During the 1800's, America
was introduced to many inventions and new ways of producing that helped shape its economy. An example
of this is economic changes that occurred when manufacturing replaced
hand-made goods. These changes were otherwise known as the Industrial
Revolution. Technically, the Industrial Revolution began in 1793 when the first
spinning wheel factory was created, but it is also known to have begun after
the war of 1812. Overall, the Industrial Revolution brought many machines and
people under one roof and began the process of industrializing America.
Many citizens did not agree with the industrializing that was taking place, but
they could do very little from stopping it. People from farms left their homes
and crowded into cities to work in the newly created factories. Entrepreneurs
built factories that made them and their region rich, and even investors moved
their investments from shipping and trade to factories. America
was changing fast. A few factories, like Lowell Mills (the first textile
factory that spun cotton into yarn, yarn into cloth and ran on waterpower),
even hired women.
Along with the factories, many inventions
made their way to America.
Some examples are the steamboat (invented by Robert Fulton), the steam powered
locomotive (invented by Peter Cooper), the telegraph, the threshing machine,
and the reaper. All of these inventions helped make American life easier and
put America
ahead of the game.
