Set 3 — Early Industrialization and the Factory System

What was mechanization?

The use of machines to perform work more quickly and efficiently, increasing production and reducing the need for some forms of manual labor.

Why was the United States initially slow to adopt the factory system?

Americans had access to inexpensive land, labor was relatively scarce, investment capital was limited, and British manufacturers produced inexpensive goods that were difficult to compete with.

Why did Britain try to prevent the spread of its textile technology?

Britain wanted to maintain its industrial advantage and prevent other countries from competing with its manufacturing industry.

What was Yankee ingenuity?

The American tendency to experiment, adapt, and improve existing technologies to meet American economic needs.

Who was Samuel Slater?

Known as the Father of the American Factory System, he brought knowledge of British textile machinery to the United States and helped establish an early successful textile mill.

Why was Samuel Slater important to American industrialization?

He helped introduce British textile manufacturing technology to America and established a successful mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1791.

What was the factory system?

A system of production in which workers and machines were brought together in one location to manufacture goods more efficiently and in larger quantities.

What three major resources were needed to establish factories?

Capital to finance construction and machinery, a power source such as rivers and water wheels, and an available workforce.

Why was New England especially suited for early industrialization?

It had rivers for waterpower, wealthy merchants who could invest capital, and a growing workforce that included young women from farming families.

What was the Waltham system?

An integrated textile manufacturing system established in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1814, combining spinning and weaving in one factory.

Who was Francis Cabot Lowell?

A businessman who helped establish the Waltham textile factory system in 1814. The later industrial city of Lowell, Massachusetts, was named after him.

Who were the Boston Associates?

A group of wealthy Boston merchants and investors who financed large-scale textile manufacturing, including the Waltham and Lowell mills.

How did the War of 1812 encourage American manufacturing?

Trade disruptions and the difficulty of importing British manufactured goods encouraged Americans to produce more goods domestically.

What was the Embargo Act's connection to industrialization?

By restricting American trade with foreign countries, it disrupted imports and encouraged the development of domestic manufacturing.

What was the Tariff of 1816?

A protective tariff that placed taxes on imported goods to help American manufacturers compete with inexpensive foreign products.

What was the purpose of interchangeable parts?

To create standardized components that could be used in different products of the same design, making manufacturing and repairs easier.

How did interchangeable parts contribute to mass production?

They reduced the need for individual craftsmanship because standardized components could be assembled into identical products.

What was mass production?

The manufacture of large quantities of standardized goods using machinery and organized production methods.

What was laissez-faire economics?

The belief that the government should generally avoid interfering in the economy and allow businesses to operate with limited regulation.

What was limited liability?

A principle that generally limited an investor's financial risk to the amount invested in a corporation, encouraging people to invest in businesses.

What were free incorporation laws?

Laws that made it easier to create corporations without obtaining a special act of approval from a state legislature.

What was the significance of New York's General Incorporation Law of 1848?

It made forming corporations easier and helped encourage business investment and economic development.