Technological Advancements During The Industrial Revolution

A third major technological advance during the Industrial Revolution was the railroad. As the United States began expanding westwards, transportation became a key issue (Editors of Publications International, Ltd). Americans sought a form of reliable, all-weather transport that could allow them easy access to other parts of the country and especially the western frontier, but none of the existing means of travel was sufficient. Walking or riding on roads, the most common form of transportation, was slow to begin with and was made even slower by bad weather and rough terrain. The canal boom of the 1820s attempted to speed up overland travel by allowing boats to be towed along manmade waterways, but the canals were blocked by the Appalachian Mountains from reaching the frontier. Steam-powered boats were more successful and allowed for faster water travel, but they proved to be inadequate due to their roundabout routes and inability to serve the entirety of the nation. The railroad seemed to be the perfect solution. First developed in Britain at the start of …show more content…
The cotton gin solved a major obstacle to the production of cotton, resulting in the domination of cotton in the Southern economy and the entrenchment of both the plantation system and the institution of slavery it relied upon. The factory system spread from the textile industry to virtually all industrial manufacturing, establishing the industrial power of the North while profoundly altering the nature of work in American society. Finally, the railroad became the backbone of the American economy, stimulating industry and opening the West to settlement. Ultimately, these three technological advances worked in harmony to create the foundations for the powerful industrial nation that the United States still remains to this