Industrial Revolution Terms

• Industrial Revolution describes the transition from an agrarian, handicraft-based economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing.
• Cash crop denotes a crop grown for its commercial value, not for the grower's direct use.
• Agrarian refers to the cultivation of land.
• Economy encompasses a country or region's wealth and resources, especially concerning the production and consumption of goods and services.
• A cotton gin is a machine designed to remove cotton fibers from seeds.
• Industrialists are individuals involved in the ownership and management of industry.
• Steel Tipped Plow contributed greatly to the agricultural world; enabling farmers to cultivate crops more efficiently
• Reaper is a person or machine that harvests a crop
• Steam Engine uses steam power to perform mechanical work through heat.
• Power Loom loom is powered by water, steam, or electricity rather than by hand.
• Spinning jenny is an early multiple-spindle machine especially suited for spinning wool or cotton.

South

• South's economy relied on slave labor.
• Some Southerners released slaves in the 1790s because tobacco, rice, and indigo crops did not generate enough income to justify their upkeep.
• Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.
• Whitney's invention sped up cotton processing by separating seeds from the fibers more quickly.
• A single cotton gin could perform the work of one worker.
• The cotton gin significantly increased the profitability of cotton production, which raised demand for enslaved labor and increased their numbers.
• Growing cotton led to soil degradation in the South, and slavery expanded.
• The South's primary investment was in slave labor, agriculture, cash crops, and limited industrial ventures.
• Their lower education levels and fewer technical skills led to a decision to not invest in factories.

North

• The Industrial Revolution caused workers to often endure dangerous, low-paying jobs with long hours, poor working conditions, and little job security.
• Francis Cabot Lowell was an American businessman and entrepreneur who helped establish the first integrated textile mill in the United States.
• Lowell introduced the "Lowell System," which consolidated the entire textile production process in a single factory.
• Inventions made goods more affordable and accessible, but they quickened the pace of production for workers.
• Factory owners generally favored a laissez-faire government.
• Laissez-faire meant minimal government intervention in the economy, allowing them to operate with minimal regulations regarding working conditions, wages, and business practices, maximizing their profits.
• The Industrial Revolution introduced machinery that drastically increased crop yields and productivity.
• The mechanization reduced the need for manual labor and allowed farmers to cultivate larger land areas, ultimately leading to increased food production.
• As fewer farmhands were needed, resulting a shift in the workforce from rural to urban areas.
• The Central Plains are known as the Great Plains or Midwest.

Industrial Revolution

• The Spinning Jenny could perform the work of eight people because it had eight spindles, each managed by one person.
• The steam engine led to the creation of semi-automated factories, and it increased goods production in places where water power was not available.
• People migrated from rural areas to cities during the Industrial Revolution.
• Women, men, and children were able to work in factories.
• Factory workers faced harsh working conditions, including extremely long hours (often 12-14 hours per day), low wages, dangerous machinery with high accident rates, poor ventilation, excessive noise, dust-filled air, and little to no worker protections.

Key terms related to the Industrial Revolution, including cash crops, agrarian practices, and economic shifts. Also covers inventions like the cotton gin and power loom. It also explores the roles of industrialists and the impact of machines like the steel tipped plow and spinning jenny.