The Mayflower Compact, written and signed in 1620 by forty-one white men aboard a ship called the Mayflower, provided basic laws for those who first arrived in America. Eventually the thirteen colonies expanded, which brought an economical benefit and expanded trade for Britain. However, in the mid-1700s, Britain pushed the colonists to their limits, imposing them with unfair taxes. As a result, in 1775, colonists revolted in the American Revolution. When the war ended, colonists gained their freedom, from Britain, with the signing of The Treaty of Paris (1783). The Declaration of Independence (1776) - written by Thomas Jefferson (Southern Colony), Benjamin Franklin (Middle Colony), and John Adams (Northern Colony) - stated that all men …show more content…
The economy of the North was based primarily on manufacturing, trade, and transportation. Many people benefitted from the economy, which in turn supported vast infrastructures such as roads, canals, and railways. The invention of machines made agriculture in the North much more efficient. “In 1831, Virginia farmer Cyrus McCormick built a working model of a “right smart” machine called a reaper. A reaper could cut 28 times more grain than a single man using a scythe (a hand tool with a long curved blade)” (Hart 259). Machines, such as the reaper, helped the agricultural economy because it made it easier to produce much larger amounts of grain in a lot less time. “By 1860, the value of manufacturing in the North was ten times greater than in the South” (Hart 259). The invention of many machines made work time in the North much more efficient than in the …show more content…
In the North, people either lived on a farm or in cities. Urban areas, between 1840-1860, became very populated as people moved from farms. “By 1860, about seven in ten northerners still lived on farms. But more and more northerners were moving to towns and cities” (Hart 265). Many people crowded big cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. African Americans were free in the North, but were not treated equal to their white counterparts. Immigrants spiked the North’s population between 1845 and 1860. Some immigrants bought land while others worked in shops. Many northerners treated immigrants like African Americans were treated in the South- discriminating against
The North’s economy was based on textiles, shipping, and skilled trades. Their climate was not suited for the same type of agricultural products that the South produced like cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco. Northern states like New England manufactured and shipped goods like guns, clocks, plows and axes (page 399). One reason for the South’s dependence on slavery is because their economy relied on the existence of slave labor. For example, the cultivation of cotton depended largely on slave labor, with 75% of the crop grown on plantations,
There was very little development of the industry as a result of plantation owners putting all of their money into their land and slaves. This resulted in little investment and was therefore the cause for little development. The little bit of industry development that there was resulted in Lumber, fur and Naval store trading. In the Middle Colonies the establishment was also partially economical, with the exception of Pennsylvania. Just as in the South these colonies were established to serve the mother country, however the agriculture was producing different crops, and the industry was producing fur and Naval supplies but not much Lumber. The agricultural aspect of the economy flourished because of the moderate climate which provided for longer growing seasons and also the rich soil found in the area. The main crops were Wheat, Barley, Fruit and livestock was also produced. These colonies were known as "The Bread Basket." Although mainly established for religious reasons the north also contributed to the mercantile system. The climate was cold ad growing seasons were short, the soil was rocky and it was hard to produce crops. However small amounts of Beans, Barley, Oats and corn were produced along with livestock. The main economic advantage in the North was the fact that it was in a good trading location and had good ports. This is why the
In early 1620, the English Separatists set out to the New World in order to seek religious freedom from the crown. The separatists sailed across the Atlantic on a charter on the Mayflower agreeing that they would ship back goods to England, as a reimbursement for their land. When the “pilgrims” finally landed at Plymouth months later, they were forced to make an agreement with the Native Americans, since they had no right to be upon the Native American’s land. This agreement shortly became the first ever written document in North America, called the Mayflower Compact. These “pilgrims” pledged to free themselves from the English law to be established as a Separatist colony. They recognized that they might not agree with the undertakings of
One of these economic differences was how goods were produced. While both the North and South were successful in the production of goods, the North was much more efficient. This was because they used manufacturing industries instead of farms, which were used by the South more. The North depended on the South for farming and the South depended on the North for machinery. For example, in Document 2, Virginian Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams from Massachusetts, a letter stating, “For finer things, we shall depend on your northern manufacturers. Of these companies we have none. We use little machinery.” To clarify, the South had very little machines and companies, therefore, they depended greatly on the North who were very advanced in this technology. Nevertheless, the North also depended greatly on the South, who were almost entirely run on agriculture. The South’s agricultural items were sent to the North to be manufactured. For instance, the South harvested cotton, which was then sent over to the North to be made into textiles. As conflict arose between the North and South, the economy would suffer as they relied so heavily on each other. Likewise, the North and South had different forms of labor. As aforementioned, the North’s economy included a great deal of manufacturing, while the South did not. In the North, for the most part, slavery was abolished. The North relied on free labor, which was the ideology that one could work for payment and that one had the opportunity to raise this wage through hard work. In the South, however, slavery was a key to the economy. At first, the southern slaves had to separate the seeds from cotton fibers by hand, but with Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, cotton could be separated by the machine. The cotton gin revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process. Now, slaves could process more cotton. However, with more
Factories in the North attracted former subsistence farmers because it was more efficient to buy food rather than to grow it. Systems like the Lowell System employed young women, provided them with room and board, and paid the women for their work in the factory. With the rise of numerous new American inventions, machines became more efficient and the United States had soon developed one of the best industrial economies in the world. Because of the need for effective transportation to distribute goods, new forms of transportation such as elaborate railroad and canal systems emerged. The south, on the other hand, clung to the slave-based plantation system. The economy was based largely on the production of raw materials, mainly cotton. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin allowed the cultivation of short staple cotton to bring Southern planters great success. Because the cotton industry was so lucrative, Southerners had no reason to become industrialized. However, the industrial economy of the North and the agrarian economy of the South led to a colonial relationship between the two, meaning that the South sold raw materials to the North in exchange for manufactured goods. The system put the South in an inferior position to the North, which obviously upset Southerners and led to greater tension between the two regions.
Written documents proved to be a major influence on the unification of the American colonies. Beginning as early as 1620, when the Separatist Pilgrims left the jurisdiction of the Church of England and escaped the “Dutchification” of their children in Holland to go to the New World, the establishment of self-government through the Mayflower Compact became present. It was heavily based off of the Magna Carta of 1215 which provided the foundation of the rule of law. Created and signed by the adult males onboard, the document stated that the Pilgrims would “combine [themselves] together into one civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation” (Document 1). It went on to declare that they would abide by the newly formed laws and elect officers. This led to the creation of town meetings, places of direct democracy where men could work together with each other to create laws.
Cities grew and flourished and soon it was apparent that money was needed to support the exploding population. The North supported tariffs, unlike the South. Tariffs are taxes that are placed on imported goods by the government. The North supported any tariffs on imported goods for a few reasons insomuch they did not feel threatened. Industry was running rampant, so finished goods did not have to be brought over from England. There was no more need to import from England. If imports were brought in, they were more of a luxury than a necessity. All necessities were made on Northern soil by their own factories. Another reason that the North favored taxes was because they hoped that with higher import taxes, the South would then purchase goods from Northern factories instead of England. For instance, if the price of a finely woven, imported shirt plus the tariff caused the price to jump too high, Southerners would be forced to buy the shirt from a Northern factory. Railroads were being established mainly between all the major cities of the North. The network of these railroads meant that goods were able to travel faster. This considerably shortened the time from raw goods to finished products. The North’s transition to industry proved to be soundly lucrative. It evolved, expanded and laid a firm foundation for the future.
Mayflower: A story of courage,community,and war is about the lives of Pilgrims and the new lifestyle they are entering. The mayflower was the ship that transported the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. Mr.Philbrick discusses the relationships amongst the England Pilgrims and their new neighbors the Native Americans. Upon meeting, there is already distrust between the two groups because they do not fully know each other. The pilgrims and native americans are now on a long voyage to accumulate trust,build a relationship, adapt to the new lifestyle.
This leads to the Declaration of Independence which was adopted July 4, 1776. This document was meant as a self-esteem boost for the new Americans; giving them inalienable rights. “The most important statement in the declaration is the human rights, where the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are extolled” (Gaynor). “He [Thomas Jefferson] wrote: "... it was intended to be an expression of the American mind" (Early America). Jefferson meant that the American people wanted freedom from high taxes and the big government in England.
In the North, however, the Market Revolution and westward expansion set in motion changes that transformed the region into an economy centered on commercial farms and manufacturing cities. Wheat was an important contributor toward northern economy. Inventions like
The creation the Mayflower compact was a very significant event in the history of the United States because of its example of a the first type of government in North America. The Mayflower Compact was draw up by a group of people known as Pilgrims in 1620. These people, mostly English, were in search of more religious freedom and better lives in the New World. 100 pilgrims began this journey in September of 1620 (History.com staff). Before, landing in New England, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. This legal document created “just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices” (History.com staff). This was the first example of a self-government in the New World. The founding fathers would later use many of the ideas in the Mayflower Compact in other governing documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Through these examples, it is clear that the Mayflower Compact is significant to American history because it provided many ideas of self government that are still used in our governing documents today.
From the formation of the United States, the North and South grew substantially different with distinct ideology. The South was an agrarian-based society that Jefferson wanted. The Southerners grew cotton, tobacco and potatoes, which needed intense labor. To fulfill the needed workforce with low price, one-third of the population of the South was comprised of the African-American slaves. In contrast, the North was greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution and formed a manufacturing society based on Hamilton’s plans. Northern cities, the center of industry in the United States, did not require a slave
The Mayflower Compact of 1620, a document based on the Magna Carta of 1215, established what would be the basic laws and morals for the first American Colonists. Colonists were then subjects of the British Monarchy, and expansion to The Americas was beneficial to England’s fast growing empire. The eventual expansion of the thirteen colonies (classified as the Northern, the Middle, and the Southern Colonies) allowed English expansion of trade. However, in 1770, Colonists revolted against England in a sequence of deliberate acts, such as the Tea Act and the Stamp Act, mainly involving unnecessary taxation of Colonists. Rising tensions eventually resulted in a Revolutionary War between England and the Colonies; The Thirteen Colonies won the war. It was the Treaty of Paris (1783) that finally ended all ties with Britain; America would claim its identity as its own.
The Northern and Southern sections of the US had various economical differences which led to the Civil War. During that time period, the Northern part of the country’s economy was heavily based on industrial practices, in comparison to the Southern economy which was founded on agricultural practices. In the map of Railroads in 1860, railroads were heavily located in the Northern part of the US compared to the South because the Northern economy demands the need for railroads in order to transport the
Both areas had many farmers, but the south was successful with big plantations. The southern economy depended on agriculture while the North was based on technological advancement. The North successful developed many industries, while the south improved their farming methods (Roark, 7). The south farmers established huge plantations for cash crop production especially cotton. In addition, slavery became an important factor that provided