The Industrial North

The Industrial North

By Cedric Gillette

​Technology and Industry

​The early years of the 1800s saw much innovation in industry and technology. The ways in which Americans worked, traveled, and communicated underwent great change. The new ways of living affected the whole nation, but their effects were most dramatic in the North

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Three Phases of Industrialization

​The North's industrialization took place in three phases. During the first phase, employers divided jobs into smaller steps. For example, one worker would spin thread—and nothing else. Another worker wove cloth. Each worker specialized in one step and became an expert in it. Two specialized workers could produce more cloth than if each worker did both tasks.

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During the second phase of industrialization, entrepreneurs built factories to bring specialized workers together. This allowed the product to move quickly from one worker to the next.

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In the third phase, workers used machines to complete tasks. For example, machines called looms wove cloth using the power of flowing water. The machines worked much faster than any human could. The worker's job changed from weaving to tending the machine.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Phase one of industrialization in the North was that ____.

• employers divided jobs into smaller steps

• workers used machinery less and less frequently

• specialized workers were brought to separate factories

• more workers produced less fabric in less time

​Mass production of cloth began in New England in the early 1800s. Then, Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in 1846. Workers could now make clothing in mass quantities by using machine-made fabrics and sewing machines.

Similar changes were transforming other industries and affecting the North's economy. By 1860, the Northeast's factories made at least two-thirds of the country's manufactured goods.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

The invention of the sewing machine was by ________.

• Eli Whitney

• Elias Howe

• Ben Franklin

• Alex Bell

Changing Transportation

​By connecting lakes and rivers, canals opened new shipping routes. In 1807 inventor Robert Fulton launched his first steamboat, the Clermont, on the Hudson River. Steamboats made fast upstream travel possible. They carried goods and passengers more cheaply and quickly along inland waterways than flatboats or sail-powered vessels did.

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Sailing technology also improved in the 1840s. The new clipper ships featured tall sails and sleek hulls. They could sail 300 miles (483 km) per day, as fast as most steamships at that time. Clipper ships got their name because they "clipped" time from long journeys. Before the clippers, the voyage from New York to Great Britain took about 21 to 28 days. A clipper ship could usually cut that time in half.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Robert Fulton improved transportation with his invention of the ____.

• clipper ship

• steamboat

• steam locomotive

• canal system

The Railroads Arrive

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​The new rail lines connected many cities. One line linked the cities of New York and Buffalo. Another connected Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Railway builders connected these eastern lines to lines being built farther west in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. By 1860, the nation's railroads formed a network that united the Midwest and the East.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

The Midwest was connected to the East by 1860 because of ____.

• the invention of the steamboat

• the growth of cities

• the development of canals

• the growing system of railroad tracks

Multiple Choice

The Great Train Wreck of 1856 involved two trains traveling on the same track.

• TRUE

• FALSE

​Progress with Problems

​The Great Train Wreck of 1856 occurred between Camp Hill and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, on July 17, 1856. Two trains slammed head-on into each other. An estimated 60 people were killed, and more than 100 were injured. At that point in time, it was considered one of the worst accidents in railroad history. The tragic news horrified the nation. Newspapers demanded that railroad companies improve their methods and equipment and make the safety of passengers their first concern.

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Moving Goods and People

​Railways and canals transformed trade in these regions. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and later the railroad networks allowed grain, livestock, and dairy products to move directly from the Midwest to the East. Improvements in transportation provided benefits to both businesses and consumers. Farmers and manufacturers could now move goods faster and more cheaply. As a result, consumers could purchase them at lower prices than in the past.

Multiple Choice

The system of canals and the invention of the steamboat encouraged the growth of cities.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

The Erie Canal was one reason that manufacturers had to increase the prices of goods being shipped to the Midwest.

• TRUE

• FALSE

​Advancements in Agriculture

​Three inventions of the 1830s helped farmers overcome difficulties in farming the land. As a result, settlement expanded throughout wider areas of the Midwest.

One of these inventions was the steel-tipped plow developed by John Deere in 1837. This allowed farmers to cut through the hard-packed prairie sod. Knowing that they would be able to farm the land on the prairies helped people make the decision to move west. Equally important to the transformation of farming were the mechanical reaper, which sped up the harvesting of wheat, and the thresher, which quickly separated the grain from the stalk. Each of these innovations reduced the labor required for farming.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

The invention of the thresher helped farmers ____.

• increase the crop yield

• speed up the harvesting of wheat

• separate grain from stalks

• cut through hard-packed soil

​McCormick's Reaper

​Cyrus McCormick was the genius behind the invention of the mechanical reaper. Before this invention, farmers had harvested grain with handheld cutting tools. McCormick's reaper greatly increased the amount of crop a farmer could harvest. Because farmers could harvest more wheat, they could plant more of it. Growing wheat became profitable. Raising wheat became and would remain the main economic activity on the Midwestern prairies.

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New machines and the ease of access to railroads allowed farmers to plant more acres with cash crops. Midwestern farmers grew wheat and shipped it east by train and canal barge. Northeast and Middle Atlantic farmers increased their production of fruits and vegetables.

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In spite of improvements in agriculture, the North was steadily becoming more industrial and urban. Agriculture in the region was still growing, but industry was growing faster.

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Why did raising wheat become a main economic activity of the Midwest?

• McCormick's reaper could harvest grain quickly.

• Cash crops were raised strictly for sale.

• John Deere invented the steel plow.

• The thresher separated grain from the stalk.

​Communications Breakthroughs

The growth of industry and the new pace of travel created a need for faster methods of communication. The telegraph (teh • luh • graf)—a device that used electric signals to send messages—filled that need.

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​Telegraph operators sent messages quickly by using Morse code. This code uses different arrangements of short and long signals—dots and dashes—to represent letters of the alphabet. Telegraph companies formed, and workers put up telegraph lines across the country. By 1852, there were about 23,000 miles (37,015 km) of telegraph lines in the United States.

Subject | Subject

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Multiple Choice

Morse code is a system of dots and dashes mixed with letters of the alphabet.

• TRUE

• FALSE