History Quest The Industrial Revolution - Short answers

***Discuss the impact of the Erie Canal on the farming industry?

The Erie canal 1- reduced the cost of transporting goods from Buffalo to NYC from $100 to $4. 2 - It also enhanced the value of the farmlands in the Great Lakes region because farmers now had easier access to their markets.

Why was Lowell's system of factories so important and helpful to the Industrial Revolution?

all operations in manufacture of cloth occurred in one place, so- speed and volume increased

What was the family system?

entire families were employed and settled in villages owned by the factory owners and around the mills

How did farms and agriculture improve during the Industrial Revolution?

farms became more productive, sold more crops each year, there was a greater fertility of new farms in the Midwest, adopted better methods for planting, tending and harvesting crops, and raising livestock

How did Samuel F.B. Morse improve communication?

invented electric telegraph, let messages be delivered almost instantly, soon nation had tons of telegraph lines

How did canals help transportation?

linked farms to cities, lowered cost of travel, helped establish New York City as a commercial city, enhanced value of farmland in Great Lakes region since there was now easier access to markets for goods

What did the sewing machine do in industry?

lowered cost and increased speed of making cloth into clothing

What was the electric telegraph?

machine that allowed electrical pulses to travel long distances along metal wires as coded signals, used morse code, fast

***In what ways did the advent of railroads affect canals?

Railroads 1-cost less to build, 2-could easily scale hills, and 3-could carry more weight, so they eventually built more railroads and the boom in building canals stopped

What Changes occurred in the United States with the rise of industry in the early 1800s?

- began to change American from an agricultural society to an industrial one with the advent of machines which turned manufacturing which was done by hand into a mechanical process. this had an effect of=n the labor force which drew people from the farms to the cities.

What were some key innovations between 1820 and 1860 that transformed communications and agriculture in the United States?

1) The Telegraph 2) The Cotton Gin 3) Textile Mills 4) Interchangeable Parts agriculture increased in spite of the growing power of the nations factories. Greater fertiity of th midwest, better methods in planting and farming. The steel plow and the mehanical reaper increased productivity.

What were the major developments in transportation between 1800 and 1860? ( 4 things)

1) turnpikes/National Roads- 1818 were toll roads that were to use the money raised to improve the quality of the roads. most did not turn a profit, and they did not lower transportation costs or reduce travel time. 2) Steamboats- 1820- 1850's - boats could go upstream - decreased travel time - utilized the potential of the Mississippi Basin - transformed transatlantic travel 3) Canals- - connected bodies of water to decrease cost of overland travel. - increased value of farmlands that were connected by the canals because it brought them closer to market 4) Railroads-1800-1860 replaced Canals because they were -cheaper to build -could go up hills - could carry a heavier load

***How did the development of the steamboat effect American travel?

1- easier to travel upstream, 2-revolutionized trans-atalantic travel 3-shortened traveling time, 4- opened up Mississippi River basin's full potential

***Discuss the role Francis Cabot Lowell played in the American Industrial Revolution.

Boston merchant Francis Cabot Lowell developed another industrial system in Massachusetts. In 1811 he toured England's factory towns and then came back and developed a textile mill in 1813 in Waltham Mass. in which all of the operation sin the manufacturing of cloth occurred thus increasing efficiency and decreasing cost. He opened other factories on the Merricmack River and creataed a system of employment of young single women called the Lowell Girls, thus creating a new low waged work force for manufacturing.

Why did it take a while for the machines in Great Britain to come to the US?

Britain banned export of machinery and the emigration of those who new about the machinery and how it worked to protect its industrial advantage

***Discuss the Industrial Revolution and its effect on American Manufacturing

The Industrial Revolution had a major impact on American culture. America changed from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy. Many people moved out of the country and into the cities. Mass production of goods changed every aspect of American life. Items that were once hard to come by were now easy to find. It also created many jobs for many people. Of course these jobs consisted of working in factories on assembly lines, etc. The problem with this is that most of the jobs were low paying jobs and the workers worked long hours. The people who really flourished financially during the Industrial Revolution were those that owned the companies.

How did factories change businesses and workers' lives?

machines increased pace of work and divided labor into many small tasks - reduced amount of skill/training required for jobs, owners could hire more untrained workers, which there were more of and were cheaper to employ, owners achieved benefits. Then hired more trained workers to finsih the project ( clothes or shoes)

Why was the invention of textile mills along rivers so important?

made more cloth more quickly, did work that was once done by hand, used water to power the mill

Why were interchangeable parts so important?

one part that worked in an item could not work in another item - could not do this before, quickened the making of devices, improved efficiency

How did the changes in factories affect the garment and shoemaking trade?

owners achieved benefits from smaller tasks without using machines - contractors would give cloth to poor women, who would make clothes in their home without machines and earned little money - shoemaking did a similar model, where a few men performed the skilled and better-paying tasks of cutting and shaping leather and women sewed the shoes together

How did railroads ease transportation?

pull heavier loads of cargo at higher speeds, cost less to build and could scale hills, railroad network expanded

What inventions increased agriculture?

steel plow, mechanical reaper

How did roads/turnpikes help transportation?

turnpikes - supposed to use tolls to ease transportation and improve roads, but not many made a profit or lowered overall cost of transportation/improve speed of travel - generally roads made it faster and cheaper to travel