Changes in Agriculture and Manufacturing
The cotton gin was invented in 1794 by Eli Whitney. This invention was able to quickly
separate cotton fiber from seeds. The machine could clean as much cotton as fifty
slaves in a single day. As a result, cotton cultivation became profitable. Over the next
forty years, the plantation system and “King Cotton” spread throughout the South. To
cultivate more cotton, plantation owners needed more slaves.
In 1810, Eli Whitney introduced the use of interchangeable parts. This
development standardized parts, making them interchangeable from one item to
another. This made manufacturing easier and less costly. The use of interchangeable
parts was also used to manufacture muskets (guns). The increase in the number of
guns led to increased deaths of Native Americans in the west.
Textile mills began being built in 1821 in New England. Francis Cabot Lowell
invented the first factory system "where people and machines were all under one roof."
For the first time in the United States these mills allowed for the mass production of
high-quality cloth. Cloth became easier to produce and less expensive. The workforce
at these factories was three-quarters women, many of them immigrants from Ireland.
However, women and children worked long hours in these factories and often in horrible
conditions.
John Deere invented the first successful steel plow in 1837. His invention was
able to better able to break up the soil of the prairies in the Midwest allowing farmers to
plow more land. This, in turn, allowed farmer to plant more crops and make more
money. However, over-plowing destroyed the root system in the soil. This would
eventually lead to the devastating Dust Bowl.
Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper in 1837. This invention was a
horse-drawn farm implement used to cut small grain crops. This mechanical reaper
allowed farmers to harvest crops more efficiently. The invention also meant that farm
owners had less of a need for additional help. As a result, many farmhands lost their
jobs.