The Industrial Revolution began with Textile machines. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that cleaned cotton quickly.  The Entrepreneurs used machines to change people work. New inventions like steel plow mad farm work easier and faster. People built towns and opened businesses to sell goods. Steam locomotive trains are much faster than steam boats. Factories and farmers sent their goods faster to places all over the country. In 1825, the Erie Canal opened, the canal made goods easier to ship goods between Lake Erie and Hudson River. Francis Lowell built a mill that turned cotton into cloth. In the 1800s, dirt roads could not be used in bad weather. Rivers and canals became the fastest and cheapest way to ship goods. Cotton became America’s biggest export still is optional. 

 

 

Resources:

Houghton Mifflin Company, United States History

Pg. 378-383