The Industrial Revolution in United States History

91 Pages·2014·1.36 MB·English

by  Anita Louise McCormick

About this Book
Amazing Inventions Imagine listening as Alexander
Graham Bell demonstrates his new invention—the
telephone—or watching Thomas Edison as he shows
off his latest invention—the automatic telegraph. At
the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, celebrating the one
hundredth anniversary of America's independence,
fair-goers were constantly amazed at these and other
inventions that would make life easier for them and
for every American.
In The Industrial Revolution in United States History, author Anita Louise
McCormick traces the development of American industry from its roots in
eighteenth-century England through its decline around the time of World War II.
From the steam engine to the telegraph to the motion picture industry,
McCormick shows how, in less than two hundred years, the Industrial
Revolution was able to transform the United States from an agricultural country
of small farmers to the richest and most powerful industrial nation in the world.
"A thoroughly detailed account…"
—ALMA
"The writing is succinct and accurate…"
—Bayviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anita Louise McCormick has written several books and articles on a wide
variety of issues and events. Among her other books for Enslow Publishers, Inc.,
is Native Americans and the Reservation in American History.

CONTENTS
Cover
About this Book
Title Page
Chapter 1: A Century of Progress
First Hundred Years of Industrialization
Chapter 2: The Revolution Begins
The Industrial Revolution Began in Europe
Industrialization of the Textile Industry
The Steam Engine Is Invented
The Change in People’s Lives
Chapter 3: Industry in America
The Government Encourages Industry
Patent Laws Encourage Invention
Eli Whitney’s Contributions
Chapter 4: The Factory System
Textile Factories in Lowell, Massachusetts
A Changing Workforce
Factory Conditions
City Life
Chapter 5: Roads, Boats, and Railroads
MAP: Canals - Mid-1800s
Overland Roads
Steamboats
Canals Connect the Nation’s Rivers
Railroads
Chapter 6: New Ways to Communicate
Samuel Morse and the Telegraph
Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone
Thomas Edison’s Inventions
The Many Uses of Electricity
Chapter 7: The Age of Big Business
Combinations and Mergers
Andrew Carnegie and the Steel Industry
John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil
The Antitrust Movement
Theodore Roosevelt Fights Monopolies
Chapter 8: Life in the Late 1800s
Overcrowded Tenement Houses
The Brighter Side of City Life
Women in the Industrial Revolution
Street Peddlers
Children and Public Education
Looking Toward the Future
Chapter 9: Into the Twentieth Century
The Middle Class
Women, Minorities, and Children
The Age of the Automobile
Motor Vehicle Registration and Sales, 1900–1930
The Second Industrial Revolution
World War I Speeds Industrialization
Life Between the Wars
The New Deal
America Enters World War II
Opportunities for Women and Minorities
Chapter 10: The Industrial Legacy
Timeline
Chapter Notes
Further Reading
Index
Note to Our Readers
Copyright
More Books from Enslow
Chapter 1
A CENTURY OF PROGRESS
Image Credit: Library of Congress
A young girl working as a spinner at the Rhodes Manufacturing Company in Lincolnton,
North Carolina, gets a momentary glimpse at the world outside.
May 10, 1876, was an exciting day in Philadelphia. It was the opening day of the
Centennial Exhibition—the first world’s fair ever to be held in the United States.
Thousands of people from all walks of life came to Philadelphia’s Fairmount
Park to take part in the celebration. Politicians, scientists, inventors, writers,
artisans, and housewives crowded in through the gates. Dignitaries from many
nations were there. The exhibitors, especially a group of American inventors
who had worked for years to perfect their ideas and bring them into the
marketplace, were anxious to show their work to all who came.
The Centennial Exhibition was billed as the “greatest spectacle ever presented to
the vision of the Western World.”,1 Many people felt that this magnificent fair,
held at the birthplace of their nation’s independence, was the event of a lifetime.
They did not want to miss it. During the exhibition’s run from May to October,
nearly 8 million people—one out of five Americans—came to see what their
nation had accomplished. Everyone who attended the Centennial Exhibition had
a chance to view some thirty thousand exhibits. So many people wanted to
present their ideas and products that over two hundred buildings had to be
erected to hold the exhibits. In all, the fairgrounds covered 450 acres.2
Items from every American state, as well as fifty foreign nations, were on
display. Even countries as far away as China and Egypt participated. There was
fine silk from the Far East, hand-carved furniture from Europe, and fancy china
and pottery. In short, the fair showcased the best the world had to offer in the
fields of art, science, and commerce. But among the most popular attractions at
the 1876 Centennial Exhibition were the exhibits of technological innovation—
all new products of the Industrial Revolution.
Machinery Hall, a building that covered nearly twenty acres of the fairground,
held the bulk of these new inventions. Fairgoers passing through the large hall
could hardly believe what they saw. They marveled at gas stoves, typewriters,
mimeograph machines, and many other inventions for the home and office that
had recently come out on the market.
New kinds of industrial and agricultural equipment were also on display. There
were machines for making everything from factory equipment to consumer
goods such as shoes, envelopes, wallpaper, and cloth.
Among all the unique and diverse inventions, one machine in particular caught
everyone’s eye. It was the largest steam engine ever built—a thirty-foot monster
that held the attention of everyone in the hall.
George Corliss stood at the base of the huge twenty-five hundred horsepower
engine he had created. At his side stood America’s president, Ulysses S. Grant,
and the emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro.
“Are you both ready?” Corliss asked. Both national leaders nodded their heads.
“Then your Majesty will turn that handle.”