Industrial Revolution Chapter 10, Section 2

Samuel Slater Slater introduced factory system to US in 1792 Opened first factory in Rhode Island Spinning Frame

Factory System Products used to be made in small scale by families in homes Factories put machines in one location Make people come to work Reduce need for skilled labor

Transportation Revolution Roads, canals, Railroads made transportation fast and cheap Allows for raw materials to be brought to factories Finished products taken to market Workers to get to jobs

National Economy Ease of communication and transportation added to factory system ties different regions of US together Abundance of raw materials allowed US to grow fast Opportunity attracted immigrants from other countries

Corporations Were created to raise large amounts of capital to pay for factories Corporations legally are similar to a person Shares of stock are sold to attract investors Increases available capital, reduces risk to investors

Waltham and Factory System Lowell built factory in Waltham Massachusetts 1813 Put all machines in one building Factories built along rivers for power supply

Lowell Girls Not enough workers in America so women and children were used Entire families were hired Lowell believed using women would prevent factories from becoming slum areas Lowell built houses and communities to support workers Wage Slavery Workers not paid enough for true independence

Interchangeable Parts Eli Whitney came up with idea Use a mold to create exact duplicates of parts Put equipment together like a jigsaw puzzle Increase quantity of products dramatically Creates more consistency with output Decreases skilled labor, increases unskilled labor Government hired him to make guns

Mass Production Producing masses of items of exactly the same kind. Do not have to rely on skilled labor. Items became cheaper and more people could buy them. Employers could pat more and still make a profit.