1.  Chicago Grows in the Industrial Revolution

2. Limited Trade at First  At first people could only trade with others using the rivers and Lake Michigan.

3. Canals and Railroads  Canals were built that connected the Great Lakes. These canals made it so ships could travel farther than just Lake Michigan.  Railroads were built across land areas. The railroad made it so trade was not limited just to waterways.

4. Machines and Factories  Machines were invented that made work faster and easier. Instead of doing everything slowly by hand, people started using machines in factories  The reaper was invented by Cyrus H. McCormick. This was a machine that helped farmers harvest their crops faster.

5. A Dirty, Crowded City  Smoky trains and factories made the city dirty.  There were a lot of jobs at the Chicago factories. People from many other places (Irish Catholics, African Americans from the South, Germans, Russians, Italians, Greeks, etc.) came to work in Chicago’s factories  Factory workers were often treated unfairly and not paid very much.

6. A City Growing Too Quickly  The population of Chicago kept growing. There were not enough police officers for so many people.  Fire departments did not have good equipment.  Garbage was just dumped in the streets.  Sewage was dumped in the Chicago River.