Lesson: Early Industry and Inventions How did the Industrial Revolution change America? Lauren Webb. 2015. {a social studies life}
Name Date Social Studies The Industrial Revolution Early Industry and Inventions Aim: How did the Industrial Revolution change America? Do Now: Answer the following question based on your knowledge of the Industrial Revolution and Social Studies. (2-3 complete sentences) Make a prediction: In order for the United States to change from an agricultural society to an industrial society, what has to happen?
Jigsaw Activity Directions: Your teacher will place you into your collaborative groups. Each group will be assigned a reading passage. With your group, analyze the reading passage, answer the questions that follow, and complete your part of the graphic organizer. Then, based on your new knowledge of the Industrial Revolution and your new knowledge of your assigned reading passage, you and your group will create an advertisement promoting your assigned document. Make sure you include any people and specific details in your advertisement. Be colorful and creative! You will be responsible for presenting your work to your class. They will be learning from you! As each group presents, you will complete your graphic organizer with the information presented. GOOD LUCK!
During the Industrial Revolution, factory machines replaced hand tools and largescale manufacturing replaced farming as the main form of work. In addition, new sources of power, such as steam and electricity replaced human and animal power. The War of 1812 led the country to industrialization. Americans had to start manufacturing their own goods because the British naval blockade during the war kept imported goods from reaching United States shores. The blockade stopped investors from spending money on shipping and trade. Instead, they invested in new American industries. Beginning in Great Britain in the mid-1700s, a series of inventions brought a revolution to the textile industry. The spinning of thread and weaving of cloth became mechanized. The factory system brought many workers and machines together under one roof. Most factories were built near a source of water to power the machines. New machines like the water frame had to be set up near rivers because they needed running water to power them. New England was a good place to set up factories. They had fast moving rivers, ships to transport goods and access to the Atlantic Ocean. They also had a willing labor force. Instead of spinning and weaving cloth at home, people went to work in the factories. They left their farms and crowded into cities to work in factories for a wage and on a set schedule. Their way of life changed, but not always for the better.
Questions: 1) How did the War of 1812 cause economic changes in America? 2) Why was New England a good place to build early factories? 3) What allowed people to begin to move to cities? Explain your answer.
Samuel Slater In 1789, Englishman Samuel Slater sailed to the United States under a false name. It was illegal for textile workers like him to leave the country. Britain wanted no other nation to copy its new machines for making thread and cloth. But Slater was going to bring the secret to America. With a rich investors backing, Slater built the first successful water-powered textile mill in America. Samuel Slater built his first spinning mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1790. He hired eight children between the ages of 7 and 12, paying them a low wage. Later, he built a larger mill and employed whole families. As Slater influenced others to start mills, his family system of employment spread through Rhode Island, Connecticut, and southern Massachusetts. In 1813, Francis Cabot Lowell built a factory in Massachusetts. This factory not only spun raw cotton into yarn, but wove it into cloth on a power loom. Lowell decided to combine spinning and weaving under one roof. The Lowell Mills employed farm girls who lived in company-owned boarding houses. The Lowell Mills and other factories ran on waterpower. Factories built after the 1830s were run by more powerful steam engines. Since steam engines used coal and wood, new factories could be built away from rivers and beyond New England. As the factory system spread, conditions grew worse and wages dropped. Women and children were preferred because they could be paid less than men. Children were useful because they were quick and small, and they could easily move around. Working hours were long; 12-hour days, 6 days a week. Lowell girls, 1834 The Slater Mill Francis Cabot Lowell
Questions: 1) How did the Lowell Mills differ from Slater s mill? 2) What were working conditions like in Lowell mills? Describe what a typical day might be like for a worker. 3) How would you judge Samuel Slater and Francis Lowell, who brought secrets of technology to the United States illegally and opened their own factories? Think about what they gained, how they affected the United States and England, and what you believe about keeping technology secret.
New manufacturing methods changed the style of work in other industries besides the textile industry. In 1797, the United States government hired the inventor Eli Whitney to make 10,000 muskets for the army. He was to have the guns ready in two years. Before this time, guns were made one at a time by gunsmiths, from start to finish. Each gun differed slightly. If a part broke, a new part had to be created to match the broken one. Whitney sought a better way to make guns. In 1801, he came up with the idea to make guns by using interchangeable parts, parts that are exactly alike. Interchangeable parts: Speeded up production Made repairs easily Allowed the use of lower-paid, less skilled workers which meant that craftsmen were no longer as important Required a new style of management, with inspectors to make sure each piece was uniform Machines that produced exactly matching parts soon became standard in industries.
Questions: 1) What are interchangeable parts? Describe how they were invented and by whom. 2) What were the effects of using interchangeable parts? 3) Predict how interchangeable parts changed America s manufacturing future. How do you know?
Robert Fulton The Clermont New inventions increased factory production. They also improved transportation and communication. Steamboats carried people and goods farther and faster and led to the growth of cities like New Orleans and St. Louis. Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could move against the current or a strong wind. He launched the Clermont on the Hudson River in 1807. Its steam engine turned two side paddle wheels, which pulled the boat through the water. The Clermont was dubbed Fulton s Folly because people thought that his invention would fail. But, it made the 300-mile trip from New York to Albany and back in a record 62 hours. Even Fulton had not expected to travel so quickly. By 1816, steamboats were powerful enough to travel UP the Mississippi River.
Questions: 1) Who was Robert Fulton? 2) What made the steamboat such an important invention? 3) Explain the effect the steamboat had on the future of transportation.
Samuel F.B. Morse A Morse key New innovations in communication were also introduced during the Industrial Revolution. In 1837, Samuel F.B. Morse first demonstrated his telegraph. This machine sent long and short pulses of electricity along a wire. These pulses could be translated into letters of a message. With the telegraph, it took only seconds to communicate with someone in another city. In 1844, the first long-distance telegraph line carried news from Baltimore, Maryland, to Washington, D.C., about who had been nominated for president. Telegraph lines spanned the country by 1861, bringing people closer as a nation and allowing business to grow. The telegraph lines can be considered the first touchstone in a communication revolution. The future would bring the iphone!
Questions: 1) Who was Samuel Morse? 2) What made the telegraph such an important invention? 3) Explain the effect the telegraph and Morse Code had on the future of communication.
McCormick reaper & twine binder 1884 A cotton gin Eli Whitney Other new inventions increased farm production. In 1836, the blacksmith John Deere invented the steel plow - a lightweight plow with a steel cutting edge. Older cast-iron plows were designed for the light, sandy soil of New England. But rich, heavy Midwestern soil clung to the bottom of these plows and slowed farmers down. Deere s new plow made preparing ground much less work. As a result, more farmers began to move to the Midwest. Cyrus McCormick also had inventions for agricultural improvement. His 1834 mechanical reaper cut ripe grain, and the threshing machine separated kernels of wheat from husks. Both Deere and McCormick s inventions dramatically increased farm production. But perhaps considered the most important invention of the time period came from Eli Whitney. His invention - the cotton gin - greatly increased cotton production in the United States. Invented in 1793, it made the cotton-cleaning process far more efficient. With the new machine, the production of cotton went from one pound per day per worker to 50 pounds per day per worker! The cotton gin helped set the South on a different course of development from the North, and became a HUGE importance to them. The Impact of the Cotton Gin Enabled plantations to spread west by 1840, cotton is grown in Texas Cotton is valuable more plantation owners plan cotton Native Americans were kicked off their land so it could be used to grow cotton The faster production of cotton INCREASED the need for SLAVERY in the South
Questions: 1) How did Deere s steel plow and McCormick s mechanical reaper and threshing machine impact farming? 2) What was the purpose of Whitney s cotton gin? 3) What impact did the cotton gin have on the South? 4) How did the cotton gin lead to the spread of slavery?
Early Industry & Invention Who was involved? Describe important facts and details. How did this invention/these people/this technique contribute to the significance of the Industrial Revolution? 1 Causes & Factory System 2 Slater & Lowell Mills 3 Interchangeable Parts 4 Steamboat 5 Morse Code 6 Farming Improvements
what I learned What do you believe was the most significant development during the early years of the Industrial Revolution? Argue and explain your answers using relevant details from today s lesson and your knowledge of Social Studies. {4-5 sentences}
Answer Key for Teachers (Answers are up to teacher s discretion; these are suggested) Document #1 Causes and the Factory System 1) How did the War of 1812 cause economic changes in America? Factory machines replaced hand tools; large scale manufacturing replaced farming; new sources of power steam engine and electricity replaced human and animal power; Americans had to start manufacturing their own goods because the British blockade during the war kept imported goods from reaching the United States; blockade stopped investors from spending money on shipping and trade. 2) Why was New England a good place to build early factories? Fast moving rivers; ships to transport goods; access to the Atlantic Ocean; willing labor force. 3) What allowed people to begin to move to cities? Explain your answer. Factory machines instead of spinning and weaving cloth at home, people went to work in factories. They left their farms and crowded into cities to work in factories for a wage and on a set schedule. Document #2 Slater and Lowell Mills 1) How did the Lowell Mills differ from Slater s mill? The Lowell mills ran on waterpower; the Slater mill was at first a spinning mill. Lowell mill employed farm girls who lived in company housing; Slater employees at first were children between the ages of 7 and 12; later they were whole families 2) What were working conditions like in Lowell mills? Describe what a typical day might be like for a worker. Conditions grew worse and worse as demand rose. Women and children were preferred because they could be paid less than men. Working hours were long; 12 hour days, 6 days a week. 3) How would you judge Samuel Slater and Francis Lowell, who brought secrets of technology to the United States illegally and opened their own factories? Think about what they gained, how they affected the United States and England, and what you believe about keeping technology secret. Student opinion/argument response Document #3 Interchangeable Parts 1) What are interchangeable parts? Describe how they were invented and by whom. Parts that are exactly alike; Eli Whitney was hired by the United States to make 10,000 muskets for the army. He came up with the idea to make guns using parts that are exactly alike to speed up production. 2) What were the effects of using interchangeable parts? Sped up production; made repairs easily; allowed the use of lower-paid, less skilled workers which meant that craftsmen were no longer as important; required a new style of management, with inspectors to make sure each piece was uniform
3) Predict how interchangeable parts changed America s manufacturing future. How do you know? Student opinion/argument response Example: Assembly lines were invented in the early 1900s the same person was responsible for the same part at the work station over and over again; sped up manufacturing; factory system grew Document #4 Steamboat 1) Who was Robert Fulton? Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could move against the current or strong wind 2) What made the steamboat such an important invention? The steamboat had an engine which turned two side paddle wheels, pulling the boat through the water. By 1816, steamboats were powerful enough to travel up rivers, against the currents. 3) Explain the effect the steamboat had on the future of transportation. Steamboats with steam engines could move supplies, goods, and people at a faster rate and at a faster pace, allowing people to get what they need at a quicker pace Document #5 Morse Code 1) Who was Samuel Morse? An inventor who in 1837 first demonstrated his version of a telegraph. 2) What made the telegraph such an important invention? The telegraph machine sent long and short pulses of electricity along a wire. These pulses could be translated into letters of a message. With the telegraph, it took only seconds to communicate with someone in another city. 3) Explain the effect the telegraph and Morse Code had on the future of communication. Telegraph lines spanned the country by 1861, bringing people closer as a nation and allowing businesses to grow. It also allowed people to come up with new inventions in communication, soon inventing the radio, telephone, television, etc. Document #6 Farming Improvements 1) How did Deere s steel plow and McCormick s mechanical reaper and threshing machine impact farming? Allowed preparing the ground for farming much less work; dramatically increased farm production; more farmers began to move to the Midwest 2) What was the purpose of Whitney s cotton gin? It made the cotton cleaning process more efficient; the production of cotton went from one pound per day per worker to 50 pounds per day per worker 3) What impact did the cotton gin have on the South? It helped the set the south on a different course of development from the north; became a huge importance to them 4) How did the cotton gin lead to the spread of slavery?
Because cotton was a prominent crop for the South, the need for slaves increased. More slaves meant more production because of the number of cotton that could be produced. Early Industry & Invention Who was involved? Describe important facts and details. How did this invention/these people/this technique contribute to the significance of the Industrial Revolution? 1 Causes & Factory System 2 Slater & Lowell Mills 3 Interchangeable Parts 4 Steamboat 5 Morse Code The War of 1812 caused economic changes in America; factory machines replaced hand tools Samuel Slater came to America and opened a spinning mill in Rhode Island Francis Lowell opened a mill in Massachusetts that ran on water power Eli Whitney invented interchangeable parts: parts that are exactly the same Robert Fulton invented the steam engine and placed in the boat Clermont Samuel Morse an inventor who in 1837 first demonstrated his version of the telegraph People went to work in cities allowing an increase in population in the cites; they left their farms and crowded into cities to work in factories for a wage and on a set schedule Lowell mill employed farm girls; Slater mill employed children Conditions grew worse as demand rose Working hours were long; 12 hour days, 6 days a week Interchangeable parts sped up production; made repairs easy Allowed less skilled workers to work which meant that craftsmen were no longer important In the future, assembly lines would be invented which meant faster production of products The steamboat and engine was powerful enough to travel up rivers, against the current Could move supplies, goods, and people at a faster rate and at a faster pace, which meant people could get what they needed at a quicker rate With the telegraph, it took only seconds to communicate with someone in another city Brought people closer as a nation and allowed businesses to grow Also allowed future inventors to come up with other forms of communication including the radio, telephone, television, etc.
6 Farming Improvements John Deere invented the steel plow Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper and the threshing machine Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin Inventions allowed preparing the ground for farming much less work Dramatically increased farm production More farmers began to move to the Midwest The cotton gin set the south on a different course of development than the north; became a high importance to them and an agricultural economy Because cotton was a prominent crop for the south, the need for slaves increased