Chapter 8

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Summary:

• The Market Revolution of the early nineteenth century transformed the United States from a subsistence-based society into a commercial and industrial nation. Driven by new transportation networks (canals, railroads, steamboats), communication advances like the telegraph, and labor-saving technology, Americans shifted to producing goods for markets rather than home use. Northern industry expanded alongside southern cotton cultivation, linking free labor and slavery in a single economic system. Immigration, urbanization, and new labor systems fueled growth but also produced class conflict, inequality, and recurring depressions. Gender roles and family life shifted under the ideology of “separate spheres,” while workers and reformers pushed for shorter hours, child labor laws, and union rights. The Market Revolution offered unprecedented opportunities and mobility for some, but also deepened divisions and left many trapped in poverty.