The Industrial Revolution

Beginnings of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution changed the way people worked and lived

It began in Great Britain in the 1700s

By the 1800s the revolution had spread to the United States

Industrial Revolution in New England

Took place in the early 1800sNew England was a very favorable place for

the Industrial Revolution for a number of reasons:

1. Poor farming meant many people were available to find work

2. Many rushing rivers and streams to provide power for the factories

3. Many ports for resources and trade

The American Economic System Develops

The Industrial Revolution brings about the American economy that we have today

Capitalism or people putting their capital (or money) into a business to make a profit increases greatly.

Free enterprise is a key component of the Industrial Revolution because people are free to buy, sell, and produce whatever they want

Other major elements of our economic system that developed and increased during the industrial revolution are: competition, profit, private property, and economic freedom.

New TechnologyThere were a

number of scientific discoveries that simplified work

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin

Removed seeds from cotton fiber and enabled one person to do the work of 50

New TechnologiesEli Whitney also started

the use of interchangeable parts

The factory system developed in the United States which put all the manufacturing steps together in one place…more efficent

Patents were created to give inventors the sole legal right to their invention and its profits for a certain period of time

The Economy Diversifies In the Northeast the amount

of people working in factories and manufacturing increased greatly. The farms in the region were small and the focus began to shift to industry.

In the South and West farms became much bigger and huge plantations began to prop up. The new technologies meant more raw materials like cotton had to be produced, so the farms production increased.