as “embellishments” rather than “illustrations.”
