A New Industrial Revolution 18-1

Industry Conditions were ripe for industrial growth, as the nation expanded westward. Towering forests of the Pacific Northwest furnished lumber for building, and the vast deposits of coal, iron, lead, and copper. The government policy favored industrial growth, they gave generous land grants and other subsidies to railroads and other businesses. They also kept high tariffs on imports (tariffs helped American industry by making foreign goods more expensive).

Industry Inventors developed the Bessemer process, a method to make stronger steel at a low cost, in the 1850s. As a result steel quickly replaced iron as a basic building material. Since it has nearby coal mines and good transportation, Pittsburgh became the nation’s steel-making capital. In 1859, near Titusville, Pennsylvania, workers tapped a new source of energy. As they were drilling into the ground, a stream of dark liquid shot upward. It was the nation’s first oil strike. The oil industry soon thought of methods to refine crude oil into lubricants for machines. It was so valuable that it became known as “black gold.” Steel and Oil Steel Oil

Industry Railroad Boom Industrial growth was fueled by railroads. Trains carried goods and people to the West, and raw materials to eastern factories. Companies improved the service by laying down thousands of miles of new track and by adding dining and sleeping cars. Railroads looked for ways to limit competition while keeping prices high. Some big lines combined to overpower smaller lines forcing them to sell the lines. The Pennsylvania Railroad combined 73 smaller companies. Railroads also gave discounts to frequent customers. Theses practices angered small farmers and led them to join Granger and Populist movements. Railroad Boom

Inventors and Inventions Enterprising Americans created an astonishing amount of inventions, in the late 1800’s Thomas Edison - set up a research lab (invention factory) in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In 1879 he invented the electric light bulb, in 1882 he opened the nation’s first electrical power plant. It supplied electricity that lit up homes, powered city streetcars, and enabled factories to replace steam engines with safer electric engines. Cyrus Field - had an underwater cable laid across the Atlantic that sped communications from Europe, In 1866. Alexander Graham Bell raised the bar, in 1876 he sent the first telephone message to his assistant in the other room, he said, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.” Inventors and Inventions Edison, Field, and Bell

Inventors and Inventions Some inventions made office work cheaper and faster. Christopher Sholes - a letter-writing device called a “Typewriter”, in 1868. Female typists were soon able to type 60 words per minute, that’s 1 word per second. George Eastman - in 1888, introduced a lightweight camera. It was called “The Kodak Camera.” Jan Matzeliger - made a machine that revolutionized the shoe industry. It sewed the tops of the shoes to the soles. Called the “Shoe Lasting Machine.” Granville Wood - made it possible to send telegraph messages between moving trains. Inventors and Inventions Sholes, Eastman, Matzeliger, Wood

Inventors and Inventions Henry Ford - in 1900 only 8000 Americans owned automobiles, he made it to where millions could own them. To do this he introduced the assembly line, the assembly line chopped production time in half. Meaning that they could make more faster, causing them to be less money. By 1917, more than 4.5 million people had automobiles. Wilbur and Orville Wright - 1903, they tested a gas-powered airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 1st = 12 seconds airtime, flew 120 feet Orville made four flights his longest was 59 seconds. Although no one saw a use for a flying machine until WW1 (1914-1918). But by the 1920s, airplanes had begun to change the world, making travel quicker and trade easier. Inventors and Inventions Ford and Wright Brothers

Factor - condition or quality that causes something else to happen Alter - to change, to make different Patent - a document giving someone the sole right to make and sell an invention Thomas Edison - inventor of the light bulb and the first electrical power plant Alexander Graham Bell - invented the telephone Henry Ford - made the automobile available to millions Assembly line - a manufacturing method in which a product is put together as it moves along a belt Wilbur and Orville - designed and made the first ever airplane. Vocabulary 18-1

The End By Richie and Caleb Most