Primary Sources
The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1845) / by Benita Eisler.Quotation by: Sarah G. Bagley in 1840
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Lowell_Offering.html?id=4vJx8mBHU2YC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false |
The laboring classes : an article from the Boston quarterly review / by O. A. Brownson. |
Primary Source Analysis
In comparison, The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women by Benita Eisler and The laboring classes : an article from the Boston quarterly review by O.A. Brownson were both made in response to the development of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. Brownson subtly displays a stance against women working within the factories, while Sarah G. Bagley within the book takes the stance of defending the employment of women within the factory. The account for the view of women as a a guardian of domestic values was that it shifted from the previous view of “republican motherhood”, along with the creation of separate private and public spheres from moving from rural to urban life.
Both of these two sources tell us about the Jacksonian Era in that labor conditions within the factories of the North were poor and that women had played a greater role in the industrial economy of the North. However these sources hold a difference in the views of the role of women in the United States of America, and whether or not they should be working in factories. In The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women, one excerpt by Sarah G. Bagley states that factory life in Lowell mills provides pleasure for her, in which she lists multiple reasons, most particularly that urban women have more privileges than that of rural women, "Most of us, when at home, live in the country, and therefore cannot enjoy these privileges to the same extent; and many of us not at all, "(Eisler 1998). This gives a perspective on the time period in that rural women that moved to urban life had experienced more job opportunities, especially in the factory. Poor labor conditions are mentioned in both sources, although it is described more lightly in the The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women than The laboring classes : an article from the Boston quarterly review.
In contrast, the economic opportunities described by Bagley were viewed as a hinderance to women's lives more than an opportunity, where he describes that working in a factory is pointless and not as purposeful as working on a farm, "We stand and look at those hard working men and women hurrying in all directions, and ask ourselves, where go the proceeds of their labors?" (Brownson 1840). This gives a perspective on the Jacksonian Era in that some men believed that women should not be working in manual labor and factories and continue to tend to household duties. The belief that persists is that women should act as guardians of "domestic values", therefore not interact with the outside world and work in factories that conflict with domestic values.
These differences in opinions may have existed due to differing opinions on the role of women at the time, of which the male majority of the United States had believed women to be a guardian of "domestic values", where women should learn to place a higher value on housekeeping, entertaining, and dressing appropriately.
Both of these two sources tell us about the Jacksonian Era in that labor conditions within the factories of the North were poor and that women had played a greater role in the industrial economy of the North. However these sources hold a difference in the views of the role of women in the United States of America, and whether or not they should be working in factories. In The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women, one excerpt by Sarah G. Bagley states that factory life in Lowell mills provides pleasure for her, in which she lists multiple reasons, most particularly that urban women have more privileges than that of rural women, "Most of us, when at home, live in the country, and therefore cannot enjoy these privileges to the same extent; and many of us not at all, "(Eisler 1998). This gives a perspective on the time period in that rural women that moved to urban life had experienced more job opportunities, especially in the factory. Poor labor conditions are mentioned in both sources, although it is described more lightly in the The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women than The laboring classes : an article from the Boston quarterly review.
In contrast, the economic opportunities described by Bagley were viewed as a hinderance to women's lives more than an opportunity, where he describes that working in a factory is pointless and not as purposeful as working on a farm, "We stand and look at those hard working men and women hurrying in all directions, and ask ourselves, where go the proceeds of their labors?" (Brownson 1840). This gives a perspective on the Jacksonian Era in that some men believed that women should not be working in manual labor and factories and continue to tend to household duties. The belief that persists is that women should act as guardians of "domestic values", therefore not interact with the outside world and work in factories that conflict with domestic values.
These differences in opinions may have existed due to differing opinions on the role of women at the time, of which the male majority of the United States had believed women to be a guardian of "domestic values", where women should learn to place a higher value on housekeeping, entertaining, and dressing appropriately.
Synthesis Article
The Panic of 1837 had resembled the Recession of 2008 in that they were both substantial recessions at the time. They were both similar in the effects on the United States economy, where they both caused mass unemployment and failure of businesses. This similarity tells that poor decisions made by the United States of America can cause recessions that will persist over multiple years. However, they were vastly different in their causes. The Panic of 1837 was more government involved than the Recession of 2008, where Andrew Jackson had implemented policies that elminated the Second National Bank, distributed the government's funds into state banks, and creation of the "specie circular" where payment is required to be backed up with gold and silver. The Recession of 2008 was caused by the bursting of the housing bubble, resulting in the collapse of business investment. Another difference was the spread of each recession, where the Recession of 2008 had affected a greater population than the Panic of 1837, as the United States had accumulated more territories and had increased immigration.
Continuities and Changes
Technology, work, and exchange had changed drastically from the previous eras, but major institutions had still remained within the United States, particularly the South.
Continuities that persisted from the previous eras were the prominence of the slavery as a labor institution, primarily in the South; two separate commercial and agrarian economies in the North and South respectively, and landowners remaining the greatest influence in the South. These continuities persisted because the South acquired a self-sustaining slave population for their cotton economy, even after the banning of the importation of slavery in 1808; because the South had developed a cotton economy separate from the industrial economy of the North; and because landowners had continued to own land and slaves
Changes that occurred from the previous eras were the inclusion of a more diverse immigrant workforce, the rise of factories in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the North, and the recession of the economy after Andrew Jackson's policies. These changes occurred as more immigrants came to the United States in search for economic oppurtunity in the North, as factories had increased production in the North with Southern resources, and as the Panic of 1837 was caused by the removal of the Second National Bank by Andrew Jackson and the implementation of the specie circular that required payment to be backed in gold or silver.
Continuities that persisted from the previous eras were the prominence of the slavery as a labor institution, primarily in the South; two separate commercial and agrarian economies in the North and South respectively, and landowners remaining the greatest influence in the South. These continuities persisted because the South acquired a self-sustaining slave population for their cotton economy, even after the banning of the importation of slavery in 1808; because the South had developed a cotton economy separate from the industrial economy of the North; and because landowners had continued to own land and slaves
Changes that occurred from the previous eras were the inclusion of a more diverse immigrant workforce, the rise of factories in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the North, and the recession of the economy after Andrew Jackson's policies. These changes occurred as more immigrants came to the United States in search for economic oppurtunity in the North, as factories had increased production in the North with Southern resources, and as the Panic of 1837 was caused by the removal of the Second National Bank by Andrew Jackson and the implementation of the specie circular that required payment to be backed in gold or silver.
Picture of the Jacksonian Era
This picture pertains to the theme of technology, work, and exchange, in that the economy after Andrew Jackson's presidency had experienced recession that caused unemployment, due to the closing of many mills, mines, and factories, and failure of businesses throughout the United States. The South, as a result, had many crop failures and loss of agricultural exports outside the United States. This best encapsulates the time period in that the economy during the early 1800s was effectively decimated by Andrew Jackson's economic policies of the elimination of the Second National Bank and the removal of the government's deposits from it to be distributed to the states, of which would continue into Martin Van Buren's presidency as the Panic of 1837.
Sources Cited
Brownson, O. A. (1840). The laboring classes : an article from the Boston quarterly review / by O. A. Brownson. Retrieved from https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hnmy5x;view=1up;seq=7
Eisler, B. (1998). The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1845) . Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Lowell_Offering.html?id=4vJx8mBHU2YC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
Robinson, H. R. (1837). The times [Painting]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661304/
Eisler, B. (1998). The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1845) . Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Lowell_Offering.html?id=4vJx8mBHU2YC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
Robinson, H. R. (1837). The times [Painting]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661304/