The first change in the young nation is geographic changes. Land purchases had a huge impact on the developing country. The Louisiana Purchase sparked the idea to gain new land. Thomas Jefferson had bought the land in 1803 for 15 million dollars. That was a lot of money back then, but if you distribute it out, it was 4 cants an acre. This cheap land sparked the interest in many americans. In 1819 we gained Florida. …show more content…
Industrialization boomed in the young nation. The first machine to help out the most is the cotton gin. This machine could clean the seeds out of cotton. It sped up the process because it took less time than having slaves pick out the seeds. Cotton was the leading crop at this time because it was used to make clothes. Faster production lead to mass production. The invention of the plow helped reduce labor with field work. Farmers now focused on cash crops and used the money made to buy new machines. With this new technology meant new ways of work. Men, women, and children were happy to work in the mills for money instead of farming for no wage. The producing of large quantities changed our economy from traditional to market. There were positives and negatives to this new industrialization spike. Positives are: productivity went up, living standards went up, and workers and companies received more money to buy more stuff. Negatives are: low wages and unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. Industrialization is important to american opportunity because anybody had the choice to work in a mill or factory for wages. If you didn’t want to work in a mill, you could still work with agriculture. The production of steamboats helped with trade. While there were limited and poor roads, there were rivers. Most settlers colonized around the rivers to trade and transport goods. It is all good until you have to bring goods upstream. In 107, there was a solution, the steamboat. By 1830, there were 200 steamboats hauling freight and passengers. Steamboats helped with opportunity because it made it easier to travel and receive