American Economic Development

American Economic Development

• Business growth was a key factor in the development of the United States
• In colonial times, goods were handmade slowly and in small quantities
• The growth of factories and machines spurred economic growth
• Industrialization caused a shift from home-based work to factory jobs
• Populations moved to cities to find work, especially in the Northeast and Midwest

Successful Businessmen

• John Rockefeller became the richest man in America by leading the oil industry
• Andrew Carnegie led the steel industry
• J.P. Morgan led the banking industry

Inventions that Helped Growth

• Steamboats
• Railroads
• Telegraphs
• These inventions transformed transportation and communication by connecting distant cities and states

Important People in US History

• Benjamin Franklin founded America's first library, hospital, and fire fighting company in the 1700s
• Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston and worked as a printer, writer, scientist, and inventor
• As one of America's founders, he helped write the Declaration of Independence and signed 3 important documents

Important Documents Signed by Benjamin Franklin

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolution
• The Constitution

Harriet Tubman

• Harriet Tubman was a famous social activist who helped people
• Born into slavery in Maryland, she escaped and helped over 300 others to do the same
• Harriet Tubman fought for women's right to vote
• Harriet Tubman built a home for poor, elderly African Americans

Abraham Lincoln

• Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the USA
• Lincoln helped keep the country together during the Civil War
• Abraham Lincoln was born into a poor family in Kentucky
• Abraham Lincoln studied hard and became a lawyer
• He signed the Emancipation Proclamation, outlawing slavery in the US

Colonies Become a Nation

• By the 1760s, many colonists disagreed with British laws
• Colonists did not want to pay taxes to Great Britain
• Colonists did not have a voice in the British government
• Colonists dumped tea into the ocean in 1773 to avoid paying the tea tax
• The Boston Tea Party is the name of this protest
• The British government responded by punishing them with stricter laws
• Colonists wanted to become independent
• Governments from different colonies formed the First Continental Congress
• The First Continental Congress decided to boycott British goods and create their own armies
• In 1775, the British tried to arrest colonial leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock
• This arrest attempt started the war
• The colonies formed the Second Continental Congress
• On July 4, 1776, the group agreed to the Declaration of Independence, severing ties with Great Britain
• Great Britain had a large army and navy
• Independence allowed other countries to help America
• After 8 years of war, the colonies became the United States of America
• As more European immigrants arrived, the east became crowded
• Many people sought land in the west
• American Indians already occupied those lands
• In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana from France doubling the size of the country
• The federal government made treaties with other countries to acquire Florida, Texas, Oregon, and Washington
• The United States fought a war with Mexico for California and the Southwest and ended up with the treaty.
• The U.S. made treaties with American Indian tribes but broke most of them to take land
• American Indians were forced to move to reservations and some still live there today

Early European Settlement

• Europeans began exploring and colonizing the world in the 1400s
• The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore North America
• They settled in Florida, the American Southwest, Mexico and Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico
• The French settled in Canada and along the Mississippi River
• The English settled on the northeast Atlantic coast and northern Canada
• The Dutch claimed the area of New York, but the English later took it from them
• Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607, was the first successful English colony, selling tobacco

Interactions between American Indians and New settlers

• At first, American Indians were curious and welcoming to the English settlers
• American Indians traded steel knives and wool blankets with the settlers
• American Indians helped Europeans grow crops and grains in the new climate
• However, some colonists began to fear American Indians because they were different
• Europeans tried to force their religion and beliefs on American Indians
• European explorers brought diseases from Europe, such as smallpox and measles, to North America
• European immigrants took land and natural resources by force
• American Indians started fought back, leading to larger battles and many deaths from disease
• Eventually, American Indians often lost and were pushed off their land

Why the British Settled in the 13 Colonies

• The English came to America mainly to gain wealth through business and to have religious freedom
• The first 13 colonies were established along the Atlantic coast

List of original 13 colonies

• Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire were founded by England and practiced religion
• Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were founded by England for making money
• New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware were founded by the Netherlands and Sweden

British Colonist Life

• Farmers bartered crops for needed services
• Tobacco, rice, and indigo were important crops in the southern colonies
• Farmers who grew these crops were the wealthiest and were leaders in their colonies

Colonial Craftsmen

• Blacksmiths worked with iron
• Carpenters
• Printers
• Shoemakers
• Silversmiths

Colonial Women

• Prepared meals
• Did household chores
• Made clothing, soap, and candles
• Stored food for winter during late summer and fall
• Made medicine from herbs

Colonial Children

• Helped with the household or family business
• Cooked
• Helped with sewing
• Took care of animals
• Trained with craftsmen to learn skills
• Worked on sailing ships
• Only boys were taught and went to school

How Africans were forced to the colonies

• Plantations made money
• Crops such as Tobacco, rice, cotton, and indigo were cash crops for plantations
• Farmers needed more workers as plantations grew
• American Indians were not interested in working forced labour for Europeans
• Europeans bought Africans and sold them in the colonies
• Colonists forced bought African men, women, and children to work without pay on plantations and in homes
• Enslaaved Africans had no rights
• They had to work for the rest of their lives in a difficult life
• Both enslaved Africans and their children were considered the property of the slave owner
• Slave owners would sometimes sell people and separate families