Samuel Slater: Joining The Industrial Revolution

The transformation from manual labor to machinery became known as the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution first took place in England between the 18th and 19th centuries. It was the period during which fundamental changes took place in agriculture, transportation, textiles and metal manufacture, economic policies, and the social structure. America wasn’t so quick to join the revolution. This is due to several important factors. During this time the settlers were trying to develop the land and form communities in the colonies, which were still newly established. Another reason for the delay was that America was still trying to pay back creditors for the debt it had acquired during the war. Because of this, there wasn’t plenty of capital streaming through the economy. The main focus was on growing the nation itself. Before America could catch up with the British economically, it needed a more defined class structure. The main component to creating this division was education. People who were already economically prosperous in America started to look for ways to improve the quality of
life for others and this eventually brought change. America experienced many changes in writing, art, science, language, and medicine. While the United States was submerged in scholarly zeal, the British were striving to keep their status at the top.
They even enacted laws that banned the selling of machinery to foreign markets. Tactics like this let them hold onto their high status while keeping up their thriving society. One important figure in the Industrial Revolution of the United States was Samuel Slater. Originally from England, Slater was the apprentice of Jedediah Strutt who was considered to be a pioneer in the field of textile technology. After his nearly seven-year apprenticeship was over Slater decided to emigrate to the United States. He knew that his keen insight and background would help him secure a prosperous future in America and kept his background a secret from British authorities. By 1793, Slater and his partners had built the first successful textile mill in the United
States. An inventor named Eli Whitney came up with the concept of interchangeable parts, or the idea of all parts being made exactly the same way. This led to a faster system of gun production, and the same methods were soon used in other production settings. Whitney also invented the cotton gin, which separated the seeds from the raw cotton fibers. As a result of this invention, southerners saw many changes occur. The profit per pound of cotton increased by 6,000 percent in the matter of a twenty-five years, many southern plantation owners relied on cotton as their main source of income, land was purchased in vast quantities so that planters could grow more cotton, and plantation owners looked towards slavery as a cheap source of labor. As the demand for cotton rose, so did the number of slaves in the Unites states. Robert Fulton was another significant invertor in American society who utilized James Watts’ concept of a steam engine to power a ship. Some advantages of a steam-powered ship were: increased speed, and the ability to travel up a river against the current. By 1820, there were sixty-nine steamboats traveling the rivers of the western region of the United States.
The most significant addition in transportation during the 1800s was the arrival of the railroad. The railroad provided a new source of transportation at a rate that was almost unheard of in the United States. Travelers and goods could move easily throughout the country. Although the British introduced the concept of the railroad, the United States revolutionized the industry. Advancements in communication also came along with those in transportation. The federal government was essential in making these advancements, especially when it came to the expansion of the postal service. In just 40 years, the number of post offices increased from seventy-five to over eight thousand. The nation was able to enhance its system of communication, making it easier to send correspondence, letters, newspapers, and magazines. This led to a more unified and knowledgeable nation.