Industrial Revolution

During the early 1800s many young women in New England were employed outside their homes as—

• crew members on cargo ships

• cloth weavers in textile mills

• staff reporters for local newspapers

• legal counselors in state courts

How did Samuel Morse’s best-known innovation contribute to U.S. growth and development?

• It enabled instantaneous long-distance transmission of information.

• It allowed manufactured goods to be produced at lower costs.

• It boosted the speed of cross-country mail delivery.

• It increased national unity by reducing sectional differences.

What was one major effect of the Erie Canal on the United States in the early nineteenth century?

• The rapid growth of cities in the Northeast

• A rise in cotton exports to the United Kingdom

• An increase in the cost of shipping goods to Europe

• A decrease in trade between settlers and American Indians

The growth of railroads during the nineteenth century affected U.S. businesses by —

• discouraging Congress from instituting tariffs

• increasing the cost of raw materials

• decreasing the wages of unskilled workers

• opening new markets for goods

How did the plantation system influence the economic development of the United States?

• It prevented the development of industry in the Northeast.

• It turned the South into a major producer of the cotton used in northern mills.

• It restricted agricultural expansion in the western territories.

• It increased federal dependency on tariffs for revenue.

How did the development of the factory system encourage urbanization?

• Manufacturers produced goods to export overseas.

• Labor unions were formed to protect mill workers.

• Workers moved closer to manufacturing centers.

• Industrialists invested in cotton plantations.

After the War of 1812, thousands of settlers and immigrants moved to the western frontiers of the United States in search of farming and business opportunities. In response, the government began building roads. This transportation network was intended to —

• promote the free-enterprise system

• establish federal control over industry

• discourage the organization of new territories

• prevent border disputes between states

The Bessemer steel process affected westward expansion in the United States by enabling —

• clipper ships to be built in order to transport passengers from the East Coast to the West Coast

• interstate canal systems to be built in order to transport agricultural goods from west to east

• Conestoga wagons to be built in order to carry people and goods to the West

• railroads to be built in order to carry people and goods to the West

The introduction of interchangeable parts led directly to the —

• formation of the patent system

• creation of labor unions

• use of mass-production techniques

• eight-hour workday

How did the factory system contribute to the rapid industrialization of the United States?

• By using slave labor to mass-produce goods

• By relying on skilled artisans to create custom goods

• By making the production of goods more efficient

• By making the distribution of goods less costly