The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began with textile machines. These machines turned cotton into yarn. In 1793,Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that cleaned cotton quickly. Cotton became America’s biggest export. Then the government hired Whitney to make thousands of guns. At that time guns were made by hand. Whitney thought of a way to make them quickly and cheaply. He used interchangeable parts and mass production. Soon factories began using his ideas. The nation’s productivity increased.
Machines Bring Change
Entrepreneurs used machines to change how people worked. Francis Lowell built a mill that turned cotton into cloth. Soon other factories opened. New inventions, like reapers and steel plows, made farm work easier and faster. Before the Industrial Revolution, people worked on farms or in workshops. Now many people worked in factories.
Changes in Transportation
In the 1800s,dirt roads could not be used in bad weather. The government built a paved road from Maryland to Ohio. People built towns and opened businesses to sell goods. Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could travel without wind or currents. Soon there were many steamboats. In 1825,the Erie Canal opened. This canal made it easier to ship goods between Lake Erie and the Hudson River. Many canals were built. Rivers and canals became the fastest and cheapest way to ship goods.
Steam locomotive trains were even faster than steamboats. Trips that took 32 hours by steamboat took only 10 hours by train. Soon the United States had thousands of miles of railroad track. Factories and farmers sent their goods faster to places all over the country.
|
|
|
German and Irish Immigrants
Millions of Europeans came to the United States in the mid 1800s.Almost half were Irish and about one-third were German. Thousands of Germans left Europe because of crop failures and war. Many settled in the Midwest of the United States. Germans with money, education, and skills bought land to farm. Others worked in Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.
Many Irish people left Ireland because of the Irish Potato Famine. When a disease destroyed the potato crop in 1846, there was not enough food. Many people died. In the next 10 years, more than a million Irish people came to the United States. Most of them didn’t have enough money to leave the Northeast cities where they landed. They built canals and railroads or worked in factories or as servants.
Some people did not like immigrants because their customs seemed different. People also thought immigrants were taking their jobs. Many immigrants worked for little money because they needed jobs. Craftspeople who made goods by hand lost jobs because factories produced goods faster and cheaper. Many Americans left farms to look for jobs in cities.
Many Irish people left Ireland because of the Irish Potato Famine. When a disease destroyed the potato crop in 1846, there was not enough food. Many people died. In the next 10 years, more than a million Irish people came to the United States. Most of them didn’t have enough money to leave the Northeast cities where they landed. They built canals and railroads or worked in factories or as servants.
Some people did not like immigrants because their customs seemed different. People also thought immigrants were taking their jobs. Many immigrants worked for little money because they needed jobs. Craftspeople who made goods by hand lost jobs because factories produced goods faster and cheaper. Many Americans left farms to look for jobs in cities.
Making a Better Society
In the 1820s,thousands of people joined Christian churches. This was the Second Great Awakening. During this time, many people tried to reform society. Antislavery and temperance were reform movements. The temperance movement wanted people to stop drinking alcohol.
Women who worked for reform, especially antislavery, saw that they were treated with injustice too. They could not vote, speak in public meetings, or have high-paying jobs. In 1848, women had a meeting in Seneca Falls to talk about their rights. This began the women’s rights movement. Newspapers attacked the women’s ideas, but many more women joined the movement.
Women who worked for reform, especially antislavery, saw that they were treated with injustice too. They could not vote, speak in public meetings, or have high-paying jobs. In 1848, women had a meeting in Seneca Falls to talk about their rights. This began the women’s rights movement. Newspapers attacked the women’s ideas, but many more women joined the movement.