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Currents of Change in the Northeast and...
Summary
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Driven by abundant natural resources, improved transportation, technological advances, increased agricultural output, and a favorable political climate, Americans' per capita income doubled between 1820 and 1860. While agriculture remained the driver of the economy, most of this growth stemmed from industrialization, primarily in the Northeast, where power, capital, markets, and labor were all in abundant supply. Cities grew in this era, with commercial centers, mill towns, and transportation hubs arising and being populated with people from rural areas and immigrants. Class divisions in these cities appeared, as distinct working and middle classes emerged, each with their own ideals and mores, while racial and ethnic tensions sometimes caused violence. But despite these developments, America was still an agrarian nation. Although many farms in the Northeast were abandoned or became specialized, large tracts of land in the Northwest came under cultivation. Links to cities via canals, rivers, and railroads helped them reach markets and succeed.
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