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Summary Of Sam Patch The Famous Jumper

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During the early 1800s, the United States was hit by the Market Revolution which quickly changed the economic and social status all around. It created a division of those who were greatly benefitting from the market and those who were suffering from it. In Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper written by Paul E. Johnson, the writer exemplifies how the revolution affected people socially and economically through the story of a young man, Sam Patch and how like many, he became a failure of the Market Revolution. The Market Revolution started in the early 19th century (1815) and ended around 1840. It was a time in which the United States began to shift from mainly an agricultural economy to a manufacturing economy. The revolution emphasized manufacturing …show more content…

Despite his small rise to fame by jumping off waterfalls, ultimately, Patch was seen as a failure to the Market Revolution like many others. He grew up in Pawtucket where he worked in one of the mills and eventually worked his way up to being a mule spinner whom were seen as a “remarkable set of men” (32). Patch’s life was looking bright as he was feeling confident and even gaining more social recognition as a boss spinner. In spare time, he often jumped over the Pawtucket Falls which soon became a craft for him. Patch along with other factory boys began taking the jumping seriously and felt “it required self possession and a mastery of skills…” (39). Similar to how the expansion of technology and art was seen as prestigious to Timothy Crane, Sam Patch viewed jumping over the falls as an art that required skill as well. Although Patch became popular for jumping over several falls, he was unable to sustain his fame and eventually died at his last jump. Those above the working class did not value the art of jumping and Patch could not survive during the Market Revolution on it. A person’s success during this time was determined by the wealth they accumulated and their social status. For example, Timothy Crane was seen as a huge success as he owned a mill, garden, bridge, etc. and gained a lot of social prestige due to his liking of poetry, art, etc.. On the other hand, Sam Patch owned no property and, survived on what little money he made from his jumpings and was unable to sustain the social status he was gaining from his jumps. Many people like Sam Patch were unable to rise during the Market Revolution as they were held back because of their social and financial

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