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the cotton gin invention
It is a machine that rapidly removes cotton plant seeds from the valuable cotton fiber used to make thread and fabric. -
jefferson's embarg
Beginning with Jefferson's Embargo of 1807, American investors who had been involved in lucrative trans-Atlantic commerce began placing their money into safer, domestic manufacturing ventures. -
law passed outlawing importation of slaves
by the time Lincoln was inaugurated, there were four times more slaves than in Jefferson's day. Cotton fields stretched across the old southwest from Georgia to Texas, and by 1820, the cotton kingdom accounted for 39% of all American exports. By 1860, the South provided 2/3 of the world's cotton. -
end of the war of 1812
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the power loom
Francis Lowell improved the English power loom for American factories -
Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper
helped one farmer working the machine to harvest as much wheat as five men in the same amount of time. -
John Deere's steel plow
allowed farmers to easily break through the thickly matted virgin soil of the American Midwest. -
Prior to 1840, commerce dominated the activities and location of major cities in America.
The growth of industry required new concentrations of people at places convenient to waterpower or raw materials. -
sports and entertanment
Blood sports were another popular form of entertainment. Dog fighting, cockfighting, and prizefighting were all fashionable and encouraged frenzied betting. Racing was also a popular leisure activity of the time. Foot races, boat races, and horse races attracted thousands of spectators, with nearly 100,000 attending a horse race at Union Track on Long Island in 1845. -
prior to this date manufacturing was conducted by unincorporated business
Prior to the 1860s, most manufacturing was conducted by unincorporated companies. Organizing a corporation required a special act of a state legislature. Many people believed that only projects that were in the public interest, such as roads, railways, and canals, were entitled to the privilege of incorporation. Businessmen also often viewed corporations as monopolistic and corrupt and as a threat to the individual enterprise. It took years for corporations to be regarded as agencies of free ent -
by 1860 american industry employed more then 1 million workers
By 1860, American industry employed over one million workers in 140,000 companies, with an output amounting to $1.9 billion. -
new york reaches more then 1 million people
New York was the first American city to boast a population of more than one million. Urbanization was both a consequence of economic growth and a positive force in its promotion.
