Documents from Reading the American Past

Chapter 12

Introduction to the Documents

Americans in the 1840s and 1850s celebrated freedom, democracy, and opportunity. Whether clearing land for a farm, moving west to start over, opening a store, or working in a factory, many Americans took advantage of what Abraham Lincoln and others called the free-labor system. Free labor unleashed human potential, its proponents claimed, and made possible the era's impressive economic growth and geographic expansion. The achievements of free labor came at a price, however, as others pointed out. Competition and accumulation stunted human growth. Women, blacks, and others were excluded from enjoying the virtues of free labor. Both the shortcomings and the strengths of free labor were magnified in the frenzy of the California gold rush. Still, according to free-labor proponents like Lincoln, education combined with hard work promised unmatched opportunities for white men.