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Textile Mills
The textile mills were invented by Samuel Slater. Textile mills (factories) turned cotton from the South into manufactured cloth. Factories boomed in the North, not the South or West. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. By the mid-19th century, cotton had become America’s leading export. Regardless of its success, the invention made little money for Eli Whitney due to patent-infringement issues. By this, Whitney promoted a faster way to pick cotton. He is credited as a pioneer of American manufacturing. -
Interchangeable Parts
Interchangeable parts popularized in America when Eli Whitney used them to assemble muskets in the first years of the 19th century. The parts allowed relatively unskilled workers to produce large numbers of weapons quickly at lower cost, and made repair and replacement of parts easier. -
Steamboat
Robert Fulton invented the steamboat. The purpose of it was to enable travel of goods up stream rivers. -
National Road
The National Road, in many places known as Route 40, was built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. It was the first federally funded road in U.S. history. -
Erie Canal
Erie Canal built in New York, connecting western farmers to cities. -
Mechanical Reaper
Cyrus McCormick invented the Mechanical Reaper. It was invented so farmers could harvest larger pieces of land. -
Steel Plow
The steel plow was created by inventor John Deere. The significance of this invention was so that farmers could plow larger pieces of land. -
Sewing Machine
The sewing machine was invented by Elias Howe. The significance of this creation was that it helped turn manufactured cloth into clothing.
