History



U.S Population Change Between 1820 and 1840

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How Did the U.S Population Change Between 1820 And 1840

By 1790s the population of the United States of America was almost four million, by 1820 it had reached ten million and seventeen million by 1840. The growth of population was may due to high birth dates, and public health. During this era several immigrants flowed into the northeast cities. Internal migration also fed into the urbanization of northeast. By 1820 one in twenty people lived in cities and by 1840 one in twelve people belonged to cities. The rate of immigration also increases towards the early forties and late thirties. The number of immigrants jumped from sixty thousand in 1832 to nearly eighty thousand in 1837. During the start of the nineteenth century most immigrants entered into the United States of America through New York. Ship discharged its passenger and the immigrants would have to fend for themselves in a land of foreign. It did not take much time for the con-men and thieves to take advantage of the immigrants. Moreover, some of the people also brought some infectious disease to the States. Most of the people coming to America came from Germany and Ireland but some people also came from Britain, China and Scandinavian countries. This population of 1820s and 30s distinguished the movement to cities and towns. Decreased cost of transportation and emerging opportunities of the economy in the United States of America adopted the immigration. During this period of immigration there was a huge influx of Catholics of Irish. Improvements in public health also result to increase in population. The epidemics number decreases slowly as did the rate of mortality. Moreover, during this era white women were also started to have an increased number of babies and such newborn children were also expected to live more than those born in the past.

Between 1820 to 1840 the most immigrants migrated from western and northern Europe. The potato feminine in Ireland also became the main reason for the huge number of migration in the United States of America. Ireland experienced the blight of potato when a rot attacked the corps of potato which affected more than one million people who died because of hunger and disease. Hundreds of thousands of Irish fled the United States of America during the Black Forties. By 1840 the Irish double the population of the city of New York and Boston. The Irish immigrants lived dirty tenement and crowded buildings which were plagued by rates of high crime. They also faced severe prejudices of anti-Catholic. As the result of facing hostility, the Irish cultivated the identity of a strong culture in America developing political societies and groups, strong Catholic churches, newspaper of neighborhood. Similarly, during the eighteen century many Germans also migrated to America in response to the offer of William Penn of expression of free religion and Pennsylvania's cheap land. The new migration of German to America was started in the 1830s while there was already some enclave of Germans in America. Between 1830 to 1840 more than one million Germans were migrated to the soil of America. As compared to Irish the Germans possessed significant material things amount and as a result was able to afford for settling in the rural areas in the Midwest such as Wisconsin and Ohio. They often migrated in the groups or families, enabling them to sustaining the culture and language of German in their modern environment. The communities of German preserved abundant food, music consumption and beer traditions1. Such culture contributed to the American living style with things such as Kindergarten, Christmas tree but their differences of culture often gathered suspicion from their neighbors of American natives. In 1820s and 1830s the constitution of states was revised for permitting the universal suffrage of white-male and as a society the Irish found their route to the politics of America and also were able for exerting an influencing of remarkable politics. They followed the Andrew Jackson and Democrats, who was the Irish colonist son. In the first half of the nineteenth century specifically from 1820-1840 the United States of America was significantly considered to be an agricultural country. The most common reason that several people decided to leave the land of Europe was just to acquire free of cheap land. When unoccupied land area started to decline rapidly, the increase rate of wages considered to be main attraction. In 1840s the salary in the Europe was more than five times than those in Europe.

How Did the Population Affect the Nation’s Economy, Society, And Politics?

Between 1820 to 1840 several technical advances shaped all lives of America such economic, political, cultural, and social. Living conditions were improved with the technology like improved lighting, sewer systems, underground lines of water, indoor plumbing, and central heat. Technological advancement of urged free incorporation laws which allowed corporation to be built without applying for charters of individual from the legislature. Several regions of the north started for specializing in particular industries based on their locations and the natural resources availability. During such technical advances and innovations were happening, the associates of Boston utilized the company of Boston Manufacturing as model for modern factories. In 1823 Merrimack River power at East Chelmsford were harnessed by them for developing a new plant. This town was renamed appropriately as Lowell and within few years it had the population over two thousands of inhabitants. Moreover, the associates of Boston developed a system of labor which employed the unmarried young women. By the 1820s the several young women migrated to the town of factory from the farms situated all over New England. More than five million people were migrated to United States of America and between 1820 to 1840 more than three million were entered in the New York. In New Orleans, five hundred thousand, Boston more than three hundred thousand, Philadelphia and Baltimore more than two hundred thousand people were migrated. Until the start of nineteenth century the immigrants were arriving at a very slow rate such as approximately eight thousand in first decade, twenty-three thousand in second decade and in the next two decades this increase was reach up to one million.

Between 1820s and 1840s the northeast side of America became the premier region of industry Along the rivers of Delaware and Hudson, the concentration of mills and factories resembled that of most industrialized Britain areas. Such rapid growth of industry prompted cities rapid growth. Prior to 1840, the commerce dominated the locations and activities of American major cities. The industry growth need new people concentrations at places convenient to raw materials or waterpower. During the 1830s and 1840s the prices of textile and wages of mills dropped significantly. The strikes were organized by the workers where they turned out for protesting more than twelve hours’ days of work, cuts of wages, and emerging costs for board and room. The protest was attended well and did not force the management policy reversal. The most significant national division manifestation was the struggle of politics over the slavery, specifically overs its spread into the new areas. The compromise of Missouri in 1820 eased the further disunity threat for the time being. The balance of section between the states was preserved. In the purchase of Louisiana with the exception of territory of Missouri. In the early nineteenth century in United States, politics of state and local were specifically waged less on great issues on behalf of great problems than for unimportant gain. In each section, factions of state which were led by shrewd man waged unpleasant politics for attaining and entrenching themselves in the power. The state bank which had the charter of political plums had the deficiency of inspection of coordination and safeguards against the risky loans that are collateralized by land whose values were wildly fluctuated. Contraction, bankruptcies, over speculation, and panics were the inevitable result.

The economy of American matured and expanded at a wonderful rate after 1820. The rapid growth of American population created modern centers for the pork and grains production permitting the older sections of country for specializing in other crops. New methods of manufacture, especially, in textiles not only enhanced the revolution of industries in the Northeast but also increased the market of North for raw materials. The increasing population also helped account for a boom in the production of Southern cotton. The workers of Industries organized the first trade union of country and even political parties of workingmen in the period. Commerce became specialized increasingly which had to come for the characterized production. The growing economy management was inseparable for the conflicts of politics in the developing United States of America due to increasing population from 1820 to 18403. In the early 1830s the horse-drawn mechanical reaper of Cyrus McCormick allowed farmers in the West for harvesting fine quantities of wheat which can lead to the surpluses of great crop. In 1820 the additional tools of industries were started emerging which quickly enhanced the efficiency and quality of production. In the third decades of 19th century the production of tools of metal machine and interchangeable parts provided the production of new machine for several industries. Power of steam which was fueled by coal, wide water wheels’ utilization, and machinery of power became common factors of manufacturing industry. During this period the domestic trade was also enhanced with canals introduction, roads and railways improvement.

End Notes:

Zimran, Ariell. Transportation and Health in a Developing Country: The United States, 1820–1847. No. w24943. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2018.

Desmet, Klaus, and Jordan Rappaport. "The settlement of the United States, 1800–2000: the long transition towards Gibrat’s law." Journal of Urban Economics 98 (2017): 50-68.

Coale, Ansley Johnson, and Melvin Zelnik. New estimates of fertility and population in the United States. Princeton University Press, 2015.