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Turnpikes
In the 1890s, Lancaster Turnpike in Pennsylvania was completed and it enforced a toll with large pikes, hence turnpike. -
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Forging the National Economy
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U.S. Textile Factory
In 1791, Samuel Slater, with the aid of a blacksmith and carpenter, created the first efficient American machinery for spinning threads of cotton. -
Excise Tax
In 1791, Alexander Hamilton secured an excise tax on domestic items. The most prominent of these items was whiskey. -
Bill of Rights
On this date in 1791, the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution) was ratified by the necessary number of states. The Bill of Rights safeguards some of the most important American principles and rights. -
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White House Construction
Timespan of the construction of the White House. -
Cotton Gin
In 1793, Eli Whitney built a machine called the cotton gin. He created this machine to separate the seed from the cotton fibers.He was told that the invention such as his would cure southern poverty, and it did, but it also strengthened the grip of slavery on the South. -
Musket developments
After developing the cotton gin, Whitney turned to manufacturing muskets for the U.S. Army. In doing so, he invented interchangeable parts so that when a part broke, another musket's part would fit in its place. -
Efficient Shipping
On this date in 1803, a firm in Rhode Island sent a shipment of yarn to a point sixty miles away and told the purchaser it would arrive in " the course of winter." Efficeient carriers were imperative in this time to gain profit and customers. -
The First Steamboat
Rober Fulton, as a painter-engineer, installed a steam engine in a vessel known to the public as "Fulton's Folly" and sailed the ship from New York City o Albany in 1807. -
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The War of 1812
The War of 1812 was considered to be America's second war for independence from Great Britain. It was caused by British attempts to smother Americans in debt and death. -
The Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812. This war was a great impact on the United States, but is considered a minor conflict against Britain. -
The Start of the Erie Canal
In 1817, New Yorkers that had been "cut off from federal aid by states' righters," led by Governor DeWitt Clinton, began the construction of the Erie canal. This large project would later scoffingly be called "Clinton's Big Ditch" and/or "the Governor's Gutter." -
Fur-Trappers
By this time, American fur-trappers set their traplines across the boundless Rockies. The empire involved in this was based on the rendezvous, or meeting system. -
Child Workers
In the year 1820, a large amount of factory workers were children that were under the age of ten. Many of these children were ill-treated, and even whipped in special "whipping rooms." -
Boston's Sewer System
In 1823, Boston pioneered a sewer system in place of the common custom of throwing sewage from a chamber pot out a window or door. -
Completion of the Erie Canal
Upon completion, the Erie Canal ribboned 363 miles, connecting all of the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. The canal also eventually led to the migration of New Yorkers and other northeners alike to farmland south of the Great Lakes. -
U.S. Railroad
The railroad has been proved to be the most significant contribution to the development of the economy. Railroads were cheaper than canals to construct, and were considered to be able to go almost anywhere. -
Andrew Jackson's First Inauguration
Andrew Jackson was inaugurated into the White House for the first time on March 4, 1829. He arrived at the inauguration in a horse-drawn carriage. -
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Immigration of the Irish
Nearly two million Irish arrived in America within this timespan. -
McCormick's Reaper
In the 1830s Cyrus McCormick contributed to a contraption known as the mower-reaper.This horse-drawn machine could have a single man do the work of five men. It made capitalists out of plowmen. -
Observing the Native Americans
In 1832, Ceorge Catlin observed Sioux Indians butcher buffalo mercilessly in order for them to trade the tounges for whiskey. He was horrified by this sight and proposed the idea of national parks. This proposal later led to the creation of the world's first national park system and Yellowstone Park. -
New York Railroads
In 1833 the New York legislature, in order to preserve their investment of the Erie Canal, prohibited the railroads to carry freight. -
"Awful Disclosures"
In 1836, Maria Monk wrote "Awful Disclosures" which sold over 300,000 copies. This was one of many books written by "Nativists" that incouraged literature of exposure. -
The Steel Plow
In 1837, John Deere of Illinois produced a steel plow that broke through the stubborn soil of the area, and was light enough to be pulled by horses instead of oxen like the wooden plow. -
End of Jackson's Second Term
Eight years after Jackson's first inauguration, he departs Washington in a railway car, instead of the horse-drawn carriage he arrived in. -
Severe Depression
This depression spread unemployment at a grievous rate. It also destroyed trade unionists gains in supporters. -
Patent Craze
In 1838, the clerk at the Patent Office resigned, complaining that all worthwhile inventions had already been thought up. Each invention seemed to spark another idea in an inventor's mind. -
Commonwealth v. Hunt
Commonwealth v. Hunt was the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that led to the strengthening of the labor movement by upholding the legality of unions. -
New York Water Pipes
In 1842, New York traded wells and cisterns for piped-in water.this unknowing decreased the breeding areas for disease-carrying mosquitoes. -
Invention of the Telegraph
In 1844, Samuel F. B. Morse invented the telegraph that tightened the strength of the complex business world. The telegraph was meant to send messages to distant places. Morse strung a wire from Washington to Baltimore, and then tapped out the now historic message, "What hath God wrought?" -
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the historic quote, "Europe stretches to the Alleghenies; America lies beyond." -
Potato Famine Begins
At the start of the famine, the Irish were under a heavy burden put upon them by the British. The famine was caused by a rot on the Irish potato crop called blight. Ireland had become so dependent on the crop that many of the Irish died of disease and hunger. -
Sewing Machine
The sewing machine was invented by Elias Howe and perfected by Isaac Singer. This machine gave a very strong boost to northern industrialization and became the foundation of the ready-made clothing industry. It drove many seamstresses to factories across the north. -
End of Potato Famine
By the end of the famine about two million Irsih died, and thousands of others flocked to America in an attempt to escape the famine. -
Know-Nothing Party
Also known as the American party, the Know-Nothing Party was a nativist political party that rose into existance in response to the large amount of immigrants. -
Female Employment
By 1850, 10% of white women were working outside of their homes, and about 20% of all women were employed before their marriage. -
London World's Fair
London World's Fair was a showcase of American inventors' creations. The displays included the telegraph and the McCormick reaper. -
First Transatlantic Cable
Cyrus Field, know as " the greatest wire-puller in history," coordinated an Anglo-American-Canadian joint endeavor to stretch a cable under the North Atlantic Ocean waters from Newfoundland to Ireland. Even though the public rejoiced, after three weeks the cable died, and a newer, heaftier cable was laid in its place, permanently connecting the American and European continents. -
The Pony Express
Th Pony Express' initial intent was to carry mail swifty across the two thousand miles from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. The unarmed riders traveled through winter and summer, day and night, traveling to each station that were approximately ten miles apart to saddle a new 'pony.' By doing this they were able to make the trip in only ten days. In the end, the Pony Express was ended because one missed trip caused them to close from money loss. -
Steamboats Everywhere
By 1820 there were about sixty steamboats on the Mississippi River, and in 1860 about one thousand resided on the river, including many river 'palaces.'
