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Threshing Machine
The threshing machine, invented by Andrew Meikle of Scotland, mechanically seperated kernels of wheat from husks. This machine made farm work quicker and much more efficent. -
the first Spinning Mill
Samuel Slater (a British textile worker coming to the U.S illegaly under the British Government) built the first Spinning Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Slater at first hired small children to work in his factories but over time hired whole familes. The Spinning Mill was so important because it could make thread and cloth, which used to be done by hand -
Cotton Gin
Before the cotton gin, cotton was very hard to clean by hand. A slave could only clean about one pound of this cotton a day. So, in 1793, Eli Whitney invented a machine that cleaned the cotton and allowed one slave to clean 50 pounds a day. This surely did make cotton more profitable, along with owning slaves. -
Interchangeable parts
In 1797, the U.S government hired inventor Eli Whitney to make 10,000 guns for the army. At the time, each gun was made by a blacksmith, so each gun was a little different. This ment that if a part was lost or broken, the gun would be ruined. Eli then went to Washington and assembled a musket out of standard parts. This now meant that each musket could be made the same way, out of the same materials. The U.S then began making these parts regularly, which devalued the job of a blacksmith. -
Steam powered locomotive (Tom Thumb)
The first steam powered locomotive was created in 1803, because the U.S needed a way to transport goods over land in a short period of time. By the 1830's, a 136 mile stretch of track was built for this train. -
Steamboat
In 1807, inventor Robert Fulton developed a steamboat that could move against a strong current or wind. The steam engine would turn two side paddle wheels which pulled the boat through the water. -
Mechanical Reaper
The mechanical reaper was inventede by a man named Cyrus McCormick, who sought to develop a reaper that cut ripe grain quickly and efficiently. He ended up having a patent for the invention around 1834. -
Telegraph
Around 1837, the telegraph was created to send short pulses of energy through a wire, which could then be translated into letters. The telegraph finally allowed people to communicate from hundreds of miles away. -
Light Weight Plow
Before the lightweight plow, other plows could only handle soft soil, so the tough soil in the midwest made the farmers job tough. When John Deere invented this new plow, he made it especially for the tough soil of the midwest. This turned to more farmers moving to farm. -
Photography
In 1839, a man named Louis Daguerre invented the first photography device of its kind. This invention was a signal to the citizens that technology was advancing, and it really started the need to invent more.
