Industrial Revolution

The North In the 1800s most Americans worked on farms and items that could not be made at home were manufactured by hand, one at a time by blacksmiths.

The North - Technology and Industry Changes were taking place in the Northern states. Power-driven machinery performed many of the tasks that were once done by hand.

The North - Technology and Industry They started having individual specialize in their work. (Ex: instead of having one person spin thread and then weave, they had one person spin all day and the other weave)

The North - Technology and Industry They then developed factories to house all the workers together. Later these factories used new machines, many that were powered by water and steam, and workers tended to the machines instead of weaving. This produced more products at a faster rate.

The North - Improved Transportation Between 1800 and 1850, thousands of miles of roads and canals were built. The growth of the railroad also helped in the transporting of goods.

The North - Improved Transportation Robert Fulton created the steamboat in 1807 which could carry goods and passengers cheaper and more quickly. This also spurred the growth of major cities such as Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Chicago.

The North - Improved Transportation Clipper ships also became the pride of sea traveling up to 300 miles per day

The North - Improved Transportation Canals and railways transformed trade in the nation’s interior. The Erie Canal opened in 1825. The development of the east-west canals and railways allowed products to be moved very quickly. Most of these were developed in the North.

The North - Communication The telegraph – used electric signals to transmit messages – allowed communication to keep pace with the growth of industry. Samuel Morse developed the Morse Code – series of dots and dashes representing letters of the alphabet.

The North - Agriculture Railroads gave new markets to farmers to ship their goods to. Technology improvements allowed them to increase the size of their harvests. Three inventions changed farming methods:

The North - Agriculture Steel-tipped plow invented by John Deere in 1837 that was sturdier than the wooden plow. The mechanical reaper developed by Cyrus McCormick which sped up the harvesting of wheat. The thresher which quickly separated the grain from the stalk.

The North - Agriculture Even with the new technology, the North stayed away from farming and favored the industries. (rocky soil made it tough to farm in the North)

The South - Cotton Kingdom Cotton was dominant in the South. Slave labor contributed to the success of the cotton.

The South - Cotton Kingdom Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which was a machine that removed seeds from cotton fibers. The changed the amounts of cotton produce by an individual from 1 pound by hand to 50 pounds a day by machine.

The South - Industry The South economy prospered just like that of the North. The South however remained rural in most areas.

The South - Industry The main reason for the South to remain rural was the boom in cotton sales. There was also a lack of capital for people to invest into new businesses. A large portion of the population in the South consisted of enslaved people with no money.

The South - Transportation Natural waterways provided means for the transporting goods. Canals and roads were in poor condition. Railroads built were short and did not connect all parts of the region.