Life in the North

1. Life in the North Chapter 14, Section 2 • How were conditions in factories in the 1840s worse than those in the 1820s? • What did factory workers hope to accomplish by joining together? • Who were the new immigrants in the mid-1800s? • How were free African Americans treated in the North?

2. Factory Conditions Worsened in the 1840s Chapter 14, Section 2 Steam-powered factories of the 1840s and 1850s were larger than the mills of the early 1800s. The new factories changed the way work was done and the way workers lived and worked. • Mass production changed the way workers felt about their jobs. In the past, artisans, or skilled workers, were proud of what they made. With mass production, factory owners were interested in how much the factory produced, not how well it was done. Workers could not be creative. • Artisans often owned and managed their own businesses. Factory workers were unlikely to rise to manage a business. • Often, entire families labored in factories, including children. They worked long hours—from 4 A.M. until 7:30 P.M. • Factory workers faced discomfort and danger. Few factories had windows or heating systems. Factory machines had no safety devices. There were no laws regulating factory conditions.

3. Workers Joined Together Chapter 14, Section 2 Poor working conditions and low wages led workers to organize. In the 1820s and 1830s, artisans in each trade formed trade unions. • The unions called for a shorter workday, higher wages, and better working conditions. • Sometimes, unions went on strike, that is, they refused to work until their demands were met. Slowly, workers made progress. • In 1840, President Van Buren approved a ten-hour workday for government employees. • Artisans won better pay, but unskilled workers made little progress. • Women Workers organized, too. New England textile workers protested wage cuts and unfair work rules. • Women workers staged strikes at Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830s. • The Lowell Female Labor Reform Association petitioned the state legislature for a ten-hour workday.

4. New Immigrants of the Mid-1800s Chapter 14, Section 2 • By the late 1800s, many factory workers were new immigrants. • Many immigrants came from Great Britain seeking to earn higher wages. • Between 1845 and 1860, over 1.5 million Irish immigrated to the United States. A disease had destroyed Ireland’s potato crop, leading to a famine, or severe food shortage. Thousands died of starvation and disease. Others fled to the United States. • Between 1848 and 1860, nearly a million Germans arrived in the United States. Revolutions had broken out in many parts of Germany. People left Germany to avoid the violence.

5. New Immigrants of the Mid-1800s Chapter 14, Section 2 Not everyone welcomed the immigrants. • One group of Americans, called nativists, wanted to preserve the country for native-born, white citizens. • Because immigrants were willing to work for lower pay, some Americans protested that they “stole” jobs. • Many people distrusted the different languages, customs, and dress. • Some people blamed immigrants for a rise in city crime. • Some people mistrusted Irish newcomers because many of them were Catholics. Until then, a majority of immigrants to the United States had been Protestant. • Nativists formed a new political party. It was called the Know-Nothing party. The party was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant.

6. New Immigrants of the Mid-1800s Chapter 14, Section 2

7. African Americans in the North met discrimination • Discrimination is a policy or attitude that denies equal rights to certain groups of people. • African Americans were denied “the ballot-box, the jury box, the halls of the legislature, the army, the public lands, the school, and the church.” • African Americans had trouble finding good jobs. African Americans in the North met some success. • Some African Americans found success owning their own businesses. • Some African Americans became successful professionals. African Americans in the North Chapter 14, Section 2

8. Section 2 Assessment Chapter 14, Section 2 Which statement best describes one way factory conditions changed in the 1840s because of mass production? a) Workers began to take greater pride in the goods they made. b) Factory owners began to care more about how good their products were. c) New laws said that owners must spend money on safety equipment. d) Factory workers now worked longer hours for lower wages. After northern states outlawed slavery, free African Americans in the North a) were drafted into the army. b) were still not allowed to vote in most northern states. c) found good jobs because they were willing to work for less. d) fled to the South. Want to connect to the American History link for this section? Click here.

9. Section 2 Assessment Chapter 14, Section 2 Which statement best describes one way factory conditions changed in the 1840s because of mass production? a) Workers began to take greater pride in the goods they made. b) Factory owners began to care more about how good their products were. c) New laws said that owners must spend money on safety equipment. d) Factory workers now worked longer hours for lower wages. After northern states outlawed slavery, free African Americans in the North a) were drafted into the army. b) were still not allowed to vote in most northern states. c) found good jobs because they were willing to work for less. d) fled to the South. Want to connect to the American History link for this section? Click here.