The Industrial Revolution Kenneth Monterrey Period 8 November 05, 2009

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial revolution began In the late 1700’s in Britain. This revolution purposed in the increasing rate of productions by using machines which are powered by different sources other than people or animals. Americans developed different inventions that profited them and produced goods and items quicker and cheaper.

The Industrial Revolution began with changes in textile and cloth-making industry. But before this event it was usually the crafts workers job to spin the wool or fiber and weave the cloth at home. Groups of weavers and spinners worked in buildings known as mills which are located near a stream or river and by using the power of flowing water, were able to run their equipments.

Some British inventions influenced the American Industrial Revolution. The items were the spinning jenny, the water frame, and the power loom. All these inventions helped assist the process of spinning and weaving cloth. The uses of machines exceedingly improved the efficiency of textile mills. Profits were also being increased in the textile industry.

One of the most important inventions in the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine. It worked by controlling the energy that resulted in the expansion of steam. James Watt improved the first steam engine in Britain during 1765 and 1785. Eventually the steam engine was able to provide the energy necessary to pump water out of mines, run textile machines, and other tasks indeed. Later improvements of the steam engine provided the use to drive a locomotive. A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train.

Interchangeable Parts Many Americans contributed to the Industrial Revolution one in particular was a New England inventor named Eli Whitney. In 1798, Eli signed a contract with the government promising them a total of 10,000 guns in two years. This was a difficult process for Eli because he was only able to find specific parts for the gun since no parts could be interchanged with the matching part of another gun. Eli eventually created the 10,000 guns but it actually took him ten years to finish. Other inventors perfected his system and the system of interchangeable parts was adopted. It was the process of all parts being made to an exact standard.

The Cotton Gin Whitney also contributed to the invention of the cotton gin. He thought of this idea when he was visiting a plantation in Georgia. He noticed how difficult it was to get the cotton seeds out from the cotton fibers and thought of a solution. At first an individual was only able to clean one pound of cotton per day. Now, thanks to the cotton gin, it was possible to clean 1,000 pound of cotton per day.

Effects of the Cotton Gin The profit per pound of cotton increased greatly and the amount of cotton planted as well. American exports of cotton rose by 6,000% during 1790-1815. Farmers started to become dependent on cotton as their major crop and because of it being so profitable. Planters sought out for new land in order to grow larger crops of cotton. Areas quickly bought and settled in was Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. In order to keep up with the demands of raw cotton , planters started to buy enslaved African Americans. Between 1790 and 1820 the slave population doubled from 700,000 to 1.5 million in the South. Many Americans believed that slavery would eventually end but the cotton gin put that belief on hold.

River Travel Rivers provided the country’s major transportation route and the main vehicles were keelboats and flatboats which were hand powered. A problem with river traveling was that the route wouldn’t work upstream because flatboats couldn’t carry goods opposite of the current. One inventor was able to fix this problem and he was Robert Fulton. By using one of James Watt’s steam engine, Fulton was able to create a steam boat known as the Clermont. The Clermont was able to travel upriver and travel against currents, all faster than sailing ships.

Fulton’s steamboat wasn’t the first steamboat to navigate on the river but was the first commercially successful one. A few years later steamboats were soon transporting goods and travelers through the Mississippi river and other rivers of the West. Farmers and planters depended on steamboats to make trade and profit successful.

Communication The effects of the transportation revolution also influenced the advances in communication. The expansion of the postal service benefited from this revolution. From 1790 through 1830 the number of postal offices ranged from 75 to 8,450. Individuals and businesses were able to communicate better from a long distance. Mail also developed a network of information. It included newspaper, magazines, and books. This was a major outcome during the Industrial Revolution since it increased the nations literacy rate. More than 500 newspaper were being published daily. This event helped tie different parts of the country together by the usefulness of improved communications and the exchange of ideas in newspaper.

Reference Prentice Hall America Pathways to the Present Cayton, Perry, Reed, Winkler