Discovering Our Past: A History of the United States: Chapter 14 Vocabulary

TWO COMPLETE SENTENCES PER WORD

FACTORIES AND INDUSTRY

InnovationPeople began to have new ideas and inventions that appeared in three major areas:

1. Mechanized work2. Travel (both people and goods)3. Communication (speed and distance)

IndustrializationUse of machines to produce goods meant that people focused on one step only. Workers were now machine operators and repair people.

Factories were primarily northern, and the mindset would be different from the agricultural south.

Elias HoweNow that he had invented the sewing machine, all steps of making clothing were done with machines: spinning thread, weaving fabric, and sewing garments. During the Civil War, the South could not get factory-made fabric and often had to resort to “homespun” cloth.

SHIPPING

Clipper ShipThe new design of sailing ship cut (or “clipped”) transatlantic time by half. This was because the ships had more sail volume and less volume below the waterline.

ClermontRobert Fulton launched his first steamboat in 1807. The major changes in water travel were:

1. It could travel on a predictable schedule (not reliant on the weather).2. It could travel against the current.

Steamboats would be used in Florida for the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. After that, tourists would use them.

Hildegarde, Florida ca. 1910

Tom ThumbIt was the first American steam locomotive.It was used for moving large quantities of commercial goods, settlement of the West, and supplying soldiers with food and weapons during the Civil War. For inland transport, it would be the fastest means of travel.

Magnolia, Railroad terminus and warehouse, 1830s

St. Marks railroad depot, 1876

John Deere-The steel-tipped plow would allow people to farm land on the prairies (after the Native Americans were removed).-The mechanical reaper (Cyrus McCormick’s invention) would allow mass harvesting. -This in combination with the railroads began today’s trend of your food being grown far from where you live. (Fuel availability and prices are linked to food prices).

Morse CodeThe telegraph sped communication from a few days to a few minutes. It was used for news “wires” and communication about business. Telegraph lines and railroads spread across the country in the 1840s.

Trade UnionsGroups of workers formed together to improve their working conditions. Their complaints were:

1. Child labor2. Long hours (12 per day) ex: 6AM – 7PM3. Dangerous conditions, frequent injuries4. Sexist and racist work environments

Workers refused to work (staged “strikes”).

Lowell Female Labor Reform OrganizationWomen got half the pay rate of men. This group lobbied for a 10 hour work day (ex: 7AM – 6PM).The government would not listen to female lobbyists, even in “liberal” Massachusetts.

Today women as a whole still do not receive the same pay or promotions as men.

NativistImmigration was not welcomed by all. Some xenophobes blamed new arrivals for the social problems in their areas. Immigrants from China, Ireland, Italy, and Germany were blamed for lack of jobs, for disease, and for crime. Anti-immigrant sentiment and violence continues today around the world.

Cotton GinSeeds were removed from cotton bolls quickly with a machine. Production went up by 50X but it put more pressure on the steps of growing and picking to keep up. The demand for slave labor went up.

YeomenSome people owned small farms with a few or no slaves.These middle-class farmers would work between 20 and 200 acres. Some crops were for sale and some were for the family’s consumption.

Slave CodesLaws were passed to manage social behavior of slaves.To avoid revolts, slaves were not allowed to:

1. read/write2. play drums3. travel at night without a written pass4. assemble at meetings