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The importance of the Industrial Revolution
Technological advancement in the industrial revolution
Technological advancement in the industrial revolution
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DBQ: Factors Promoting Pre-Civil War Industrial Revolution
In the 19th century, prior to the civil war, the United States underwent a transition from an agricultural based economy to an industrial based economy, in what is more commonly known as the American Industrial Revolution. This revolution had many contributing factors. Technology improvements allowed for greater production volume and speed. Transportation and Communications (internal improvements) advancements allowed for greater reach of markets and spurred domestic migration. Population increases, because of foreign migration and natural causes, resulted in more labor and more consumers. The government contributed financially to transportation and enacted protection laws. Capital given by the government and private sector to projects helped to fund corporations and internal improvements. The pre-Civil-War industrial revolution was a time of many
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developments Technological improvements were an essential advancement promoting the industrial revolution by allowing for increased production speed and more advanced products because the machines were superior workers than humans.
An example is the cotton mill, which was brought to the United States from England by Samuel Slater in 1790, and was the first cotton mill in the United States. This was the advent of the factory system in America. The factory system replaced the old cottage system, which involved shipping the materials/resources to a village for one step of assembly, then shipped to another village for another step, and so on until the finished product is shipped back to the shop (Document F). Instead, the factory system put all of that assembly under one roof. Eli Whitney created a system of standard, interchangeable parts that could be easily assembled once the individual parts were made. This standardization of parts led the way to mass production (264,265). This faster production of goods increased supply, and without an equivalent demand, the price went
down. Transportation and Communication improvements, known at this time as “Internal Improvements,” were a result of the need for an overhaul of America’s old infrastructure, and allowed for increased reach of markets and faster transcontinental transport. These networks helped to transport natural resources and raw materials, as well as finished products to new markets, along with allowing people to migrate west much faster. As of the war of 1812, the travel time from Worcester to Charleston in a horse-drawn wagon was 75 days. Obviously there were improvements that needed to be made if coast-to-coast transportation was to be feasible (251). What made these internal improvements possible was the American System (Document D), more specifically Calhoun’s bonus bill. John Calhoun was the vice president of the United States at the time, and his bonus bill allowed profits from the bank to go towards subsidizing internal improvements (211). A form of transportation that facilitated mostly east-west transportation was the canal. As these canals were located mostly in the north, the south became isolated, and the cultural differences may have been a contributing factor to the start of the civil war. As of 1840, there were canals stretching as far as Evansville, Indiana. (Document E). This allowed for easier transport of goods to markets in the middle states. Many of these canals were partially or wholly funded and/or run by the government (Document B). Another internal improvement that stretched the reach of the eastern markets further west was the use of the railroad. Some of the first successful railroads in the U.S were built in the 1830s, and took off in the 1850s. The government helped the private corporations that were building the railroads by lowering tariffs on iron, and surveying the land for free. In the 1850s, the company received land grants, further lowering the cost to build the railroads. By 1860, there were railroads stretching to St. Joseph, Missouri, expanding to markets further west, and also a few tracks to the south (254-256). Population Increase was another factor promoting industrial revolution by bringing more labor to the country to work in factories. This increase was brought on by natural increase and the spike of foreign migrants during the mid-1840s to early-1850s (Document G). The source of this spike in foreign migration was, for the most part, Ireland and Germany. There were many push factors for both of these countries, like lack of food, education, and land (265,266). In 1845, the potato crop, the main source of food for the poor in Ireland, was dying. By 1846, it was gone. This was called “The Great Hunger” in Ireland and “The Irish Potato Famine” in the United States. Many people starved, and those who could afford to, came to America, hoping for a better life. Many of those who migrated worked on digging canals and building railroads (266). The Germans had been migrating since nearly the beginning of the century. In 1816, there was a stormy summer, flooding, hunger and other factors causing people to migrate. There were also rebels trying to liberate themselves from Austria, and make Germany a democracy. After the rebellion collapsed, some political refugees had to flee Germany, and came to the United States (267, 268). There were many other countries, such as Scotland, England and Wales, but these countries did not come close to the amount of people migrating from Ireland and Germany (277). Urban population was also increasing during this time due to the number of families and individuals moving from their farms to factories for a better life. These people were called domestic migrants. Some reasons for moving from a rural town to an urban city were that their farm was too small to support the family/individual, or the family/individual needed more money (Document C). Along with natural population increase and migration, the United States gained labor and consumers. The government also helped to
The population of the North consisted of forward thinking individuals. They realized that a change had to be made from agriculture to industry if they were to prosper and for them to use free labor to accomplish prosperity would be to take a step backwards. This ushered in an small and early Industrial Revolution. Factories and mills that produced finished goods sprung up all over the Northern United States along major waterways. These factories produced fabric, iron, machinery, weapons. Raw materials such as cotton was bought from the South and then sold back to them in the form of clothes. Iron workers made iron railroad ties for the growing railroads across the country. More machinery was being built than ever before. These machines were able to multiply the work that could be accomplished. These industries drew in people from rural areas because they were paying for work. As more people came, they settled around the factori...
The factory whistle blows right in the middle of your favorite dream. You wake up in a startle as you glance at the clock. 5:30 am. You rush to get out of bed, seeing that you have to get to work in 30 minutes. You splash some water on your face, brush your teeth, put on some fine factory clothes, pull your hair back, grab an apple and run as fast as a gazelle. The Industrial Revolution had both positive and negatives on the lives of adults and children during that time period.
The mid-19th century is one of the major turnarounds in the history of the United States. That is the time when America became an industrial giant and emerged as one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Industrial Revolution changed the people’s way of living in the whole world, especially the United States, from hand and home productivity to machine and factory. America rose from a rural and agricultural country to an urban-industrial that introduced new technologies. The United States has been through a lot of ups and downs in spite of its emergence and three books tell the story of the Industrial America from three different perspectives.
The Industrial Revolution was an era between 1780 and 1850 where new inventions and machinery flourished, replacing human labor with machines in the production and manufacturing of goods. The Cottage Industry helped give rise to the Industrial Revolution with its inventions such as the flying shuttle, spinning jenny, water frame, and spinning mule, all of which were mainly operated by women. This opened new opportunities for women in the working industry but this also introduced working class injustices, gender exploitation, and standard-of-living issues. Women 's experiences in factories reflected the profound social changes of the revolution and continuities with traditional working-class ways of life through their poor working conditions, demoralization, and little reward for their hard work.
The nineteenth century America was a period of history following a number of long lasting wars and also a whole new start to new changes in society. With the collapse of multiple nations that were in contact towards the United States, it paved the way for the growing influence and development for the United States, spurring military imperialism and conflicts, and advances in scientific exploration and technologies. Because of the ideas and resources that were began to spread, develop and flourish in areas of the western hemisphere, the nineteenth century also saw opportunities in construction, communication, and in particular the transportation systems. But as different aspects of society began to improve and that more and more freedom were in the hands of the citizens and government, the competitive market not only expanded in profit and wealth, but simultaneously faced minor conflicts due to the abuse of their rights and property. Because of the rise of new technological advancements and resources, railroads in the 19th century American society quickly boomed cities and came across as the most dominant source of transportation, as it predominantly played a role in the expansion of industry across the United States. Also, it was a movement most efficient in creating their own monopoly and was quickly adopted by many other countries that sought influence.
The industrial revolution had mainly negative effects. The industrial revolution was a time in world history that has technically never ended. It is the time when society started to mass produce goods in order to provide enough goods for the booming population. People started to move from villages to cities where factories were looking for workers. New medical advances were made and people began to live longer. While some might argue that industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of the increased amount of new and cheaper products, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were the dangerous and sometimes lethal work areas, poor living conditions and cramped housing,
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.
Railroads opened new areas as settlement and stimulated the mining and manufacture. At the same time, the telegraph appeared. It brought uniform price of the country. Because of these improvements, many people migrated to west. The market revolution and westward expansion heightened the nation’s sectional divisions. The most dynamic feature of the American economy in the beginning of the nineteenth century was the rise of the Cotton Kingdom. But the increasing demand of cotton lead to larger number of slaves. For white people, westward expansion was a chance to get more freedom, but for black people, it means that they would have less freedom and their families will be broken. In the north, Market Revolution turned it to commercial system. Farmers focus on producing crops and livestocks. In some industries, the factory superseded traditional craft production. Both men and women could earn money by taking jobs from factories. Market Revolution changed the time concept of Americans. In cities, time of work and relax is divided clearly. Early New England textile mills largely relied on female and child labor.
After the Civil War had ended a new age of industry was brought on to America. Because of natural resources like coal and iron ore, steel was a big product of american factories that helped to grow and expand the economy. Transportation and Technology also contributed to the growth of corporations in America. Ruthless and driven entrepreneurs bought more and more companies creating monopolies over industry like steel, oil, and the railroads. The Entrepreneurs became extraordinarily powerful in not only American economy, but also politics. From the end of the Civil War till the beginning of the twentieth century, large businesses on America and its people.
The first key player in the American industrial revolution was Francis Cabot Lowell. In 1810, in Waltham, Massachusetts, Lowell was responsible for building the first American factory for converting raw cotton into finished cloth. Large factories were built along the river to house the new water driven power looms for weaving textiles. At the same time that more factories were built to keep up with the growing demands of the consumer, the numbers of immigrants to the United States grew (Kellogg). This new labor force could be employed with even less pay and provided with a much lower standard of housing. This in turn increased the profit margi...
America had a huge industrial revolution in the late 1800”s. Many changes happened to our great nation, which factored into this. The evidence clearly shows that advancements in new technology, a large wave of immigrants into our country and new views of our government, helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth from the period of 1860-1900.
During the late 1700’s, the United States was no longer a possession of Britain, instead it was a market for industrial goods and the world’s major source for tobacco, cotton, and other agricultural products. A labor revolution started to occur in the United States throughout the early 1800’s. There was a shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial market system. After the War of 1812, the domestic marketplace changed due to the strong pressure of social and economic forces. Major innovations in transportation allowed the movement of information, people, and merchandise.
After the civil war, especially during the late 1800s, the US industrial economy has been thriving and booming which reflected on the numerous improvements that occurred in transportation through new railroad, in new markets for new invented goods and in the increased farm yield. However, most of this wealth has been captured by the capitalists, they looked down on the working poor class and expected them to submit to them. Also, they had control over the government seeking to maintain a system of monopoly to allow them to grow richer from others. Thus, they were controlling both political and economic conditions of the country.
American had an economy based on manual labour which was replaced by one dominated by industry and the manufacture of machinery. It began with the expansion of the textile industries and the development of iron-making techniques, and trade expansion was enabled by the introduction of canals, improved roads and railways.
The developments in transportation changed the American economy and society from 1820 to 1860 in ways of an increased land value, faster traded goods, new cities, and a deeper sense of nationalism. Before these changes came about, the US economy and society was based on an agrarian setting. After this time frame, American Society turned into a capitalist marketplace. In the northern US, there were few changes in terms of industry because they were involved in an industrial revolution. However, the new Transportation Revolution blasted the West into an agricultural empire that provided consumable exports to the other parts of the country.