AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Class System in the Early Republic (Day 92/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Class System in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

William James Bennett, View of South Street, from Maiden Lane, New York City, c. 1827, via Metropolitan Museum of New York

Industrialization and the Market Revolution had significant impacts on the socioeconomic status of many Americans as well as their ability to move from one class to another.

Oberlin College “Ladies Hall” 1835-1865, Oberlin College Archives

As millions of people migrated to urban areas for work, an increased demand for other professions emerged. Higher education opportunities also allowed for individuals to pursue professional opportunities including jobs as merchants, bankers, teachers, doctors, and managers.

Rustic Dance After a Sleigh Ride William Sidney Mount, 1830 Wikimedia Commons

People in these professions received higher wages and experienced improved standards of living. There was an obvious and emerging middle class that many Americans sought to be part of.

Winslow Homer, “New England Factory Life Bell-Time,” Wikimedia.

These economic changes also led to a small but wealthy business elite, primarily located in the Northeast as well as a large population of laboring poor. Millions of immigrants and poor Americans lived in poverty while working in urban factories.

The economic changes caused by industrialization and the Market Revolution led to the creation of a small, wealthy business elite, an emerging middle class, and a substantial number of poor laborers.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Labor Conflict in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!