Topic 4.5: Market Revolution

Old Northwest

A region including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; developed through land ceded in the 1780s and organized by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787

John Deere

Inventor of the steel plow, which made farming more efficient in the Midwest

Cyrus McCormick

inventor of the mechanical reaper, which helped farmers harvest crops faster with less labor

Lancaster Turnpike

A toll road built in the 1790s in Pennsylvania that connected Philadelphia with farmland and inspired more road construction

National, or Cumberland Road

A major federal and state-funded road from Maryland to Illinois, built from 1811 to the 1850s, that supported westward expansion

Erie Canal

A canal completed in 1825 in New York that linked western farms with eastern cities and boosted economic growth

steam-powered engines

Engines that allowed factories and other operations to be located away from water sources; key to industrial growth

Robert Fulton

Developer of the Clermont, the first successful steamboat, which made river travel faster and cheaper

railroads

A new transportation system starting in the late 1820s that linked cities and helped western towns grow into commercial centers

telegraph

A communication device developed by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1844 that sent messages almost instantly over wires, revolutionizing long-distance communication

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin and the system of interchangeable parts, both of which greatly increased production efficiency in agriculture and manufacturing

interchangeable parts

Identical machine-made components introduced by Eli Whitney that allowed for mass production and easier assembly of goods like rifles

Samuel Slater

British immigrant who established the first successful U.S. textile factory in 1791 by bringing British factory knowledge to America

textile mills

Factories that produced cloth and clothing; became central to early U.S. manufacturing, especially in New England

Lowell System

A labor system in Massachusetts textile mills that employed young farm women who lived in company-run dormitories

unions

Organizations formed by workers to fight for better wages, shorter hours, and improved conditions; faced challenges like replacement workers and anti-union laws

cash crops

Crops like cotton grown for sale rather than for family use; became dominant as farming turned into a commercial enterprise

cotton gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that quickly separated cotton fiber from seeds, making cotton production much more profitable

cotton industry

The dominant Southern agricultural sector based on cotton farming; relied on enslaved labor and supported both American and global textile markets