America's Contribution To The Industrial Revolution In America

When the United States declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, America was nation of artisans and farmers. Americans worked the land they had and created their own business out of their own homes or shops. Artisans or a worker in a skilled trade made their own tools, furniture, shoes, metalwork, clothes and other goods were complex items since each were individually crafted. According to an article, The Industrial Revolution in America, gives an example how Americans worked towards industrialization, “a gunsmith would cast and refine each component of the gun before fitting the pieces together, so every one of his guns was unique.” In other words each person contributed towards the industrial revolution by then trading or selling

Some examples are unsettled land and water ways. The land forest provided wood that colonists burned for fuel and other things like building houses, furniture, ships and much more. Rich deposits of Iron Ore were worked into raw iron and melted into steel. Although the Unites States had natural wealth, the Industrial Revolution did not start in America. The first technological breakthroughs occurred in Britain. The Industrial Revolution was a rapid development of industry that occurred in Britain in the late 17th centuries, brought about the introduction of machinery. During the 1700’s most of Britain’s manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools and small basic machines. The Industrial Revolution is characterized by the use of steam power, the growth of factories and mass production of manufactured

The American Revolution, lasting from 1775 to 1781, followed with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. According to an article, The Industrial Revolution in America, “all thirteen original states of the newly established United States ratified the constitution.” America had four fundamental changes that increased this remarkable economic growth which according to the book Understanding the American Promise, “Millions of Americans moved from farms to towns and cities. Factory workers increased to about 20 percent of the labor force by 1860. A shift from water power to steam as a source of energy raised productivity, especially in factories and transportation. Railroads in particular harnesses stream power, speeding transport and cutting costs. And Agricultural productivity nearly doubled between 1800 and 1860, spurring the nation’s economic growth than any other factor.” Basically these major changes did not cause a sudden discontinuity in America’s economy or society since much of the land was manly agriculture and the production continued to be the same. Some historians often refer to the 1840’s and 1850’s to be better termed as “industrial