Early American Innovations Inventions Steamboat Inventor Robert Fulton

Early American Innovations & Inventions

Steamboat • • • Inventor: Robert Fulton Year: 1807 Made traveling on river easier and faster First practical steamboat was called the Clermont Used for trade and the moving of raw materials Allowed for cheap transportation of crops

Canals • Canals (man-made waterways) connected the eastern and western parts of the country • Allowed trade and goods to move back and forth • New cities rose up, and people moved to them looking for new homes and jobs • Increased economic opportunities in the West • Example—Erie Canal=connected New York City to the Great Lakes (not directly to NYC, but provided a path for goods from the city to reach the Midwest faster and cheaper

Roads • National Road—toll road—built by the federal government because the highway crossed multiple states • Lancaster Turnpike—toll road—first longdistance paved road in the U. S. —linked Philadelphia to Lancaster, PA. limited to the state

Interchangeable Parts • • Inventor: Eli Whitney Year: Late 1700 s Parts that are exactly alike Production and repairs faster and easier

Telegraph • Inventor: Samuel Morse • Year: 1837 • Revolutionized communication • Morse Code • Factories in the East could now communicate with markets in the West

Steel Plow • • Inventor: John Deere Year: 1836 Prepared soil to be used for farming Plowing became much more easier for farmers. A lot less work.

Cotton Gin Inventor: Eli Whitney Year: 1793 Removes seeds from cotton A worker could produce fifty times more cotton fiber • Increase of slave labor • •

Textile Mills (Thread-Spinning) • • Inventor: Samuel Slater Year: 1789 Produced cotton thread Faster rate of production

Mechanical Reaper • Inventor: Cyrus Mc. Cormick • Year: 1831 • Cut wheat much faster than a human worker could • Farmers could cultivate more land with fewer workers

Threshing Machine • American Inventors: John and Hiram Pitts • Year: 1834 • Separated wheat/grain from stalks