Immigration The Backbone of America
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
It was once said that "slavery is the backbone of the south" in reference to the physical labor that was forced upon and expected of the African Americans of the 18th and 19th Centuries and how southern colonies developed as a result of their labor. If this is so, than it must also be said that "immigration was the backbone of the industrial revolution", if it were not for the labor of the countless immigrants that worked through extremely arduous conditions this great country would not have flourished and prospered as it has. The question that I sought to answer is "What forces combined to produce a period of dramatic economic growth in the United States in the 1820's and 1830's?" There were numerous factors that led to the prosperity of the United States during that time frame, many of these contributions had begun or were established long before prosperity was felt. To begin with, we must consider the importance of the Embargo Act of 1807 and the War of 1812; as a result of both of these instances Americans, especially in the north, were forced to become self-reliant and to make and produce their own goods and products rather that rely on European countries, most especially Britain. Initially these "cottage industries" started off small and were conducted out of the home, but as the need for these "home spun" goods and products grew the need to expand the industry became more important. Between 1807 and 1815 the number of cotton spindles increased from 8000 to 130,000. Samuel Slater, with funding from Providence investors, built the first successful water powered textile mill in Pawtucket Rhode Island in 1793. (Samuel Slater website). Between 1807 and 1815 the number of cotton spindles increased from 8000 to 130,000...