Vermont experienced a rich history that reflected the extent of the American experience. The hallmarks of its history are based on the early colonial settlement, industrial development, the building of the rail road, a strong agricultural base, the immigration of people who were in search of land and opportunity and the presence of small self-sufficient communities in the states. The Vermont region was a mountainous region that was endowed with large rivers and valleys. The region experienced a Market Revolution in the 19 th century especially the period between 1833 and 1865. The above-named factors played an important role in ensuring that the revolution was a success.
With the connection of rail lines to Vermont during the mid-19 th century, the possibilities of exportation and importation of goods, information and people expanded. This resulted in an economic expansion that subsequently led to the growth of smaller towns in Vermont. Also, this period was marked by a great influx of people of both English and non-English descent. Most of the people were skilled stone workers from Italy, who sought to utilize their skills and hence made the growth of the Barre’s granite industry a reality. Turner and Bogue asserted that the population of the people living in the state of Vermont doubled during this period leading to the emergence small self-sufficient communities that consisted of people primarily from New York and the other New England States. 1 The people provided adequate market for the industrial and agricultural goods.
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During this period, Vermont was ruled by two natives namely Chester A. Arthur and Calvin Coolidge who were responsible for steering economic prosperity in the region that led to a subsequent market Revolution. The changes made by the Presidents ensured that Vermont became more competitive in the global market. The changes impacted positively on the State’s industries, business, and agriculture. With the discovery of the States' natural beauty, the presence of ski slopes and rivers, there was an increase in the number of tourists that visited the state. The tourists were responsible for revolutionizing the market as they acted as new consumers to the various goods and services produced in the state.
The economy of Vermont was mainly agricultural based. The cultivation of hops experienced a major breakthrough around 1840 as it became commercially viable statewide. 2 During this time, Vermont produced large amounts of hop accounting to almost 3.9% of the country’s total second to the chief producer, New York. The cultivation and production of hops peaked at around the year 1850 as it hit its peak against the national numbers. This period was also characterized by good weather conditions such as reliable rainfall that ensured proper hop growth leading to bumper harvests. This revolutionized the market as Vermont was able to compete globally in the production of its chief crop, hop.
The nature of economic diversity in Vermont played an important role in ensuring the market revolution of the state. The economic diversity was depicted by the wide range of economic activities carried out in the region. The activities included farming, tourism, milling and quarrying, business and industry. As such, the market was obliged to grow significantly due to the rising numbers of commodities for exchange.
Therefore, in conclusion, the Market Revolution was possible because of strategic and economic factors. Strategic factors include its good position and its endowment with natural resources that led to the rise of the tourism industry. The economic reasons that ensured the revolution was the agricultural success especially in the cultivation of hop, availability of skilled labor in the industries as a result of immigration and also the availability of an internal market that was facilitated by an increased population.
References
Holloran, P. C. (2005). Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont.
Turner, F. J., & Bogue, A. G. (2010). The frontier in American history . Courier Corporation.
1 Turner and Bogue (2010). The frontier in American history .
2 Holloran (2005). Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont.
