About 9.1 Million immigrants.

wausaubob

Colonel
Member of the Month
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Location
Denver, CO
The report on immigration supports the conclusion that between 1863-1888, inclusive, about 9.1 million people immigrated to the US of America. https://books.google.com/books?id=cMosAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=statistical+review+of+immigration+1820+to+1910&source=bl&ots=rvZQWiEa3V&sig=x6gyC29Suf_zk6sWzDXKzOC-egQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQj7eEv8jeAhXoy4MKHQCDDO4Q6AEwCXoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=statistical review of immigration 1820 to 1910&f=false One of the unstated purposes of abolishing slavery was to remove this question about slavery from the minds of the European observers of the US. The immigrants made the farm, town and city real estate of the US more valuable, which was the selfish reason people supported immigration.
But the more nationalistic motive was to increase the size of the US, to make a more powerful competitor in the world.
At the same time, the high tariff structures, sometimes at a 100% protective level tended to encourage foreign investors to bring their funds to the US to take advantage of the US market, and to get profits from the rapidly progressing American industries.
Mr. Lipsey's table 5 suggests this effort was also successful.
1635809976297.png

1635810015766.png

p.11
 
Last edited:
In the original US founding period, the incidence of tariffs was fair between the sections. The importers were in New England and their business gathered the material from all over the world that Americans were purchasing. The people who bought expensive imported goods, or paid a premium for protected goods, were distributed through the country.
Naturally the tariffs strengthened the various local dollar currencies, and hurt the exporters somewhat. But the main exporters were relying a labor system that permitted the use of coercion the create extra work hours, so it would be ironic for them to complain about distortions due to taxation.
The early US most likely relied on tariffs to fund the government because tariffs were easier to collect, and harder to evade.
 
When I began learning the ropes of genealogy and reading US Census records, I was told the population of US grew drastically in the 1880’s due to immigrants. The number of people became so large, the government needed a way to record, store and evaluate this massive amount of data.
A company that became the famous IBM developed a sorting machine that used cards punched with data. Since the banks already had machines that counted and sorted US Dollar bills, IBM selected the dimensions of their data cards as the same size of the dollar bill.
This is how we got the IBM Data card that I was using in 1972 to run my FORTRAN computer program. We were still using them to hold micro-fish drawings.
When I see this card, I think of the 1880 Census— whether its true or not.
58BC27FB-FD37-45A0-B666-FEB4748A5284.jpeg
 
When I began learning the ropes of genealogy and reading US Census records, I was told the population of US grew drastically in the 1880’s due to immigrants. The number of people became so large, the government needed a way to record, store and evaluate this massive amount of data.
A company that became the famous IBM developed a sorting machine that used cards punched with data. Since the banks already had machines that counted and sorted US Dollar bills, IBM selected the dimensions of their data cards as the same size of the dollar bill.
This is how we got the IBM Data card that I was using in 1972 to run my FORTRAN computer program. We were still using them to hold micro-fish drawings.
When I see this card, I think of the 1880 Census— whether its true or not.
View attachment 420558
I think the are period sketches of women clerks using the punch card machines. Checks drawn on demand deposits were multiplying too. The age of paper work had begun.
 
When I began learning the ropes of genealogy and reading US Census records, I was told the population of US grew drastically in the 1880’s due to immigrants. The number of people became so large, the government needed a way to record, store and evaluate this massive amount of data.
A company that became the famous IBM developed a sorting machine that used cards punched with data. Since the banks already had machines that counted and sorted US Dollar bills, IBM selected the dimensions of their data cards as the same size of the dollar bill.
This is how we got the IBM Data card that I was using in 1972 to run my FORTRAN computer program. We were still using them to hold micro-fish drawings.
When I see this card, I think of the 1880 Census— whether its true or not.
View attachment 420558
The Electric Tabulating Machine was developed and patented by Herman Hollerith for use in the the 1890 US Census. William Bundy developed a time clock that used paper tape in 1889. Julius Pitrap patented the computing scale in 1885. Alexander Dey invented the dial recorder in 1888.

In 1911, their four companies were combined into the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, NY. In 1914, Thomas Watson, Sr. had been fired by National Cash Register (the biggest, meanest monopoly around) and hired by CTR as General Manager, then promoted to President less than a year later. Watson did not like the name Computing-Tabulating-Recording, so he changed the name to International Business Machine in 1924 (that was the name on a CTR division before that).

My Computer Science classes were all based around punch cards and mechanical disk drives, but my first job was on a mini-computer (NEC Astra, but roughly equivalent to an IBM System 36) with CRTs and Winchester disks. No coding sheets or turnaround time for punch-card data entry. I think I might have a command sheet somewhere for instructions to a punch-card device around somewhere, but I never had to actually program for it. There were fun commands to do things like "Dump the Chaff Bin", IIRR.:smile:
 
Last edited:
Fun diversion, but that is not the main point. The results of the Civil War, in terms of economics were that
The former enslaved people were not free. With less coercion influencing their decisions, economic theory supports that they were able to optimize the allocation of their time between leisure, family and work. The US was immensely better off at their contribution to all facets of life increased. The worst solutions to abolition were conclusively rejected. The owners might have experienced emancipation as a loss, but society as a whole did not see it that way. The former enslaved people were still here, they just owned themselves after the 13th Amendment was ratified.
But the bigger result was the issues of slavery and democracy, of the existence of a powerful unified country, were settled in the eyes of Europe. Massive immigration, millions in foreign investment, 30 years with no foreign wars were massive benefits to the US economy.
Prof. Ransom also adds this observation as set forth in Mark Wilson's book:
1635891256138.png

The scale of operations in supporting multiple armies across the expanse of the continent, and world wide naval operations, demonstrated to the people involved that they capable of a great deal more than they imagined.
Whether there was much innovation during the Civil War is rather beside the point. The mental attitude that new methods and new materials could make life easier and better gained over adherence to the past. On top which, virtually every dollar of US military spending was domestic and rolled around in the US economy.
 
If it would have been possible for the loyal part of the US to show how much financial power and military power it had in 1861 without a murderous war, then the war was a dead weight expenditure. I don't think the issue could have been resolved short of war.
For the states that formed the Confederacy, the last few years of the 1850's were incredibly productive and rewarding. Very few people could sense the slow down in the world textile market. They were riding high.
But the US was the larger power and by the Spring of 1861, the northern economy was recovering quickly. There was little reason for either side to concede control of the vast far west to the other side.
I think @major bill had the citations at one time. The point being, that at that time, not many people thought the two expansionist empires of the Confederacy and United States could co-exist peacefully for long.
 
Back
Top