Top 5 Innovations
(1800-1860)
Which five innovations transformed the economy of the United States prior to the Civil War?
The following five innovations or theories enhanced the economy of the United States from 1800 to 1860 through transportation, trade, and helpful work labor. In addition, the following contributed to the undergoing change of social status through the Industrial and Market Revolution. Due to the differential circumstances occurring through the Nation, these innovations and theories additionally contributed to the cause of Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a 364 mile waterway connecting the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Nevertheless, the Canal enhanced the transportation system by carrying people, crops, and manufactures from the great Mississippi River Basin.
Labor Theory of Value
Theory in which union leaders expanded artisan republicanism to include wage workers. In addition, the price of goods reflected the labor required to make them, and the income from their sale should go primarily to the producers, not to the factory owners, middlemen, or storekeepers.
Railroads
Railroads enhanced the transportation system by becoming the main carrier of wheat and freight from the Midwest to the Northeast.
Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin was a tool, mainly used in the South, that separated the seeds in a cotton boll from the delicate fibers. Nevertheless, this tool enhanced the producing of cotton in the South and helped the farmers significantly.
McCormick's Reaper
McCormick's Reaper was a machine designed by Robert McCormick to increase farm productivity. A farmer could cut as much grain in a day as seven men with scythes. Nevertheless, the Reaper was helpful in terms of work labor for the United States economy, in addition to the amount of grain being produced and being easily traded.