Industrial Revolution in America

Industrial Revolution in America

• The Industrial Revolution in America was a century-long process that moved production from skilled artisans to machines in factories.
• In 1790, Samuel Slater built America's first textile factory in Rhode Island, steering New England on a clear economic path.

Innovations and Inventions

• Eli Whitney demonstrated interchangeable parts in 1801, setting off half a century of innovations and inventions in American business and manufacturing.
• By 1850, the value of industrial output surpassed the value of agriculture, signaling a secondary commercial revolution.
• The North became dependent on a commercial economy, while the South became increasingly dependent on labor of enslaved people.

Regional Differences

• The colonial economies evolved differently due to geography, with the South conducive to cash crops and the North having fast-moving rivers that powered machinery.
• The South seemed to be regressing in terms of technology, while the North came to depend on a commercial economy for their livelihood.

Transportation Networks

• Growing transportation networks created a web across the Northeastern and Middle states, connecting the North to the West.
• The Erie Canal and railroad tracks encouraged even more commerce and population growth, leaving the South increasingly isolated from the rest of the nation.

19th-Century Inventors and Inventions

• The power-driven machinery of New England textile factories spread to many other industries, creating a surge in American inventions and innovations.
• The invention of the sewing machine mid-century meant that fabric produced in Northern factories could be sewn into clothing in Northern factories.
• Steam engines were adapted for all kinds of machinery, including ships and mills and printing presses.
• Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper and John Deere's steel plow benefited farmers.
• Charles Goodyear's process for vulcanizing rubber allowed for the development of the automobile industry.
• Samuel Morse invented the electric telegraph and Morse code in 1844, revolutionizing communication.

Effects and Consequences of Northern Commerce

• Factories and industrialization led to profound social, political, and demographic effects on the young nation.
• The government passed a series of protective tariffs to protect fledgling American industries, raising the cost of imported goods and making domestic goods more competitive.
• Tariffs were a disaster for Southern cotton-growers, causing economic controversy and nearly leading to a civil war in the 1830s.
• Industrialization changed business practices, with corporations becoming more common and allowing for the pooling of capital from many investors.
• The factory system transformed the workforce, with women earning their own living and gaining independence in America.

Demographics

• The population of towns and cities of 8,000 or more increased by 90%, with rapid urbanization causing its own set of problems.
• By 1860, about one in seven Americans lived in a city, setting the stage for America to become an urban nation and the world's leading industrial producer.