American Industrial Revolution in the Gilded Age

1. American Industrial Revolution in the Gilded Age Ch. 6, Sec 1

2. Setting the Scene • By 1865, USA had telegraph, railroads, steamships. • Every year, thousands of patents issued by government for new products and services. • Licenses that give an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention for a set period of time. • Due to improved manufacturing methods, USA saw increased productivity. • Amount of goods and services created in a given period of time.

5. Energy • In 1859, Edwin Drake became first person to successfully drill for oil. • Pennsylvania became center of oil industry. • Refineries produced petroleum-based products such as kerosene for lamps. • Oil exploration spread throughout America and led to new fields in Texas, Oklahoma, and California. • Gasoline thrown away until invention of automobile.

6. Edwin Drake

8. Spindletop, Texas

9. Thomas Edison created first electric lightbulb in 1880. • To attract customers, built a power plant to provide electricity to several buildings in New York City. • Power plant idea caught on across country and electrification of America began. • Edison used DC (direct current). • Inventor George Westinghouse developed AC (alternating current) that was more efficient. • Also invented transformers that boosted power at relay stations. • Allowed electricity to travel long distances by wire.

10. Thomas Edison

11. Edison’s First Power Plant

12. George Westinghouse

13. Electricity created many changes in manufacturing. • Ex- electric sewing machine – less labor, less time, cheaper clothes. • Electricity also led to changes in the home. • Ex- refrgerators, electric ovens.

15. Communication • In 1844, Samuel Morsesent first message by telegraph using Morse Code. • Communications technology advanced rapidly. • In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell created first telephone. • By 1900, 1.5 million telephones in use.

16. Samuel Morse

18. Alexander Graham Bell

19. Railroads and Steel • Before the Civil War, most railroads were short lines connecting East Coast cities. • During the Civil War, work was started on Transcontinental Railroadto connect both coasts. • Would build around 6 miles of track a day. • Irish and Chinese immigrants did most of the labor. • May 10, 1869, it was completed.

24. New technologies rapidly improved often dangerous rail travel. • Steel rails replaced iron, signals became standardized across the country. • Better air brakes, mobile telegraphy improved safety. • Time zones were created across country to improve train scheduling. • By 1900, 190,000 miles of track in USA.

26. 1900

27. Railroads provided: • Faster and more practical means of transporting goods and people. • Lower costs of production. • Creation of national markets. • Model for big businesses. • Stimulation of other industries.

28. Henry Bessemer invented way to make cheap steel called Bessemer Process. • Led to mass production of steel. • Cheap rails, steel for buildings, ships, bridges. • Brooklyn Bridge – longest continuous span suspension bridge in world.

29. Henry Bessemer