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The American Industrial Revolution

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The American Industrial Revolution The American Industrial Revolution took place from the 18th to 19th century and was a period of movement towards industrialization and urbanization. According to the article Industrial Revolution, Britain was the birth place of this new revolution due to the invention of the spinning jenny, or “Jenny” for short, by the Englishman James Hargreaves. Samuel Slater, an English-American industrialist, is known as the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution.” Slater brought a version of the Jenny to the United States from Great Britain, effectively creating the first textile mills. By the time of his death, Slater owned thirteen spinning mills, which shows how successful industrialization of a new country was. The Manufacturer and Builder was a 26-part New York Journal that was first hand account of what was happening on the industry side of the revolution, meant for the citizens of the country explaining the importance of textiles and steam power. Before the Industrial Revolution, spinning and weaving were done at home for the family itself. The Jenny, after upgrades from countless inventors, changed the course of the economy. In the southern states the surplus of cotton proved beneficial; however, the seeds could not be removed from the cotton quickly enough for the Jenny. Inventor Eli Whitney created the cotton gin that made it possible to remove seeds from cotton about 60 times faster. This invention further boosted the boom in industry. The scholarly journal Factor Endowments, Inequality, and Paths of Development among New World Economies, does an excellent job illustrating industrialization. Transportation was expanded, essentially giving the nation the ability to move goods effectively if needed. The Cumberland Road was one of which that was the first national roads. The steamboat was also an efficient means of travel

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