Invention and Mechanization 11.1

How did the invention and spread of the telegraph affect American society in the 1800s?

• It enabled businesses to increase their markets by improving long-distance communication.

• It gave ordinary people access to technology that did not require special training to operate.

• It increased access to popular culture by allowing musicians to record and distribute their music.

• It led to the development of suburbs by making jobs outside of the city more plentiful.

The invention of the steam locomotive contributed most to the...

• speed of river travel

• production of cotton

• spread of railroads

• construction of canals

Corporations raise capital by

• hiring blue-collar and white-collar workers

• selling bonds and shares of stock

• acquiring natural resources

• developing bureaucracies

The spread of railroads during the 1800s aided the U.S. economy by

• bringing consumers closer to the agricultural regions where their food was grown

• providing a large number of well-paying jobs to recent immigrants

• reducing the time workers spent commuting to and from work

• making it easier to move natural resources and finished goods around the country

Which statement contrasts the work of a farmer in the 1820s with the work of a farmer in the 1840s?

• The earlier farmer harvested crops by hand, while the later farmer harvested crops using mechanical reapers and steel plows.

• The earlier farmer relied on the telegraph to learn about approaching storms, while the later farmer used the telephone.

• The earlier farmer sold crops in local markets only, while the later farmer shipped crops across the country in refrigerated cars.

• The earlier farmer relied on fossil fuel to power machinery, while the later farmer relied on steam-powered machines.

The work of George Westinghouse and Nikolai Tesla helped to

• convince individuals to invest in the stock market

• replace steam power with oil power

• expand the national railroad network

• spread the use of electricity

Which energy source was most important during the earliest stages of industrialization?

• electricity

• steam

• natural gas

• petroleum

Which statement best explains why industrialization improved the standard of living for many Americans?

• It created a large number of high-paying factory jobs for workers

• It decreased working hours and increased leisure time for most Americans.

• It led to less pollution and overcrowding in areas where most people lived.

• It improved productivity and made goods less expensive for consumers.

Which development most contributed to the urbanization of American society during the late 1800s and early 1900s?

• Industries were located in cities, where many farmers, former enslaved people, and immigrants moved to find work in factories.

• Improvements in city planning enticed people in rural areas to move to more populated areas where life was safer and more comfortable.

• The government offered incentives and the promise of free homes if people moved to the cities to fill vacant industrial jobs.

• The construction of transcontinental railroads made cities accessible for the first time to settlers in western territories.

Who was the Wizard of Menlo Park?

• Ben Franklin

• Thomas Edison

• Howard Bessemer

• John Rockefeller