Key Concepts in the American Industrial Revolution and Social Movements

Industrial Revolution

A time when new machines and factories changed how goods were made, making production faster and bigger (1790-1860).

division of labor

Breaking a job into small, repeated tasks so workers or machines each do one part.

mineral-based economy

An economy that relies on coal and metals to power machines instead of water.

mechanics

Skilled workers who built and fixed machines.

Waltham-Lowell system

A factory system that used young women who lived in company housing and worked in textile mills with strict rules.

machine tools

Machines that make identical parts for other machines.

artisan republicanism

The idea that small business owners and skilled workers are the ideal independent citizens.

unions

Groups of workers that join together to improve wages and working conditions.

labor theory of value

The idea that the value of a product comes from the work put into making it.

Market Revolution

A time when buying, selling, and transportation of goods increased a lot.

Erie Canal

A waterway that connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, helping trade grow.

middle class

A group of people (like shop owners and traders) who were financially comfortable, between rich and poor.

self-made man

Someone who becomes successful through hard work, not by being born rich.

Benevolent Empire

A movement of religious reformers who wanted to improve society (like stopping drinking and crime).

Sabbatarian values

The belief that Sunday should be kept as a holy day for rest and worship.

moral free agency

The belief that people can choose to do good or bad and are responsible for their actions.

American Temperance Society

A group that encouraged people to stop drinking alcohol.

nativist movements

Groups that were ضد immigrants and wanted to limit immigration.

Samuel Slater

Brought British factory ideas to the U.S. and helped start American factories.

Francis Cabot Lowell

Helped create early American textile factories and improved machine designs.

Sellers Family

A family that helped spread knowledge about science and machines through education.

Eli Whitney

Invented the cotton gin, which quickly removed seeds from cotton, and helped develop interchangeable parts.

Cyrus McCormick

Invented a machine that made harvesting crops faster and easier.

Lyman Beecher

A preacher who supported religious reforms like keeping Sunday holy.

Charles Grandison Finney and Lydia Finney

Influential religious leaders who spread revivalism and the idea that people can choose to be saved through their actions.