Market revolution

Definition

The dramatic economic transformation in the United States during the early to mid-1800s in which subsistence farming gave way to a market-oriented economy driven by new transportation (canals, railroads), communication technologies, and the growth of factories. It created regional economic specialization and expanded the wage labor system.

Examples

  • The Erie Canal (1825) connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic and reducing shipping costs
  • The cotton gin increasing Southern cotton production and the demand for enslaved labor
  • The rise of Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mills employing young women

Related Terms

Industrial revolution Industrialization Causes of civil war Urbanization

Study This Concept

Practice Market Revolution with free review games in these units:

AP US History Unit 4: 1800-1848: Democracy and Expansion