US History
Fort Burrows
The Nation Grows and Prospers 1790 -- 1825
11.1 - The Industrial Revolution
READ pgs 328 - 336
The Industrial Revolution of the 1800s affected society in much the same way as the
technological revolution of the 1900s did. With bewildering speed, the Industrial
Revolution changed the world from a society of farmers to a society dominated by
manufacturers. In the same way, the technological changes of the late 1900s converted
an economy dominated by manufacturing to an information-based economy. In both
areas, changes were rapid and sweeping. All levels of society were affected. Looking
back at the Industrial Revolution can help us understand changes that are altering life
in America today.
Time Line:
1793 - Samuel Slater builds a textile mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; the first
successful textile mill in the US
1790’s - the Lancaster Road improves travel between Philadelphia and Central
Pennsylvania
Early 1800’s - development of the steam powered boat creates a new age of steamboat
travel on major rivers of the US
1817 - Mississippi becomes the 20th state in the US
1818 - the National Road provides an alternative to travel over rocky,
muddy, older roads
1821 - Mexico wins independence from Spain
1830’s - Young women workers in the Lowell textile mills publish their
own literary journal
Presidents:
1st 1789 – 1797 (2 terms) George Washington
#2. 1797 – 1801 (1 term) John Adams
#3. 1801 – 1809 (2 terms) Thomas Jefferson
#4. 1809 – 1817 (2 terms) James Madison
#5. 1817 – 1825 (2 terms) James Monroe
#6. 1825 – 1829 (1 term) John Quincy Adams
Main Idea:
During the first half of the 1800’s, the Industrial Revolution caused
dramatic changes in the way Americans worked and lived.
1 of 11.1 Printer Notes
US History
Fort Burrows
Vocabulary:
Industrial Revolution – gradual process by which machines replaced hand tools;
steam and other new sources of power replaced human and
animal power
spinning jenny - machine developed by James Hargreaves in 1764, that could spin
several threads at once
capital – money raised for a business venture
capitalist – person who invests in a business in order to make a profit
factory system – method of producing goods that brought workers and machinery
together in one place
interchangeable parts – identical, machined-made parts for a tool or instrument
Lowell girl – young woman who worked in the Lowell Mills in Massachusetts
during the Industrial Revolution
urbanization – process of a population shifting from farms to cities
Setting the Scene:
At dawn, the factory bell woke 11-year-old Lucy Larcom. Rising quickly, she
ate her breakfast and hurried to her job at a spinning mill in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Years later, Larcom described her workplace:
“The buzzing and hissing and whizzing of pulleys and rollers and spindles
and flyers around me often grew tiresome…. I could look across the room
and see girls moving backward and forward among the spinning
frames, sometimes stooping, sometimes reaching up their arms, as their
work required.” –Lucy Larcom, Among Lowell Mill-Girls: A Reminiscence, 1881
In the early 1800s, busy factories and whirring machinery had become part of a
revolution that was reaching the United States. Unlike the American Revolution, this
one had no battles or fixed dates. The new revolution - the Industrial Revolution - was
a long, slow process that completely changed the way in which goods were produced.
The Industrial Revolution (IR) Begins





Before the 1800s, most Americans were farmers and produced goods by hand
As a result of the IR, machines replaced hand tools
New sources of power, such as steam, replaced human and animal power
The economy began a gradual shift from farming toward manufacturing
New Technology
 The IR started in Britain in the mid-1700s
 British inventors developed new machines that transformed the textile
industry
2 of 11.1 Printer Notes
US History
Fort Burrows
 In 1764, Hargreaves developed the spinning jenny that could spin several
threads at once instead of spinning one at a time
 Cartwright built a loom powered by water that allowed a worker to produce
a great deal more cloth in a day
 The Factory System
 New inventions led to a new system of producing goods
 Before the IR, most spinning and weaving was done in the home
 Large machines had to be housed in large mills and near rivers for power
 To set up and operate a spinning mill required capital
 Capitalists built factories and hired workers to run the machines
 The new factory system brought workers and machinery together
 Workers earned daily/weekly wages and worked a set number of hours
¿¿ How did the factory system change the way goods were produced ?
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
A Revolution Crosses the Atlantic
 Britain wanted to keep the new technology a secret and passed a law forbidding
anyone to take plans of the new machinery out of the country
 Slater Breaks the Law
 Samuel Slater proved this law could not be enforced
 Slater was a skilled mechanic in the British textile mill and heard Americans
were offering large rewards for plans of British factories
 In 1789, Slater memorized the design of the machines in the mill and boarded
a ship bound for NY City
 The First American Mill
 Slater visited a Quaker capitalist, Moses Brown, who had a mill in
Pawtucket, RI
 The mill was not doing well because the machinery constantly broke down
 By 1793, in Pawtucket, Slater built the first successful textile mill in the US
that was powered by water
 Interchangeable Parts
 American manufacturers benefitted from the work of Eli Whitney
 Parts were originally made by hand for each product – i.e. guns – handmade
barrel, stock and trigger for a single musket
 Whitney wanted to speed up the process by manufacturing products by
machines so that all parts would be identical to another
 Interchangeable parts would save time and money
 Inventors designed machines to produce interchangeable parts for many
products like clocks and locks – small workshops turned into factories
3 of 11.1 Printer Notes
US History
Fort Burrows
¿¿ What were the benefits of interchangeable parts ?
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
Lowell, Massachusetts: A Model Factory Town
 War of 1812 provided a boost to American industries
 British blockade cut Americans off from supply of foreign goods so they had to
produce more goods for themselves
 The Lowell Mills
 Francis Cabot Lowell, a Boston merchant, found a way to improve on British
textile mills during the war
 He combined spinning and weaving under one roof
 He built a new mill in Waltham, MA that had all the machines, in one
factory, needed to turn raw cotton into finished cloth
 His parents built an entire factory town and named it after him
 In 1821, Lowell, MA was a village of 5 farm families but grew to 10,000
people by 1836
 Lowell, MA was described as a ‘model’ community composed of small
wooden white houses with green blinds, nice carpet and very neat and snug
 “Lowell Girls”
 Lowell hired young women from nearby farms to work in the new mills
 Lowell girls, worked for a few years in the mills before marrying
 Most sent wages home to their families
 At first, parents were hesitant to let their daughters work in the mills
 Lowell built boardinghouses and made rules to protect the young women
 Work was hard and tedious, but many women valued the economic freedom
“Since I have wrote you, another pay day has come around. I earned 14 dollars
and a half… I like it well as ever, and Sarah, don’t I feel independent of
everyone!”
from Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women
Daily Life During the Industrial Revolution
 In Lowell and elsewhere, mill owners hired women and children
 They could pay half of what they had to pay men
 Child Labor
 Boys and girls as young as 7 worked in factories
 Small children were useful because they could squeeze around machinery to
change spindles
4 of 11.1 Printer Notes
US History
Fort Burrows
 In 1800s, child labor was not viewed as cruel because farm children worked
hard – there was not much difference between the factory or the farm
 A child’s wages were needed to help support the family
 Long Hours
 Work hours were LOOOOOOOONG – 12/6 – 12 hours a day, 6 days a week!
 Mill workers worked the same hours all year round unlike farmers
 Changes in Home Life
 The IR had a great impact on home life
 More family members left home to earn a living as the factory system spread
 Women had to go out to work in poorer families
¿¿ How did industrialization in the early 1800s change the lives of workers in the US?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Growing Cities







In 1800, the vast majority of Americans lived in rural areas
During the IR, people left farms to work in factories
Older cities expanded and new cities sprang up around factories
Movement of population from farms to cities is called urbanization
Urbanization was a steady but gradual process
In 1800, 6% of population lived in urban areas but grew to 15% by 1850
It took until 1920 for more people to live in cities than on farms
¿¿ How did the Industrial Revolution affect urbanization ?
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
 Hazards
 Growing cities had many problems like overcrowding
 Dirt and gravel roads turned into mudholes when it rained
 Cities had no sewers and people threw garbage in the street
 Disease spread quickly – influenza and cholera killed hundreds
 Attractions
 Cities had attractions like theaters, museums and circuses
 People could shop in fine stores that sold latest fashions from Europe
 Women enjoyed hat shops, china shops, shoe and “fancy-goods” stores
5 of 11.1 Printer Notes
US History
Fort Burrows
1. Which of the following is the best example of the impact of geography on the
Industrial Revolution ?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the location of the first American textile mill
the invention of interchangeable parts
the use of child labor
the combination of spinning and weaving in a single factory
2. Which of the following was not true of American cities during the early years of the
Industrial Revolution ?
A.
B.
C.
D.
cities had efficient sewer systems
cities were growing more crowded
city dwellers amused themselves at theaters, museums, and circuses
cities were unhealthy places to live
3. What was the Industrial Revolution, and how did it take hold in the US ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
4. Why was Lowell, Massachusetts, called a ‘model’ factory town?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
5. What was daily life like in early factories ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
6. What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on American cities ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
6 of 11.1 Printer Notes