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Difficulty: HardMarket Revolution: Social and Demographic Changes

"We are told that the system of labor in our manufactories is beneficial to the community... But we ask, is the independence of the nation to be purchased at the price of the independence of the individuals who compose it? The laboring classes are being reduced to a state of vassalage, where they are dependent on the will of a few wealthy capitalists... We see the wives and daughters of our citizens, once independent and proud, now compelled by necessity to submit to the discipline of the spinning room and the loom, under the eye of taskmasters."
— Seth Luther, labor reformer, *An Address to the Working-Men of New England*, 1832

The concerns expressed in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following social developments during the Market Revolution?

  1. The growth of a permanent class of wage earners who organized collectively to resist their growing economic dependencyAnswer
  2. B
    The rapid transition of the Southern plantation system toward wage-labor contracts to compete with Northern factories
  3. C
    A widespread return to decentralized, home-based manufacturing systems to preserve family autonomy
  4. D
    The immediate establishment of a federal regulatory framework to guarantee workplace safety and limit working hours

Answer

The growth of a permanent class of wage earners who organized collectively to resist their growing economic dependency
The correct answer is correct because the transition from self-employment (such as farming or artisanal crafts) to factory-based wage labor was a defining social change of the Market Revolution. Laborers, feeling their political and economic independence compromised, began to form workingmen's parties and early unions to push for better working conditions and assert their rights.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source excerpt to identify the author's core argument and perspective.
The author is a labor reformer criticising the industrial factory system because it forces formerly independent citizens (including women) into dependency on wealthy capitalists, which he compares to 'vassalage.'
Understanding the core text allows for accurate placement in the context of the Market Revolution.
2
Connect the excerpt's theme of economic dependency to the social shifts of the early nineteenth century.
The Market Revolution led to a decline in independent artisan shops and a rise in factory wage labor, creating a class of workers who relied on factory owners for their livelihood.
This step links the text directly to the target learning objective regarding social changes.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the option that aligns with the social response to these changes.
The growth of wage laborers who formed early unions to contest this dependency matches the historical record. Other choices are eliminated because they inaccurately depict Southern labor shifts, represent a return to domestic work, or falsely claim early federal regulations existed.
Comparing historical facts against the options reveals the correct answer.

Key Concept

The rise of wage labor and working-class consciousness during the Market Revolution
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Market Revolution: Social and Demographic Changes

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