Capitalism drives consumerism because the very idea is to accumulate more. For the laborers, they want more money for their work, and the consumers do their part by consuming. It is not that one causes the other, more that it is a vicious cycle.

America has become a culture of capitalism over the last century. In the Robbin's article, it mentioned several things that were common before 1870:
no washing machines, no electricity, vast majority lived on farms and sustained their needs, made their own clothes (functional), no cars, and no prepackaged goods with company labels.

What a simpler time in history when thinking about money, work and leisure time!

I think companies do market to children to "believe a product would contribute to the buyer's psychological, physical or social well being and teaching them their personality can be expressed through things".