Exam 13: Forging the National Economy

Assess the validity of the following statement: "The Erie Canal was the single most important accomplishment contributing to economic expansion prior to the coming of the railroad."

Rank the following in terms of their contribution to industrialization: cotton gin, principle of interchangeable parts, the Erie Canal, and the development of the railroads in the North and West. Justify your ranking.

Most of the cotton produced in the American South after the invention of the cotton gin was

Identify and state the historical significance of Robert Fulton.

John Jacob Astor

Most early railroads in the United States were built in the

One reason that the condition of a significant segment of adult wage earners improved was

The Northeast became the center of early 19^th-century American industry because it had

Identify the following statement that is FALSE.

Compare and contrast the United States with Britain and Europe in the industrialization of its economy.

The dramatic growth of American cities between 1800 and 1860

Identify and state the historical significance of Isaac Singer.

The growth of early 19^th-century American manufacturing was stimulated by the

The text's authors claim that on the eve of the Civil War, "a truly continental economy had emerged ... [in which] the principle of division of labor ... applied on a national scale." Briefly explain the operation of this national economy and its political implications.

Which pioneering traits, fostered by America's early-to-mid-19^th-century frontier experience, were admirable and beneficial to the development of the American West during this era? Which pioneering traits were less than admirable and caused problems in managing the West's natural resources and ecosystem during the early-to-mid-19^th century? How did these pioneering traits become associated with being distinctive American traits?

Pioneering Americans marooned by geography

Factors encouraging the growth of immigration rates in the first half of the 19^th century included the

The overwhelming event for Ireland in the 1840s was

The text's authors state that "the West, with its raw frontier, was the most typically American part of America" in the early 19^th century. Explain what they mean by this remark. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Assess the validity of the following statement: "The cotton gin affected not only the history of America but that of the world."