Chapter 8

The 1st Industrial Revolution• During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the US

experienced the 1st Industrial Revolution. It was a time when advances in technology led to massive economic changes.

• Before the industrial revolution, national economies were based on the cottage industry. Manufacturing was slow.

• With industrialization, factories transformed manufacturing and replaced manual labor with machines.

• The revolution began in Britain, but soon spread to the US, impacting trade and economies worldwide.

Eli Whitney

• One of the most important inventors of the 1st Industrial Rev was Eli Whitney. In 1793, he invented the cotton gin. This machine allowed people to process harvested cotton much faster and made the South “King Cotton.”

• The cotton gin actually increased slavery in the South, b/c it made cotton production more profitable. Led to an increase in the Southern plantation system.

• While Whitney’s cotton gin impacted the South, his interchangeable parts transformed the economy in the North.

• Interchangeable parts made mass production possible, and soon spread from muskets to other industries.

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1791

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, 1791

Eli Whitney’s Gun FactoryEli Whitney’s Gun Factory

Interchangeable Parts Rifle

Other Inventions

• Samuel Slater helped introduce the idea of using machine manufacturing in factories to produce more foods in less time.

• Robert Fulton revolutionized the shipment of manufactured goods and agricultural products with his steam-powered boat.

• Samuel Morse’s telegraph, John Deere’s steel plow, and Cyrus McCormick’s reaper helped make it possible to settle new territories in the West.

John Deere & the Steel Plow(1837)

John Deere & the Steel Plow(1837)

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper:

1831

Cyrus McCormick& the Mechanical Reaper:

1831

Samuel F. B. MorseSamuel F. B. Morse

1840 – Telegraph

New York City & the Erie Canal• In 1798, Samuel Slater opened a textile mill (factory that makes

fabric) in Rhode Island. • His system of using mills to mass produce textiles revolutionized the

industry and by the end of 1814, mills were common in NYC. • This helped make NY a key economic center for the country. • New York’s port became a major center for shipping and trades, and

the arrival point of thousands of immigrants. • New York also prospered thanks to the Erie Canal. The canal

provided a new shipping route from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, connecting NY to the Great Lakes.

• Erie canal makes NY a dominant commercial, and increases migration to Great Lakes area. It allows people to travel much more cheaply

• Along with Robert Fulton’s steamboat, the Erie Canal enhanced the econ of NY and the NW.

Erie Canal SystemErie Canal System

Sectionalism

• The Indust Rev also gave rise to sectionalism: the economic, social, cultural, and political differences that existed btwn N and S.

• As Whitney’s cotton gin helped transform the S into a plantation system dependent on slaves and cotton, the North became a region dependent on factories and immigrant labor.

• These econ differences caused strains on the nation that led to disputes (leading up to the Civil War).

• Thus, Industrialization ultimately led to both westward expansion and the civil War.

Assessment

• In what ways did the Industrial Revolution impact both the N and S United States? How did it impact western territories?

• Who invented the cotton gin and interchangeable parts?– Eli Whitney– Samuel Slater– Robert Fulton– Cyrus McCormick

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Cumberland (National Road), 1811

Conestoga Covered WagonsConestoga Covered Wagons

Conestoga Trail, 1820s

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

The “Iron Horse” Wins! (1830)

1830 13 miles of track built by Baltimore & Ohio RR

By 1850 9000 mi. of RR track [1860 31,000 mi.]

OliverEvansOliverEvans

First prototype of the locomotive

First automated flour mill

Erie Canal, 1820sErie Canal, 1820s

Begun in 1817; completed in 1825

Robert Fulton & the Steamboat

Robert Fulton & the Steamboat

1807: The Clermont

Principal Canals in 1840Principal Canals in 1840

Assessment• What is infrastructure, and how was Henry

Clay’s American Plan designed to build it?• What effect did the Erie Canal have?

– It hurt New York b/c other cities could better compete with it economically.

– It discouraged western migration– Steam-powered boats were no longer useful

b/c the canal encouraged land travel. – New York’s economy grew b/c the canal

allowed manufacturers to ship products more easily.

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

Samuel Slater(“Father of the Factory

System”)

The Lowell/Waltham System:

First Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

The Lowell/Waltham System:

First Dual-Purpose Textile Plant

Francis Cabot Lowell’s town - 1814

Lowell in 1850Lowell in 1850

Lowell MillLowell Mill

Lowell GirlsLowell Girls

What was their typical “profile?”

Lowell Boarding HousesLowell Boarding Houses

What was boardinghouse life like?

Irish Immigrant Girls at Lowell

Irish Immigrant Girls at Lowell

New EnglandTextile

Centers:

1830s

New EnglandTextile

Centers:

1830s

New England Dominance in Textiles

New England Dominance in Textiles

ECONOMIC?

SOCIAL?

POLITICAL?

FUTUREPROBLEMS?