Transportation and Women’s Roles
Identify the major transportation improvements of this period. How did the market revolution change women’s work and family roles?
The Market Revolution (early 19th century) brought significant advancements in transportation, which facilitated economic growth and westward expansion:
- Roads and Turnpikes – The National Road (Cumberland Road) connected the East to the Midwest, improving overland travel.
- Canals – The Erie Canal (1825) linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, reducing shipping costs and boosting trade.
- Steamboats – Enabled faster, cheaper river transportation, expanding commerce along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
- Railroads – By the 1830s, railroads like the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began revolutionizing inland transportation, reducing travel time and costs.
These improvements helped integrate regional economies and expand markets, fueling industrialization and westward migration.
Changes in Women’s Work and Family Roles
The Market Revolution transformed women’s roles in both the home and workforce:
- Shift to Wage Labor – Many young women entered textile mills (e.g., Lowell Mills in Massachusetts), working outside the home for the first time. This provided independence but often harsh conditions…
The Market Revolution (early 19th century) brought significant advancements in transportation, which facilitated economic growth and westward expansion:
- Roads and Turnpikes – The National Road (Cumberland Road) connected the East to the Midwest, improving overland travel.
- Canals – The Erie Canal (1825) linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, reducing shipping costs and boosting trade.
- Steamboats – Enabled faster, cheaper river transportation, expanding commerce along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
- Railroads – By the 1830s, railroads like the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began revolutionizing inland transportation, reducing travel time and costs.
These improvements helped integrate regional economies and expand markets, fueling industrialization and westward migration.
Changes in Women’s Work and Family Roles
The Market Revolution transformed women’s roles in both the home and workforce:
- Shift to Wage Labor – Many young women entered textile mills (e.g., Lowell Mills in Massachusetts), working outside the home for the first time. This provided independence but often harsh conditions…
