Module 13 Lesson 4

United States History

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

1

More Technological Advances

LESSON 4

Big Idea

Advances in technology led to new inventions that continued to change daily life and work.

Main Ideas

• The telegraph made swift communication possible from coast to coast.
• With the shift to steam power, businesses built new factories closer to cities and transportation

centers.

• Improved farm equipment and other labor-saving devices made life easier for many Americans.
• New inventions changed lives in American homes.

United States History

Lesson 4

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

2

Telegraph Speeds Communication

• In 1832, Samuel F. B. Morse perfected the telegraph—a device that could send information

over wires.

- The device did not catch on until the 1844 Democratic National Convention, when the

nomination was telegraphed to Washington.

- A Morse associate created Morse code to communicate messages over the wires.
- Morse code turned pulses of electric current into long and short clicks.
- Clicks, also called dots and dashes, were arranged in patterns representing letters of the

alphabet.

• The telegraph grew with the railroad; the first transcontinental telegraph line was completed in

1861.

Main Idea 1

The telegraph made swift communication possible from coast to coast.

United States History

Lesson 4

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

3

Steam Power and New Factories

• The shift from water power to steam power allowed owners to build factories anywhere.

• Factories were shifted closer to cities and transportation centers.

• Cities became centers of industrial growth.

Main Idea 2

With the shift to steam power, businesses built new factories closer to cities and transportation
centers.

United States History

Lesson 4

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

4

Improved Farm Equipment

• John Deere designed a steel plow in 1837 that replaced the less efficient iron plow.

• Cyrus McCormick developed a mechanical reaper in 1831, which quickly and efficiently

harvested wheat.

- McCormick used a new method to encourage sales, advertising.
- He also allowed people to buy on credit and provided repairs and spare parts for his machines.

• These inventions allowed farmers to plant and harvest huge crop fields, helping the country

prosper.

Main Idea 3

Improved farm equipment and other labor-saving devices made life easier for many Americans.

United States History

Lesson 4

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

5

Changing Life at Home

• The sewing machine, invented by Elias Howe and improved by Isaac Singer, made home sewing

easier.

• Ice boxes and iron cookstoves improved household storage and preparation of food.

• Mass-produced goods, such as clocks, matches, and safety pins, were more affordable and

added convenience to households.

Main Idea 4

New inventions changed lives in American homes.