Disparities between the Poor and the Rich in the Early to Mid 1800s Research Paper

Disparities between the Poor and the Rich in the Early to Mid 1800s (Pre Civil War) - Research Paper Example Pre-civil period in America was a time for innovation and changes. The nation consisted of farmers and it was mainly underdeveloped. Still, the society managed to turn into a powerful economic nation, which was able to develop economy and make their country a more progressive one. The North in America was an industrialized region, at the same time while the South was an agricultural one. Therefore, it is no wonder that there was an evident split between the rich and poor layers of the society. The Northerners turned into a powerful middle class, which was striving for economic and social improvements in the name of democratic future and the Southerners stuck at feudal principles of governing and relied on free labor power of the slaves. The background events of pre-civil war years in America The first step towards civil war events in America can be found during the period of the Market Revolution. There was a need to introduce a social and technological shift and to make a transitive step from the agricultural economy to the economy based on wages and the exchange of goods and services. This transformation was a great challenge for the North and the South in America. Eli Whitney was the initiator of the cotton gin production and he developed the process of manufacturing of goods with the interchangeable parts (). Cyrus McCormick introduced the mechanical mower-reaper and in such a way the process of grain production in the West was revolutionized (). There are also many other essential background events happening in the country at that time. For example, the emergence of Erie Canal and the Cumberland Road were associated with introduction of the steamboat and railroad. These facts can be considered as the improvements towards the perfection of economic relations between the North and the West of the country (Collier and Sambanis, 2005). We can see that America during antebellum years was moving towards urbanization and industrialization. In 1820 there were mill ions of migrants in the country. People were not satisfied with the lives they had and wanted to have something better. They left their farms and rushed into urbanized and developed cities of the North. In order to advance industrial economy, the North of America needed more and more workers. Consequently, farmers flooded the Northern part of the country together with immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. Therefore, there was a coming split between rich and poor social classes in America. This social turmoil resulted in dramatic background of the civil war in America. The changing society The abovementioned revolutionary events should be considered from the positive perspective as well. Thus, the introduction of the wage labor system was a determinant factor for the development of the first middle class. Various reforms were initiated by the representatives of this class, which consisted of white-collar workers and professional laborers. For example, this social class made an emphas is on the necessity to reduce alcohol consumption, abolish prostitution, improve living conditions in prisons and insane asylums, invest more money into and develop education, remove slavery as a social phenomenon (Sheehan-Dean, 2011). At the political level of the country, different changes and reforms occurred as well. Thus, the rights of the different states were the most striking issues during that period of time. There were