Background
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain for a
variety of reasons including, capital for
investment, natural resources, a large labor
force, and technological innovations.
This revolution quickly spread to the United States
which had many of the same advantages. The
Industrial Revolution in the U.S. was primarily centered
in the northern states, as the southern states
continued to rely on agriculture, which was extremely
profitable using slave labor under the plantation
system.Pre
Civil War
Factories and mills spread quickly throughout New
England prior to the Civil War due to good supplies of
natural resources such as iron and coal,
and the ease of transporting finished goods along the
many navigable rivers. This in turn lead to the building
of more railroads and canals to handle the
increased traffic.
Civil War
 The Civil War increased industrialization as both North
and South required weapons. The North was in a
better position to expand as they already had
industrialized to a certain extent. Factories for
guns, ammo, clothing, and various
other supplies quickly grew. Also,
mechanization in agriculture became a primary
concern as many farmers were away fighting the war.
|
Inventors and
Inventions |
| 1852 |
Elisha Otis |
elevator |
| 1864 |
George Pullman |
sleeping car for
trains |
| 1865 |
Thaddeus Lowe |
ice machine |
| 1871 |
Andrew S. Hallide |
cable streetcar |
| 1874 |
Stephen D. Field |
electric streetcar |
| 1876 |
Alexander Graham
Bell |
telephone |
| 1878 |
Thomas Edison |
phonograph |
| 1879 |
Thomas Edison |
practical use
light bulb |
| 1888 |
King C. Gillette |
razor with
disposable blades |
| 1893 |
Charles & J. Frank
Duryea |
gasoline powered
car |
Post Civil War
After the war, the transcontinental railroad
opened commerce across the country, and further
stimulated technological growth. Technology began to
change American life with the introduction of inventions
such as the electric streetcar (1874), the
telephone (1876), the phonograph (1878), and
the gasoline powered car (1893). Innovative
businessmen like Henry Ford introduced new methods of
production such as the assembly line to further
spur technological growth. The result of Ford's
innovation was a lowering in prices of these goods which
made them readily available to all but the poorest
classes in society.
Turn of the
Century
The Industrial Revolution had lasting effects. The
people of the early 20th century had access to many
 more
luxuries than any people before. Automobiles
transformed culture by allowing people to live farther
and farther away from the workplace. This created
suburban life. Cities were transformed by the ever
growing skyscrapers that seemed to dominate
architecture. This was made possible due to better
methods of production of steel and the increasing use of
energy sources such as electricity and coal.
Electricity changed life as people began to use
electric lights and appliances in their homes.
For entertainment, new technologies such as the radio
and moving pictures became popular. The spirit of
invention continued throughout the early part of the
20th century. |
