Roots of IndustrializationRoots of Industrialization

Libertyville High SchoolLibertyville High School

Colonial IndustryColonial Industry

Agricultural basis of economy North: subsistence

crops South: labor intensive

cash crops

Farmers relied upon merchants, craftsmen for tools and trade

Post Revolution IndustryPost Revolution Industry Post revolution population

low (incentive for mechanization)

Eastern seaboard had many rivers & streams (mills)

Lots of natural resources Government / social effect

Strong property rights Patent system (IP) Non-rigid class system

Early American IndustryEarly American Industry Cotton Gin (1789) by Ely

Whitney Separated seeds of short

fibered cotton from fiber Reduced necessary labor

by factor of 50! Generated huge profits for

cotton growers

Cemented cotton as main crop in South

Early American IndustryEarly American Industry “Putting out” system

Subcontracting work to people who did it at home

Exs: textiles, light manufacturing (locks, guns)

Samuel Slater “Father of American Industrial

Revolution” Englishman, learned textile

industry in England Emigrated to America (illegally!);

started factory here; owned 13 textile factories in US

Samuel Slater

Slater Mill

Industrial TechnologyIndustrial Technology Interchangeable parts

Pioneered by gunsmiths Jefferson & Blanc story (1778 –

refused to emigrate) Ely Whitney story (K w/o knowing

about interchangeability) Advantage: speed Disadvantage: quality

Energy provider Moving water (mills) James Watt (1736-1819)

Importance: allowed factories to move away from rivers

Still needed to be close to transportation networkSteam engine

Transportation NetworkTransportation Network Roads

Macadam roads Layer of gravel Layer of larger stones Tar used to make rocks

on top surface stick

Steamboat Robert Fulton patent Clermont (1807) – NY

to Albany in 32 hours! (took sailing ships 4 days)

Transportation NetworkTransportation Network DeWitt Clinton’s “Big

Ditch” Erie Canal (1817-1828) First canal to be built with

state money (others private or Feds)

Built between Albany & Buffalo

Statistics 363 miles long 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep w/

10 foot towpath alongside 83 locks, total rise = 568 feet,

from Hudson to Lake Erie Disadvantage: SLOW!!!

Transportation NetworksTransportation Networks Railroad

Derived from steam ship Steam engine on wheels, w/

tracks Advantages

could be built anywhere Inexpensive Relatively fast (vs. canal, road)

First RR = Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Between Baltimore, MD and

Ellcicot, MD 13 miles away (expanded quickly, to DC by 1834)

Early RRs built by private investors Initially moved natural resources Later, passenger trains began

Government Encouragement of Government Encouragement of IndustrializationIndustrialization

Patents Gov’t gives inventor exclusive

rights to benefit from invention After 20 years, anyone can

duplicate invention

Copyrights Protection to authors of

original works of authorship Owner has exclusive right to

reproduce copyrighted work

Why important?!?!

CommunicationsCommunications Telegraph (1844)

Prof. Samuel Morse sent pulses of electrical current through wires to produce dots / dashes (Morse code)

Famous telegraph companies include Western Union, AT&T, Bell

By 1858, trans-Atlantic communication possible

Morse Code, c. 1837

Extent of TelegraphStations,1853

Significance of AdvancementsSignificance of Advancements

Westward migration made possible

Agricultural, industrial segments of economy became interdependent

Nation tied together through transportation network

“Westward, the Course to Empire”

Impact of IndustrializationImpact of Industrialization Northeast (New England)

Textiles Manufacturing

Middle States (“Midwest”) Transportation Trade & banking Big cities emerge

(Chicago) South

Cotton Gin created “King Cotton”

Increased reliance on slavery