ABSTRACT
America's cities expanded more rapidly between 1800 and 1860 than at any other time in the nation's history. Fed by new immigration, the expansion of railroads and canals, and the rise of manufacturing, 10 cities passed the 100,000 mark by 1860, while the population of New York City soared to 800,000. By the time of the Civil War, about one American woman in five lived in a community larger than 2,500.
