Changing American Life
Inventions
Textiles and Clothing Communication Agriculture Transportation
Inventions Textiles and Clothing Communication Agriculture Transportation Elias Howe – Sewing Machine I.M. Singer – Foot Treadle These inventions make shoe/garment production easier both in home and in factory settings – what does this do to prices?
Inventions Textiles and Clothing Communication Agriculture Transportation Elias Howe – Sewing Machine I.M. Singer – Foot Treadle Samuel F. B. Morse - Telegraph Instantaneous Communication. Great for business; transmit/receive orders and price information. Also useful for transportation coordination. By 1854, 23,000 miles of telegraph wire crisscross the country.
Inventions Textiles and Clothing Communication Agriculture Transportation Elias Howe – Sewing Machine I.M. Singer – Foot Treadle Samuel F. B. Morse - Telegraph Robert Fulton – Steamboat “Clermont” Railroads Steamboats can go up/down rivers. Useful for carrying heavy loads – when no rivers exist we make our own Initially more expensive than water shipping, does offer some advantages: faster, can operate in winter, and easier to go inland. Eventually costs come down; 1850 – 10,000 miles of track. By billion tons of freight a year by rail.
Inventions Textiles and Clothing Communication Agriculture Transportation Elias Howe – Sewing Machine I.M. Singer – Foot Treadle Samuel F. B. Morse - Telegraph Robert Fulton – Steamboat “Clermont” Railroads Cyrus McCormick – Mechanical Reaper John Deere – Steel Plow Can plow previously un-plowable land, allows replacing oxen with horses Shipped to farmers assembly-required. Harvest- time, performed the work of five farmhands. Farmers can advance past subsistence.
The inventions we saw today, and frankly, most inventions, come down to making life easier for people. Modifications of existing products, or changing the way that people perform activities
Giesen owns a Cool Things factory. He wants to produce a hot new invention, but can only afford to produce ONE! You are his loyal workers/advisors Come up with an invention to the following specifications: ▪ It needs a name ▪ It must be at least semi-realistically reasonable ▪ It must do/be something new or an obvious improvement on something in existence ▪ Explain why your idea is the best one! ▪ Have fun with it, but be reasonable, please.
Name of Invention Proposal – What does it do? Why is it useful? Diagram(s) Sales pitch! I would advise putting this together on a nice unlined piece of paper, and trying to write it neatly. Style Points!