1. Economic Beginnings in the United States
A Future of Improvement

2. Industrial Revolution
Started in Great Britain in Mid to Late 1700s
Major change in economy due to increased use of machines powered by sources other than humans and animals
This is not one event, one process or especially not one invention
Great Britain guarded their new technology closely
No one who knew the designs of any machines or structures could emigrate to another country

3. Industrial Revolution Overview
Three Main Aspects
Textile Industry

4. Textile Industry Samuel Slater Worked in British cotton spinning mill
Memorized all the design plans
Left for America, secretly, to make fortunes
Found financial backing and built first American factory in 1793
Built machinery for spinning cotton faster

5. Textile Industry Eli Whitney In 1793, produced the “Cotton Gin”
Separated the cotton fibers from the seeds
Incredibly increased the output of cotton fibers; 1 pound per day without - 50 pounds with
Profits exploded for both cotton and the gin
This increased the demand for both labor and land

7. Lowell (MA) Mills

8. Industrial Revolution Overview
Three Main Aspects
Textile Industry
Transportation Industry

9. Transportation Industry
Transportation started to boom with invention of the steam engine
Although it helped other industries, it revolutionized transportation
Driven by steam, powered by coal or wood
Dozens of steamboats were traveling on the rivers and canals by the 1820s

10. Transportation Industry
In the 1830s, inventors were creating steam powered locomotives
Even though railroad boosters had opposition, by the 1840s, railroads were becoming part of the U.S. future

11. Industrial Revolution Overview
Three Main Aspects
Textile Industry
Transportation Industry
Communication Industry

12. Communications Industry
The federal government oversaw the most important improvement in this field
Post Offices: Delivering written words
Only 75 existed by 1790
Increased to 8,450 by 1830
Consistent delivery of mail made communicating long distances much easier
Mail carried newspapers, magazines and books to the masses

13. Market Revolution
Dramatic expansion of the market through the construction of roads and canals.
New mind-set adopted by producers in planning and distributing their goods
Before 1790:
Americans would make only goods they would use themselves; Self sufficient
After 1800:
Americans made decisions about what to produce, what to charge, and where to sell on the basis of "the market."