The Development of the Politics of Northern in 1815 till 1840

The development of the politics of Northern in 1815 till 1840. During this time, Northeast was the most densely populated region and was more urbanized and industrialized. In 1820, for the first time in U.S., the urban population started to increase at a faster rate compared to the population in rural areas. Expanding commerce has also brought more impersonal economic relations. Economic opportunities had also stimulate migration, mostly were skilled artisan. Besides, it also attracted the less fortunate. Workers without money avoided to go to Southern states where slavery kept wages low. The surge of population had encouraged both geographical dispersal and innovation in transportation mode. Besides speeding up the migration, advancement in transportation also help in spreading diseases.

These had somehow transformed the Northern working condition. Some territories faced greater competition and also had surplus in total agricultural production. Northeastern farm families were depending more on some nonagricultural income to preserve their economic independence. Rural women performed home manufacturing during their free time after finishing their other chores. Francis Cabot Lowell organized Boston Associates and established a textile factory which combined the entire manufacturing process into a single process. The most innovative feature at Lowell was the recruitment of a female labor force which opened up new opportunities for female independence. The emergence of factory work in New England coincided with dramatic and enduring changes in the skilled crafts.

During that time, economic inequities encouraged white urban workers to form trade unions to protect their jobs. Some middle-class reformers supported union demands. The extremes of wealth and poverty in 1830s reflected a tightening of economic stratification, the increasing difficulties of achieving upward mobility. Declination of the apprentice system of labor changed the structure of middle-class household. The separation of middle-class women from business world encouraged domestic purity. Middle-class female purity had encouraged more women to remain unmarried. By then, the prevailing religious values supported a secular creed of individualism, opportunity and equality. Belief in a perfectible society can be seen in the effort of religion and moral reform, reforming the schools, undemocratic movements. The expansion of economy encouraged individual initiative and evangelical