Lesson:
Early Industry and Inventions
How did the Industrial Revolution change America?
© Lauren Webb. 2015. {a social studies life}
Name __________________________________________________________________
Social Studies
Date ________________________________
The Industrial Revolution
Early Industry and Inventions
Aim: How did the Industrial Revolution change America?
Do Now:
Answer the following question based on your knowledge of the Industrial Revolution
and Social Studies.
(2-3 complete sentences)
Make a prediction:
In order for the United States to change from an
agricultural society to an industrial society, what
has to happen?
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Jigsaw Activity
Directions:
 Your teacher will place you into your collaborative groups.
 Each group will be assigned a reading passage.
 With your group, analyze the reading passage, answer the
questions that follow, and complete your part of the graphic
organizer.
 Then, based on your new knowledge of the Industrial Revolution
and your new knowledge of your assigned reading passage, you
and your group will create an advertisement promoting your
assigned document. Make sure you include any people and specific
details in your advertisement.
 Be colorful and
creative!
You will be responsible for
presenting your work to your class. They will be learning from
you! As each group presents, you will complete your graphic
organizer with the information presented.
GOOD LUCK!
During the Industrial Revolution, factory machines replaced hand tools and largescale manufacturing replaced farming as the main form of work. In addition, new
sources of power, such as steam and electricity replaced human and animal power.
The War of 1812 led the country to industrialization. Americans had to start
manufacturing their own goods because the British naval blockade during the war
kept imported goods from reaching United States shores. The blockade stopped
investors from spending money on shipping and trade. Instead, they invested in new
American industries.
Beginning in Great Britain in the mid-1700s, a series of inventions brought a revolution
to the textile industry. The spinning of thread and weaving of cloth became
mechanized. The factory system brought many workers and machines together
under one roof. Most factories were built near a source of water to power the
machines.
New machines like the water frame had to be set up near rivers because they needed
running water to power them. New England was a good place to set up factories. They
had fast moving rivers, ships to transport goods and access to the Atlantic Ocean.
They also had a willing labor force. Instead of spinning and weaving cloth at home,
people went to work in the factories. They left their farms and crowded into cities to
work in factories for a wage and on a set schedule. Their way of life changed, but not
always for the better.
Questions:
1) How did the War of 1812 cause economic changes in America?
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2) Why was New England a good place to build early factories?
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3) What allowed people to begin to move to cities? Explain your answer.
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Samuel Slater
In 1789, Englishman Samuel Slater sailed to the United States under a false name. It was illegal for
textile workers like him to leave the country. Britain wanted no other nation to copy its new
machines for making thread and cloth. But Slater was going to bring the secret to America. With a
rich investors backing, Slater built the first successful water-powered textile mill in America.
Samuel Slater built his first spinning mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1790. He hired eight
children between the ages of 7 and 12, paying them a low wage. Later, he built a larger mill and
employed whole families. As Slater influenced others to start mills, his family system of employment
spread through Rhode Island, Connecticut, and southern Massachusetts.
In 1813, Francis Cabot Lowell built a factory in Massachusetts. This factory not only spun raw
cotton into yarn, but wove it into cloth on a power loom. Lowell decided to combine spinning and
weaving under one roof. The Lowell Mills employed farm girls who lived in company-owned boarding
houses.
The Lowell Mills and other factories ran on waterpower. Factories built after the 1830s were run by
more powerful steam engines. Since steam engines used coal and wood, new factories could be built
away from rivers and beyond New England.
As the factory system spread, conditions grew worse and wages dropped. Women and children were
preferred because they could be paid less than men. Children were useful because they were quick
and small, and they could easily move around. Working hours were long; 12-hour days, 6 days a week.
Lowell girls, 1834
The Slater Mill
Francis Cabot Lowell
Questions:
1) How did the Lowell Mills differ from Slater’s mill?
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2) What were working conditions like in Lowell mills? Describe what a typical
day might be like for a worker.
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3) How would you judge Samuel Slater and Francis Lowell, who brought secrets
of technology to the United States illegally and opened their own factories?
Think about what they gained, how they affected the United States and
England, and what you believe about keeping technology secret.
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New manufacturing methods changed the style of work in other industries
besides the textile industry. In 1797, the United States government hired the
inventor Eli Whitney to make 10,000 muskets for the army. He was to have the
guns ready in two years. Before this time, guns were made one at a time by
gunsmiths, from start to finish. Each gun differed slightly. If a part broke, a
new part had to be created to match the broken one.
Whitney sought a better way to make guns. In 1801, he came up with the idea
to make guns by using interchangeable parts, parts that are exactly alike.
Interchangeable parts:
 Speeded up production
 Made repairs easily
 Allowed the use of lower-paid, less skilled workers which meant that
craftsmen were no longer as important
 Required a new style of management, with inspectors to make sure each
piece was uniform
Machines that produced exactly matching parts soon became standard in
industries.
Questions:
1) What are interchangeable parts? Describe how they were invented and by
whom.
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2) What were the effects of using interchangeable parts?
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3) Predict how interchangeable parts changed America’s manufacturing
future. How do you know?
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Robert Fulton
The Clermont
New inventions increased factory production.
They also improved
transportation and communication. Steamboats carried people and goods
farther and faster and led to the growth of cities like New Orleans and St.
Louis. Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could move against the
current or a strong wind. He launched the Clermont on the Hudson River in
1807. Its steam engine turned two side paddle wheels, which pulled the
boat through the water.
The Clermont was dubbed “Fulton’s Folly” because people thought that his
invention would fail. But, it made the 300-mile trip from New York to
Albany and back in a record 62 hours. Even Fulton had not expected to
travel so quickly.
By 1816, steamboats were powerful enough to travel UP the Mississippi River.
Questions:
1) Who was Robert Fulton?
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2) What made the steamboat such an important invention?
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3) Explain the effect the steamboat had on the future of transportation.
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Samuel F.B. Morse
A Morse key
New innovations in communication were also introduced during the
Industrial Revolution.
In 1837, Samuel F.B. Morse first
demonstrated his telegraph. This machine sent long and short
pulses of electricity along a wire. These pulses could be translated
into letters of a message. With the telegraph, it took only seconds
to communicate with someone in another city. In 1844, the first
long-distance telegraph line carried news from Baltimore,
Maryland, to Washington, D.C., about who had been nominated for
president. Telegraph lines spanned the country by 1861, bringing
people closer as a nation and allowing business to grow.
The telegraph lines can be considered the first touchstone in a
communication revolution. The future would bring the iPhone! 
Questions:
1) Who was Samuel Morse?
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2) What made the telegraph such an important invention?
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3) Explain the effect the telegraph and Morse Code had on the future of
communication.
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McCormick reaper & twine binder 1884
A cotton gin
Eli Whitney
Other new inventions increased farm production. In 1836, the blacksmith John Deere
invented the steel plow - a lightweight plow with a steel cutting edge. Older cast-iron
plows were designed for the light, sandy soil of New England. But rich, heavy
Midwestern soil clung to the bottom of these plows and slowed farmers down. Deere’s
new plow made preparing ground much less work. As a result, more farmers began to
move to the Midwest.
Cyrus McCormick also had inventions for agricultural improvement.
His 1834
mechanical reaper cut ripe grain, and the threshing machine separated kernels of
wheat from husks. Both Deere and McCormick’s inventions dramatically increased
farm production.
But perhaps considered the most important invention of the time period came from Eli
Whitney. His invention - the cotton gin - greatly increased cotton production in the
United States. Invented in 1793, it made the cotton-cleaning process far more
efficient. With the new machine, the production of cotton went from one pound per
day per worker to 50 pounds per day per worker! The cotton gin helped set the South
on a different course of development from the North, and became a HUGE importance
to them.
The Impact of the Cotton Gin
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Enabled plantations to spread west – by 1840, cotton is grown in Texas
Cotton is valuable  more plantation owners plan cotton
Native Americans were kicked off their land so it could be used to grow cotton
The faster production of cotton INCREASED the need for SLAVERY in the South
Questions:
1) How did Deere’s steel plow and McCormick’s mechanical reaper and threshing
machine impact farming?
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2) What was the purpose of Whitney’s cotton gin?
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3) What impact did the cotton gin have on the South?
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4) How did the cotton gin lead to the spread of slavery?
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Early Industry &
Invention
1 Causes & Factory
System
2 Slater & Lowell Mills
3 Interchangeable Parts
4 Steamboat
5 Morse Code
6 Farming Improvements
Who was involved? Describe
important facts and details.
How did this invention/these people/this
technique contribute to the significance of the
Industrial Revolution?
what I learned 
What do you believe was the most significant development
during the early years of the Industrial Revolution?
Argue and explain your answers using relevant details from today’s lesson and your
knowledge of Social Studies.
{4-5 sentences}
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Answer Key for Teachers
(Answers are up to teacher’s discretion; these are suggested)
Document #1 – Causes and the Factory System
1) How did the War of 1812 cause economic changes in America?
Factory machines replaced hand tools; large scale manufacturing replaced farming; new
sources of power – steam engine and electricity replaced human and animal power;
Americans had to start manufacturing their own goods because the British blockade during
the war kept imported goods from reaching the United States; blockade stopped investors
from spending money on shipping and trade.
2) Why was New England a good place to build early factories?
Fast moving rivers; ships to transport goods; access to the Atlantic Ocean; willing labor
force.
3) What allowed people to begin to move to cities? Explain your answer.
Factory machines – instead of spinning and weaving cloth at home, people went to work in
factories. They left their farms and crowded into cities to work in factories for a wage and
on a set schedule.
Document #2 – Slater and Lowell Mills
1) How did the Lowell Mills differ from Slater’s mill?
The Lowell mills ran on waterpower; the Slater mill was at first a spinning mill.
Lowell mill employed farm girls who lived in company housing; Slater employees at first were
children between the ages of 7 and 12; later they were whole families
2) What were working conditions like in Lowell mills? Describe what a typical day might be like
for a worker.
Conditions grew worse and worse as demand rose. Women and children were preferred
because they could be paid less than men. Working hours were long; 12 hour days, 6 days a
week.
3) How would you judge Samuel Slater and Francis Lowell, who brought secrets of technology to
the United States illegally and opened their own factories? Think about what they gained,
how they affected the United States and England, and what you believe about keeping
technology secret.
Student opinion/argument response
Document #3 – Interchangeable Parts
1) What are interchangeable parts? Describe how they were invented and by whom.
Parts that are exactly alike; Eli Whitney was hired by the United States to make 10,000
muskets for the army. He came up with the idea to make guns using parts that are exactly
alike to speed up production.
2) What were the effects of using interchangeable parts?
Sped up production; made repairs easily; allowed the use of lower-paid, less skilled workers
which meant that craftsmen were no longer as important; required a new style of
management, with inspectors to make sure each piece was uniform
3) Predict how interchangeable parts changed America’s manufacturing future. How do you
know?
Student opinion/argument response
Example: Assembly lines were invented in the early 1900s – the same person was responsible
for the same part at the work station over and over again; sped up manufacturing; factory
system grew
Document #4 – Steamboat
1) Who was Robert Fulton?
Robert Fulton invented a steamboat that could move against the current or strong wind
2) What made the steamboat such an important invention?
The steamboat had an engine which turned two side paddle wheels, pulling the boat through
the water. By 1816, steamboats were powerful enough to travel up rivers, against the
currents.
3) Explain the effect the steamboat had on the future of transportation.
Steamboats with steam engines could move supplies, goods, and people at a faster rate and
at a faster pace, allowing people to get what they need at a quicker pace
Document #5 – Morse Code
1) Who was Samuel Morse?
An inventor who in 1837 first demonstrated his version of a telegraph.
2) What made the telegraph such an important invention?
The telegraph machine sent long and short pulses of electricity along a wire. These pulses
could be translated into letters of a message. With the telegraph, it took only seconds to
communicate with someone in another city.
3) Explain the effect the telegraph and Morse Code had on the future of communication.
Telegraph lines spanned the country by 1861, bringing people closer as a nation and allowing
businesses to grow. It also allowed people to come up with new inventions in communication,
soon inventing the radio, telephone, television, etc.
Document #6 – Farming Improvements
1) How did Deere’s steel plow and McCormick’s mechanical reaper and threshing machine
impact farming?
Allowed preparing the ground for farming much less work; dramatically increased farm
production; more farmers began to move to the Midwest
2) What was the purpose of Whitney’s cotton gin?
It made the cotton cleaning process more efficient; the production of cotton went from one
pound per day per worker to 50 pounds per day per worker
3) What impact did the cotton gin have on the South?
It helped the set the south on a different course of development from the north; became a
huge importance to them
4) How did the cotton gin lead to the spread of slavery?
Because cotton was a prominent crop for the South, the need for slaves increased. More slaves
meant more production because of the number of cotton that could be produced.
Early Industry &
Invention
1 Causes & Factory
System
Who was involved? Describe
important facts and
details.
How did this invention/these people/this
technique contribute to the significance
of the Industrial Revolution?

The War of 1812
caused economic
changes in America;
factory machines
replaced hand tools


Samuel Slater – came
to America and
opened a spinning mill
in Rhode Island
Francis Lowell –
opened a mill in
Massachusetts that
ran on water power
Eli Whitney –
invented
interchangeable
parts: parts that
are exactly the same

2 Slater & Lowell Mills


3 Interchangeable Parts

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
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4 Steamboat

5 Morse Code
Robert Fulton –
invented the steam
engine and placed in
the boat Clermont

Samuel Morse – an
inventor who in 1837
first demonstrated
his version of the
telegraph



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People went to work in cities
allowing an increase in population
in the cites; they left their farms
and crowded into cities to work in
factories for a wage and on a set
schedule
Lowell mill employed farm girls;
Slater mill employed children
Conditions grew worse as demand
rose
Working hours were long; 12 hour
days, 6 days a week
Interchangeable parts sped up
production; made repairs easy
Allowed less skilled workers to
work which meant that
craftsmen were no longer
important
In the future, assembly lines
would be invented which meant
faster production of products
The steamboat and engine was
powerful enough to travel up
rivers, against the current
Could move supplies, goods, and
people at a faster rate and at a
faster pace, which meant people
could get what they needed at a
quicker rate
With the telegraph, it took only
seconds to communicate with
someone in another city
Brought people closer as a nation
and allowed businesses to grow
Also allowed future inventors to
come up with other forms of
communication including the
radio, telephone, television, etc.

6 Farming Improvements


John Deere – invented
the steel plow
Cyrus McCormick –
invented the
mechanical reaper
and the threshing
machine
Eli Whitney –
invented the cotton
gin
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
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Inventions allowed preparing the
ground for farming much less
work
Dramatically increased farm
production
More farmers began to move to
the Midwest
The cotton gin set the south on a
different course of development
than the north; became a high
importance to them and an
agricultural economy
Because cotton was a prominent
crop for the south, the need for
slaves increased