The Hudson River Valley Essay Sample

The Hudson River Valley region was not what it looks like today. Changes began during the nineteenth century, when the industrialization era, still in its nascent stage was starting to take its hold away from the valley in the Great Britain. The River Valley was seen as a great natural resource because of its abundance of natural beauty and rich history. There were exquisite landscapes and indigenous farms dotting the Valley region that attracted both tradesmen and tourists. Famous painters and writers represented the valley in a dramatic way in their works (Kealy 157). The agriculturally rich Hudson River Valley was influenced by the new technology and the market revolution. The average farmer was forced to rethink his economic plans, and the developing marketplace plus the new opportunities gradually changed him into a commercial farmer. The Hudson River Valley region was one of the most significant treasures of America as its waterway was a major travel route for the Native Americans. The river encouraged trade routes towards the north to Canada and the west to the Great Lakes. More travelers got lured to the region because of the promises of trade plus its dramatic scenery. What added to their convenience was its proximity to the port of New York (The Hudson River: Historical Overview 2001).
Everything changed with the arrival of the Europeans around the middle of the sixteenth century. The waves of immigration boosted the population in the region that populated just a few thousands of Native Americans. Local natives and traders benefited from the new trades and development but also suffered because of the encroachments of the Europeans, military defeats, and diseases. The Hudson River Valley region soon changed into a major industrial and commerce center because of the unrestrained capitalism (Campbell 2008). The Industrial Revolution that began in the 1700s in the Great Britain went on through the 18th and 19th centuries. American workers reacted with uncertainty to the new developing technologies and feared their economic independence Sage (2005). Before 1820, the economic growth in the US was based on agriculture and commerce. Still, the country had to keep pace with the changing economics of the world. Another important aspect that impacted the economic development of the Hudson River Valley region was the development of the transportation facilities in the region and the river. British-built vessels and steamships became the new means of transportation as they were considered to be larger and sturdier. Thus, the shipbuilding industry of America felt challenged by those new vessels as they dominated the bays, inlets, and rivers of the valley region. The new technology and rising competition a lowered the fares and shipping rates and this further encouraged thousands of Europeans to migrate to America States (Sage 2005). The improved transportation led to higher immigration and rapid growth in foreign commerce. Soon, the Great Britain became the leading supplier as well as the best customer of the United States. New England textile industry dominated the region. Records show that there were fewer families engaged in the long distance, commercial trade. However, with the well-developed transportation systems during the early nineteenth century, the direct market competition reached the interior regions of the Hudson Valley a stated by Wermuth (188). Clearly, the business aspects of the river and valley were strongly tied to its location, the natural wealth, and resources plus the long distance commercial trade that were encouraged by the improved transportation system on the Hudson River. The timing was right for the economic prosperity as the fast developing transportation system linked the region to other markets. The local and international trade grew at a fast pace along with the higher domestic production.
Works CitedCampbell, Jeff." USA." Lonely Planet 1.1 (2008): 1-1192. Print.
Kealy, Janet. "The Hudson River Valley: A Natural Resource Threatened by Sprawl." Albany Law Environmental Outlook Journal 7 (2002): 154-88. Web.
Sage, Henry J. "American Economic Growth 1820-1860.”. 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2016
"The Hudson River: Historical Overview." web-static.nypl. 2001. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
Wermuth, Thomas S. "New York Farmers and the Market Revolution: Economic Behavior in the Mid-Hudson Valley, 1780-1830." Journal of Social History 32.1 (1998): 179-96. Web.