A Technological Revolution Chapter 14 The Expansion of American Industry

Daily Life- 1865/1900 1865 No indoor electric lighting No refrigeration Mail: East Coast Midwest: 10 days; 3 weeks to reach West Coast By 1900, there is lots of growth in new ideas & inventions PATENT Typewriter, phonograph, sewing machine U.S. standard of living becomes one of world’s best

Railroads Improve Transportation Until 1850’s, steamships provided most of transportation Before Civil War, most trains are short lines Safety issues with trains

Transcontinental Railroad Railroad business will improve greatly after the Civil War The key was the building of the Transcontinental Railroad This will allow people to travel from coast to coast

Transcontinental RR Built with blood, sweat, politics and thievery Government subsidies fund much of project- huge loans and land grants were given to 2 companies Mostly immigrant labor used

Transcontinental RR Union Pacific RR Central Pacific RR Built east from Sacramento, CA over Sierra Nevada mountains Chinese labor used-paid less than other workers Union Pacific RR Built west from Omaha, NE over Rocky Mountains 20,000 workers laid 5 miles of track a day and die by the hundreds Irish & war veterans

Transcontinental RR Transcontinental Railroad After 7 years, the two crews meet at Promontory Point, UT The owner of Central Pacific RR, Leland Stanford drives the “golden spike” Play-by-play is delivered to the nation via telegraph

Communication Advances Telegraph Samuel Morse receives patent Morse Code- code of short/long electric impulses which replicate alphabet (1844) Begins communication revolution

Communication Advances Telephone Alexander Graham Bell patents phone in 1876 A Scottish immigrant , Bell was 29 Helps establish AT&T to build long distance lines Early lines only connect 2 places

Electric Power Will change people’s eating, working & sleeping habits Will lead to important changes in industrial development

The Wizard of Menlo Park “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Edison will help make electric power widely available Thomas Edison "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. Accordingly, a  'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."   Edison will help make electric power widely available Menlo Park is his “invention factory” Phonograph, light bulb & power plant

Electric’s Impact Refrigeration possible> reduces food spoilage Workplace/new jobs > electric-powered machines Many areas of country still go without electric for decades (mainly rural); some just can’t afford appliances

The Bessemer Process Through mid-1800’s, the U.S. depends on iron for railroads & building 1856- Englishman Henry Bessemer receives patent for Bessemer Process Steel-making process is now easier & cheaper Advantages of steel: lighter, stronger & more flexible

Bessemer Process * allows for mass production of steel ** Before Bessemer: Iron to steel: 3-5 tons/day ** After: 3-5 tons in 15 minutes By 1880: 1 million tons of steel produced By 1910: 25 million tons

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge New York City grows rapidly after Civil War To help Manhatten workers get to work in Brooklyn easier, a suspension bridge will be built Longest in world (then); symbol of American success