First was the steam engine Thomas Newcomen in 1712, used initially for water removal but soon would be developed into ships, locomotives, and machinery. The steam engine was very efficient with water being the one necessary fuel to keep these pieces of technology going. Production rates increased even more and transportation land and sea became far more efficient. The second great invention was the cotton gin created by Eli Whitney in 1792 that improved the rate of productivity for cotton. This machine was used to pull the seeds out of cotton before it was sent to get woven into string. “…proved to be fifty times more productive than a hand laborer. Almost overnight. the cotton gin made cotton America’s most profitable cash crop…” (Shi, 273.) Eli Whitney changed harvesting cotton forever, at the time slaves no longer had to spend the majority of the time picking seeds but instead constantly pick cotton. Slaves picked more cotton and the cotton gin cleaned the cotton at a rate that would make farmers rich. Inventions like the steam engine and the cotton gin are classic example of industrialization and changing the way people and society …show more content…
“Wages for those who labored in factories were low and working conditions could be dangerous and monotonous.” (history.com Staff.) In factories machines would be side by side and isles left at a very narrow size, this gave little room for employees and created a dangerous work space. A long with cramped spaces these machines did not need to meet any safety requirements so many moving parts were exposed for workers to get hair, fingers, and feet caught into. Furthermore, factories created many jobs that would prevail against unskillful workers who were easily replaceable. In these factories men were not the only ones put to work, in Lowell Massachusetts there was the first factory to be all women, and in other places children would be put to work. Women became good employees because their wages were less then men and they worked good in the clothing industry while kids sought after for their youth. Children worked long shifts because they had more energy and they were mainly used for cleaning the machines. Factory and mill owners benefitted from the recruitment of men, women, and children workers but at the same time created poor working conditions and tight living situations for their