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Water Frame
Richard Arkwright patented the water frame in 1768. It reduced the amount of human labor needed and increased the spindle count dramatically. It allowed cotton fibers to easily be spun into thread. -
Roads and Turnpikes
Congress funded the building of a major east-west highway, the National Road. It aided the travel of pioneers, livestock, wagonloads, and farm produce. By 1821, some 4,000 miles of extremely profitable toll roads had been built. -
The Steamboat
Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston stunned the nation when their steamboat, "Clermont," chugged 150 miles up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany in just 32 hours. By 1850 over 700 steamboats traveled along the nation's waterways. They helped spur a wave of canal building throughout the country. -
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Erie Canal
The canal linked the water of the Hudson River and Lake Erie. It improved transportation beyond the Appalachian Mountains. It helped goods and people be transported much quicker. -
The "Iron Horse"
Peter Cooper made a samll, powerful locomotive called the "Tom Thumb." Train travel was much faster than stagecoaches or wagons and could go anywhere a track was laid. They helped expand trade and coal extraction skyrocketed. -
Morse Code
Samuel Morse developed the first electrical telegraph system which sent pulses of electric current along wires. It has been used for over 160 years, longer than any other electrical coding system. -
Sewing Machine
The sewing machine was invented by Elias Howe. Mass-produced cloth could be sewn into mass-produced clothing with a sewing machine.
