Industry and transportation

National Road Connect Potomac River with the Ohio Rivers Allowed Americans access to settling in the West Turnpikes: paid roads that connected to National Road

Robert Fulton Steamboats allowed goods and people to be carried upstream Fulton was first to be credited with inventing first successful steamboat engine on the Hudson River

Erie Canal Canal: man-made river Governor Clinton of New York asked state legislature for $7 million for Erie Canal Connect New York City to Lake Erie

Industrial Revolution Began when entrepreneurs developed machines for jobs that were once done by hand Machines powered by steam or moving water

Samuel Slater Built first water powered textile mill Owned thirteen total textile mills Textile: process of making cotton into flexible fabric

Francis Cabot Lowell Built first fully operational mill that made all parts of cloth in Boston Machines increased pace of work Division of labor in factories formed

Lowell Mill Girls Women usually took jobs in the mills to make decent living Would live in boarding houses Terrible living conditions, long hours Led to strikes (employees walking out) With increased immigration, system of mill girls died out

Eli Whitney Interchangeable Parts Identical parts used to replace broken ones Improved factory efficiency Cotton boom increases slavery with invention of the Cotton Gin

Samuel Morse Invented the electric telegraph Developed Morse Code

Immigration Tariff of 1816: promoted buying of American products: increased production Factories built more in the North because of available capital and cheap labor Immigrants from Ireland and Germany come in the millions Most immigrants are poor

Nativists Protestants in America are upset that Catholics from Germany and Ireland are creating competition for jobs Nativists want laws to discourage immigration into the United States

Labor Unions With increased labor force, factory owners reduced wages Little experience and training needed in factory jobs Workers formed labor unions Biggest weapon was going on strike