Communication Breakthroughs
Who developed the telegraph in 1837?
Samuel F. B. Morse
Who was responsible for the steamboat revolution?
Robert Fulton
Who invented the steel plow in 1837?
John Deere
What is the economic system where private individuals own businesses?
Capitalism
Which region specialized in manufacturing and shipping?
The Northeast
What was the first telegraph message sent in 1844?
“What hath God wrought?”
What canal dramatically reduced shipping costs between Buffalo and NYC?
The Erie Canal
What invention by Cyrus McCormick changed farming?
The mechanical reaper
What term describes people who invest in and start new businesses?
Entrepreneurs
What cash crops were dominant in the South? (name at least two)
Cotton, tobacco, and rice
How many miles of telegraph wire existed by 1854?
23,000 miles
How many miles of canal existed in America by 1840?
Over 3,300 miles
Which invention drastically lowered clothing production costs?
Sewing machine with foot treadle
What economic shift involved people buying and selling goods?
Market Revolution
Why did Southern industrialization lag behind the North?
Capital was tied up in land and slaves
What purpose did telegraphs serve for railroads?
To keep trains on schedule and warn of hazards
Why were railroads preferred over canals by the 1860s?
Faster speed and year-round operation
Who invented vulcanized rubber in 1839?
Charles Goodyear
What company did Francis Cabot Lowell help found?
Boston Manufacturing Company
What inventions made Midwest farming more efficient?
Steel plow and mechanical reaper
Who improved Morse’s early telegraph device?
Leonard Gale
How many miles of railroad track existed by 1850?
Almost 10,000 miles
What product did vulcanized rubber become essential for by the 1900s?
Automobile tires
By how much did clothing prices fall due to industrialization?
More than 75%
What was a major export route for grain from the Midwest?
Canals to New York City