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Period: to
The Industrial Revolution Era
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Steam Engine
This is when Thomas Savery designed the first steam engine. Steam engines were used to power cars and ships with steam. It allowed quicker means of transportation for raw materials that could be used to makes finished industry products. -
Factory Systems
Samuel Slator invented factory systems, which were locations in which all steps of manufacturing took place. They had to be built by water to power the machines inside and were mostly in New England. Factory systems made the clothes industry grow as well and job opportunities. -
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the first cotton gin. The cotton gin was a machine used for separating the cotton fibers from it's seeds. It made cloth a lot cheaper; cotton became a major cash crop; increased slave trade, and on top of all that, it just exploded the South's cotton industry. -
Interchangeable Parts
Eli Whitney invented interchangeable parts (as well as the cotton gin). Interchangeable parts were exact replicas of pieces to a machine to replace them if something went wrong. Interchangeable part made production faster, decreased need for skilled labor, and saved money as well as time. -
National Roads
In 1806, Albert Gallatin invented the first National road from Maryland to Virginia. It allowed people to move around a lot easier because they wouldn't get lost as well as get to know new places -
Steamboats
The steam boat was designed by Robet Fulton, and what the steam boat was, was a boat powered by the steam instead of waterwheels. Steamboat impacted America by making transportation of products more efficient and faster. It also helped make westward expansion to develop cities like St.Louis, which farther away from the coast. -
Erie Canals
John C. Calhoun came up with the idea of the Erie Canals. What they were, were canals that ran inbetween states. It helped in making westard expansion easier as well as making faster transporation between states that weren't along the East coast. -
Textile Mills/Lowell Mills
Francis Cabot Lowell invented the first American textile mills. Textile mills were the factories where textiles were made. It increased job opportunities for young, unmarried womean. It also gave them a chance for education and sometimes it was dangerous. They came to work 12 hour shifts and most lived in boarding homes. -
Telegraph
Harrison Dyar invented the first telegraph in the U.S.A. It was used to communicate from far distances (like over states) with electrical signals sent over wires that translated into messages. This invention made communication around America faster and more efficient. -
Steel Plow
In 1837, John Deere designed the first cast steeal plow. It was used to plow the land of farmers a lot faster and efficiently becuase it covered more land as well as cut through the dirt more easily. This really helped the farmers of the Great Plains -
Spinning Jenny/ Sewing Machine
Elias Howe invented America's 1st Patent sewing machine, and James Hargreaves invented the spinning Jenny. Both inventions helped manufacture clothes a lot faster, and they both tremendously increased the demand for cotton. -
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Railroad made the transcontinental Railroad. This was a railroad made to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.
