Expansion of Industry

Factor 1: Abundant Natural Resources

A. Which resources played crucial roles in industrialization?

The two natural resources that played the biggest role in industrialization were coal, oil and steel. Oil was found below the earth’s surface, while steel was made by removing the carbon from iron ore. Coal was found underground and was mined as well.

B. How did Edwin L. Drake help industry to acquire larger quantities of oil?

In 1859, outside of Titusville, Pennsylvania, Edwin L. Drake successfully used a steam engine to drill oil from the earth’s surface. This was the first time this had ever been done and it made the process of drilling oil practical, hence making oil a more practical fuel. This led to an oil boom throughout the western United States.

C. How did the Bessemer process allow better use of iron ore?

Iron is very impractical metal to build with. It is soft and extremely prone to rusting and breaking. Around 1850, William Kelly and Henry Bessemer created a process for removing the carbon from iron ore, which turned it into the much stronger metal, steel. The Bessemer process, as it was called, was done by injecting air into iron while it was molten. This removed the carbon and other impurities at the same time.  

D. What new uses for steel were developed at this time?
  As steel became more practical to both use and manufacture, more uses began to arise for it. It was a very important material for building the railroads across the continent. Iron was too weak to handle the weight and speed of the trains, but steel could do it. At this time, cities were growing rapidly. A need began to appear for taller buildings, so you could have more offices in one area of land. Iron highly limited the size of the buildings, since if they were too tall they would collapse on themselves.   

Factor 2: Increasing number of Inventions

A. How did Thomas Alva Edison contribute to this development? 

Thomas Alva Edison was the first innovator to harness the power of electricity effectively with his invention of the incandescent light bulb. He created a method for producing electricity and distributing it to people all around America. This paved the way for other inventors to make inventions based off of electricity.

B. How did George Westinghouse contribute to it? 

George Westinghouse improved on Edison’s design, making electricity safer and less expensive. This allowed electricity to be a viable source of electricity for average Americans, not just those with money. This spurred the boom of invention that began with Edison even more. Now inventors were working on inventions that could help everyday Americans, such as household appliances. This new energy source also allowed manufacturers to move to places where they weren’t directly adjacent to a source of energy.

C. How did Christopher Sholes contribute? 

Christopher Sholes invented the typewriter in 1867. This revolutionized the world of office work. This invention created thousands of jobs for women in the office. From 1870-1910, only 40 years, the percentage of office work done by women grew from 5% to 40%.

D. How did Alexandar Graham Bell contribute? 

   Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized the world of communication with the invention of the telephone. This allowed people to communicate instantaneously across the country. The telephone also led to the previously mentioned increase in jobs for women. This invention allowed for the communication of ideas faster than ever before.