The Industrial Revolution and the Move Westward

Chapter 11, Sec. 1-2

Key Objectives from 11-1

What was the Industrial Revolution, and how did it take hold in the U.S.?

Why was Lowell, MA, called a model factory town?

What was daily life like in early factories?

What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on American cities?

* Be on the lookout for answers to these questions.

Before the 1800s, most Americans were farming, and most things were made by hand.

But this slowly began to change with the Industrial Revolution. Machines were now being used, instead of hand tools. What kind of power was created that was better than manpower? Think back to our industrial town activity With a shift in how things were done, the economy began to change as well.

The Industrial Revolution actually began in Britain in the mid-1700s. People were inventing things that helped to change the textile industry; which is the making of cloth or clothing.

While the spinning wheel could only spin one thread at a time to create cloth, a spinning jenny could spin many at one time.

Spinning wheel Spinning jenny

Weaving also began to move out of people’s houses into large factories, which were powered by water. (see pg. 336)

These factories required a lot of capital, or money, to operate.

Thinking back to last week, what was a capitalist?

This factory system brought workers and machines together to make goods. The workers made money by working a set number of hours each day.

The British wanted to keep this new technology a secret, so the government passed a law making it illegal to take any plans of the machines out of the country.

But the Americans were offering large rewards for British factory plans, which interested Samuel Slater, a skilled British mechanic.Slater had to memorize the plans, because British officials were searching the bags of people traveling to the U.S.Slater soon met up with Moses Brown, a capitalist who owned a factory in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Brown’s mill was not doing well because the machines kept breaking, so Slater offered to help. They soon had America’s first successful textile mill.

What is the problem with things that are made by hand?Discuss with a neighbor for 30 seconds.

American inventor Eli Whitney soon came up with the idea of interchangeable parts, or parts made by a machine that are exactly the same.

Why would this be a good thing?

After that, inventors were creating machines to make interchangeable parts for clocks, locks and many other things. Because of these machines, small shops could grow into large factories.

Eli Whitney

What happened from 1812 to 1814 that caused Americans to have to create things on their own? During this time, Boston merchant Francis Lowell came up with the idea to have both the spinning and weaving of cloth under the same roof, instead of in two separate places.

After Lowell died, his business partners built an entire town around a factory and called the town Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1821, the town had five farm families, but by 1836, it had 10,000 people. It was now a model factory townThe factory hired girls from the farms to work in the factory. While the work was hard, they liked having economic freedom.

Life in a factory town was difficult, especially for women and children. Why might this be the case? What difference might there be for men and women?Children, as young as seven, were hired to work in these factories.Why would they hire young children, and what problems may arise?

While we think of child labor as cruel today, it was common in the 1800s, and not just in factories, but farms as well. Sometimes the child’s money was needed to help support the family.

Factory workers also had to work long hours; 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. While farmers worked shorter hours in the winter, factory workers continued their long hours all year.As bad as it was in American factories, conditions were much worse in Europe. But, the conditions in America grew worse as competition between factories grew. Employers started worrying less about their workers.

Home life changed as more family members left home to earn money. In most poorer families, women had to go off to work, while in richer families, wives stayed home. Having a wife who stayed home became a sign of success for many husbands.

With this shift in the economy, came a shift in population, as people started moving from the farms (rural) to cities (urban).This process is called urbanization.In 1800, only 6% of the population lived in cities, and by 1850, the number had risen to 15%. It would take until 1920 for more people to live in cities than on farms.

The cities offered a number of attractions: Museums, theaters, and circuses drew large numbers of people.

People could shop at stores that sold the latest fashions from Europe, and even offered “ready-to-wear” clothing, although most women still sewed their own clothes.

There were many other stores, including hat shops, china shops, and shoe stores.

Key Objectives from 11-1

What was the Industrial Revolution, and how did it take hold in the U.S.?

Why was Lowell, MA, called a model factory town?

What was daily life like in early factories?

What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on American cities?

The Move West

Key Objectives from 11-2

How did settlers travel west in the early 1800s?

What steps did Americans take to improve their roads?

How did steamboats and canals improve transportation for Americans?

* Be on the lookout for answers to these questions.

Although people were starting to move there, the cities did have problems. What problems may arise with the following? Discuss for 30 seconds.

Dirt streets

No sewers or trash collection

What is the big, overall problem with these conditions?

Settlers continued to push further and further west. This move west started as early as the 1600s. By 1820, so many people had moved west that the populations in the original 13 states had gone down. These travelers used a number of routes to travel on.One was the Great Wagon Road.

Another was the Wilderness Road, opened by Daniel Boone before the Revolutionary War.

This road goes through the Cumberland Gap, into Kentucky.

People started spreading out from all over the U.S.:

Some sailed down the Ohio River on flatboats, to Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. These flatboats were helpful in the shallow Ohio River, because they rode high in the water.

People from South Carolina and Georgia went west into Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Plantations began in this area because the soil was very fertile.

Pioneers from New England, New York and Pennsylvania went into the Northwest Territory. They traveled west form Albany, New York, along the Mohawk River and across the Appalachian Mountains. Some would then sail across Lake Erie into Ohio.

As more people moved west, the populations of some of these territories grew enough to apply for statehood.

Between 1792 and 1819, eight states joined the Union:

KY1792

TN1796 OH

1803

LA1812

IN1816 MS

1817

IL1818

AL1819

Because so many people were traveling by land, there was a call to improve road conditions. Private companies would build and maintain roads, collecting tolls from travelers to help pay for it. These toll roads were called turnpikes.

The Lancaster Turnpike was the first of these; linking Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The roads were flat stones built on gravel?Why on gravel?

In 1806, Congress approved the first national road-building project. The National Road was to run from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, Virginia. Construction started in 1811, but was not finished until 1818. Why did it take so long to complete?New sections were added until the road stretched through to St. Louis, Illinois. Additions to the National Road ended in 1838.

The preferred way of travel, if it was available, was by boat.

Why?What would be the negative to traveling by boat?

A trip downstream from Pittsburgh to New Orleans took 6 weeks, but the return trip took at least 17 weeks.

But, in 1807 a new type of boat was introduced that would change river travel for the better.

Predict what type of boat.

In 1807, inventor Robert Fulton launched a steamboat, called the Clermont, onto the Hudson River. It’s first trip was 300 miles from New York City to Albany. It took 62 hours, which was a record time. Steamboats were soon carrying passengers up and down the Atlantic coast.

Why would farmers really like the steamboats?

Soon after, a flat bottomed steamboat was created.

There were some dangers with steamboats, as sparks from smokestacks caused fires or the high-pressure boilers exploded. Between 1811 and 1851, 44 steamboats collided, 166 burned and more than 200 exploded.

What would be the problem with farmers traveling by river?

A canal is man-made water route that allows boats to cross stretches of land. (see pg. 340)The first was the Erie Canal. When finished, it would allow farmers in the west to ship their goods directly to the port of New York. The canal would also cause towns and businesses to spring up along the banks. Thousands of workers started in 1817 by digging with their bare hands. Inventors soon started creating new machines to speed up the process, including a stump puller, which could pull up 40 tree stumps in one day. They also had to build stone bridges across the two rivers that the canal crossed along the way. Construction was finished in 1825.

Key Objectives from 11-2

How did settlers travel west in the early 1800s?

What steps did Americans take to improve their roads?

How did steamboats and canals improve transportation for Americans?

Make sure this gets marked on your Table of Contents and is put

in the Notes section of your binder.