Section 2-Early Industry

Chapter 7-Growth and Division, 1816-1832

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Chapter ObjectivesSection 2: Early Industry

I can examine the changes that took place in transportation in the early 1800s.

I can discuss how the Industrial Revolution changed methods of production.

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(pages 245–247)

(pages 245–247)

A Revolution in Transportationo In the early 1800s, a transportation revolution,

including the construction of the Erie Canal, occurred in the Northern states.

o This led to great social and economic changes. o In 1806 Congress funded the building of the

National Road, a major east-west highway that started in Cumberland, Maryland, and ended in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia).

o This was the largest federally funded transportation project of its time.

o Most highway improvements were funded by state and local governments and by private businesses.

o In 1807 the steamboat called the Clermont, designed by Robert Fulton, traveled upstream on the Hudson River.

o Steamboats made river travel more reliable and upstream travel easier.

A Revolution in Transportation(cont.)

o This caused a growth in river travel and canal building.

o Railroads were built in America in the early 1800s and helped settle the West and expand trade among the nation’s regions.

A Revolution in Transportation(cont.)

o They also created national markets by making transportation cheaper and increased the demand for iron and coal.

A New System of Productiono The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in

the 1700s.

o The revolution consisted of several developments in business and industry.

o Industry developed quickly in the United States in the early 1800s.

o Important factors included free enterprise and the passage of general incorporation laws.

o Industrialization began in the Northeast, where swift-flowing streams powered the factories.

o In addition, entrepreneurs and merchants in that region had money to invest in industry.

o In 1789 Samuel Slater built a textile machine in Rhode Island.

A New System of Production (cont.)

o In 1814 Francis C. Lowell opened several textile mills in northeastern Massachusetts. He started mass production of cotton cloth in the United States.

o Many inventions and technological innovations increased the industrial growth in the United States.

o Eli Whitney developed the idea of interchangeable parts in the gun-making industry.

A New System of Production (cont.)

(pages 247–249)

(pages 247–249)

o Machines were able to produce large amounts of identical pieces that workers assembled into finished goods.

o Samuel F. B. Morse perfected the telegraph in 1832.

o He developed the Morse code for sending messages.

o Spurred by journalists, more than 50,000 miles of telegraph wire crossed the country by 1860.

A New System of Production (cont.)

o Many city populations doubled or tripled. o The growing cities provided many different

occupations. o One fast-growing industry was the publishing

industry, which grew to satisfy the growing demand for reading materials.

The Rise of Large Citieso Industrialization in the United States in the early

to mid-1800s caused many people to move from farms and villages to cities in search of factory jobs and higher wages.

Workers Begin to Organizeo During the late 1820s and early 1830s, some

factory workers joined labor unions to improve working conditions.

o The unions, however, had little power or money to support strikes, or work stoppages.

o Thus, the early labor unions had little success. o In 1840 the workday for federal employees was

lowered to 10 hours. o In 1842 the Supreme Court ruled that labor

strikes were legal.

The Family Farmo During the early 1800s, agriculture was the

country’s leading economic activity.

o Most people were employed in farming until the late 1800s.

o Farming was more important in the South than in the North.

o As the North began to focus on manufacturing, the South’s economy continued to depend on agriculture and slavery.