Early Industry and Inventions

O Man made waterways were constructed all over the Northeast to get goods to west and east. O One canal that was built between the years was the Erie Canal. Canals

Erie Canal O The Erie Canal opened on October 26, 1825, O 363 miles long, forty feet wide, four feet deep, 18 aqueducts and 83 locks, O Shortened travel time from the east coast to the gateway to the west (the Great Lakes) by half and reduced shipping costs by 90%. O Only trade route west of the Appalachians, O Settlers in the West could now get supplies as they traveled, and supplies arrived much easier to settlements O Made New York City the busiest port in the United States.

Steamboat O Robert Fulton designed a steam engine for a steamboat that could move against the current of a river or against the wind. O The steamboat created more opportunities for trade and transportation on rivers. O Previously, farmers had to transport supplies on pole driven rafts. His ship the Clermont sailed from New York City to Albany and back in 62 hours. A record at that time.

Transportation O Before the Industrial Revolution, people relied on the horse and their own feet to get around. O With the invention of the steam locomotive, transportation took a huge step forward. O The first two major railroad companies were the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads.

An original steam engine

Passenger carriers

Steam Locomotive

The Telegraph O The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse. O This machine sent long and short pulses of electricity along a wire. O With the telegraph, it took only seconds to communicate with another city. O The invention of the steamboat and telegraph brought the people of the nation closer to each other.

John Deere and the Plow O In 1836, John Deere invented a lightweight horse drawn plow with a steel cutting edge. O Deere’s plow made preparing the ground for planting much less work because sticky soil did not gather on the light steel blade. Farmers did not have to repeatedly stop to clean it.

Cyrus McCormick and the Reaper O Cyrus McCormick invented a mechanical reaper, cut grain from the fields. O This allowed farmers to plant much more seed because they could harvest it easier.

Interchangeable Parts O The first use of interchangeable parts were created by inventor Eli Whitney. O Before this time, guns were made one at a time. Each gun was different. O If a part broke, a new part had to be created. O Whitney created muskets with exactly the same parts, so any part would fit any gun. O Interchangeable parts made factories possible. O The use of interchangeable parts sped up production, made repairs easier, and allowed the use of lower-paid, less skilled workers.

The Threshing Machine OTOThe threshing machine separated the kernels of wheat from the husks, which was a far faster way of getting wheat than picking it by hand. OTOThe threshing machine increased the growing of wheat.

The Cotton Gin O Inventory Eli Whitney also invented the cotton gin. O The gin took the seeds out of the cotton, which was much faster than doing it by hand. O The cotton gin also greatly expanded the need for slaves…..WHY???

Industrial Revolution O British inventors began to make textiles with machines. O A British textile worker, Samuel Slater, set up a textile factory in Rhode Island in O This was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S.!

Industrial Revolution O The first Industrial Revolution began in England in the late 18th century. O An industrial revolution is when hand tools are replaced by factory machines, and farming is replaced by large-scale manufacturing. O An example is the making of clothes.

Spinning Jenny and Power Loom O Before the Industrial Revolution, clothes were made at home using spinning wheels and hand powered looms. O Afterwards, clothes were made by machines in factories. O Often these machines were cleaned and maintained by children. O /watch?v=S2GVjBjae2U /watch?v=S2GVjBjae2U O /watch?v=gM6T2mb- C6M /watch?v=gM6T2mb- C6M

Factory System O The factory system had many workers under one roof working at machines. O Many people left farms and moved to the city to work in factories. They wanted the money that factories paid. O This change was not always for the better.

Factories Come to New England O New England was a good place to have a factory. O Factories needed water power, and New England had many fast- moving rivers.

A Textile Factory

The Lowell Mills Hire Women O In 1813, Francis Cabot Lowell built a factory in eastern Massachusetts, near the Concord River. O The factory spun cotton into yarn and wove the cotton into cloth. O Something was different about this factory, they hired women. O The “Lowell girls” lived in company- owned boardinghouses. O The girls worked over 12 hours a day in deafening noise.

The Lowell Girls O Young women came to Lowell in spite of the noise. O They came for the good wages: between two and four dollars a week. O The girls usually only worked for a few years until they married. O Staged the first successful wages protest/strike for women.

Power Loom Re-enactor

Lowell Girls Protesting

NC Textile Mills Granite Textile Mill, Haw River

Alamance Textile Mill

Alamance Cotton Mill O Started by Edwin M. Holt O One of the first mills to mass produce colored fabric.

A Mill’s Worst Nightmare

Boys of the Mills

The Very Young

1845 Lowell factory pamphlet * As a result, the U.S. no longer had to buy finished textile products from Europe! Less Dependency on Europe

Northern Factory Workers Women were paid half as much as men. Working hours were long, and wages were low. Ex.) hour work days Earnings: men - $5 per week women - $2 per week children - $1 per week Cities developed as northern farmers and immigrants took available factory jobs.

Other NC Innovations/Factories O Nissen Wagon Works- Built wagons and provided transportation and gun wagons for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Thomas Day, NC O Thomas Day was an extremely successful furniture maker in Milton, NC. O Used some of the new wood working technology of the time to create furniture. O Free Black Man O Owned his own slaves O Married a free black woman O Was accepted into white society. O Furniture on display in the NC Museum of History, Raleigh.

O -Stephen, a slave of NC’s Slade Plantation, fell asleep at his duty of curing tobacco. When he woke up, Stephen panicked and threw coals on the fire. The sudden intense heat turned the tobacco leaves yellow. O -People discovered they preferred tobacco cured this way for smoking tobacco O -It secured NC as the leading producer of tobacco O -Bright Leaf Square, Durham O Leading Tobacco Mills/Factories in NC- Durham and Winston Salem O Tobacco became a national boom product after the Civil War- Soldiers were provided with rations and got hooked. NC Bright Leaf Tobacco

New Technologies Help Nation Grow O With new farm equipment, Midwestern farmers grew food to feed Northeastern factory workers. O Midwestern farmers became a market for Northeastern manufactured goods. O The growth of the textile factories increased the demand for Southern cotton. O This led to the expansion of slavery….why do you think this is?