"Our labor is of the most arduous kind, chiefly excavating and carrying, and we are looked upon with a jealous eye by the native workmen who accuse us of lowering the price of toil. The cities are crowded with our people, many of whom cannot find steady employment and must live in the damp cellars of the poorest quarters. Yet, we have our own churches and societies, which keep us together and afford some comfort in this strange land."
— Adapted from a letter by an Irish immigrant in Philadelphia, 1844
The conditions described in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following social or demographic developments of the Market Revolution?
- The influx of European immigrants who clustered in urban neighborhoods and provided the manual labor necessary for infrastructure and industrial growthAnswer
- BThe rapid transition of the majority of unskilled urban workers into independent, self-employed artisans who controlled their own labor
- CThe decline of regional economic specialization as northern and southern labor forces became structurally identical
- DThe complete assimilation of Catholic immigrants into the dominant native-born Protestant social and religious institutions
Answer
The influx of European immigrants who clustered in urban neighborhoods and provided the manual labor necessary for infrastructure and industrial growth
The correct answer is correct because the Market Revolution was fueled by a massive demographic shift: millions of European immigrants, especially from Ireland, arrived in the 1830s and 1840s. These immigrants predominantly settled in northern urban centers, took low-paying, dangerous jobs in construction and manufacturing, faced intense nativist backlash from native-born workers, and established their own ethnic parishes and mutual aid societies to survive.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Immigration and Urbanization during the Market Revolution