Industrial Revolution in America Flashcards

Grade 4 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key vocabulary for understanding the Industrial Revolution and its impact on American society.

Flashcards

Industrial Revolution: Period when production shifted from handcrafting to machine-powered factory manufacturing
Factory: A building where machines and many workers produce large quantities of goods
Steam engine: Engine powered by expanding steam; drove trains, ships, and factory machinery
Cotton gin: Eli Whitney's 1793 invention that mechanically separated cotton fiber from seeds
Transcontinental railroad: Railroad completed 1869 connecting U.S. East and West coasts
Labor union: Organization of workers uniting to bargain for better wages, hours, and conditions
Lowell mills: Massachusetts textile factories that employed thousands of young women from nearby farms
Mass production: Making large quantities of identical goods quickly and cheaply using machines
Telegraph: Samuel Morse's 1837 invention enabling rapid long-distance communication via electrical signals
Strike: When workers refuse to work until employers meet their demands for better conditions
Child labor: The practice of children working in factories and mines; widespread during early industrialization
Urbanization: Growth of cities as people moved from farms to work in factories
Assembly line: A manufacturing method where workers each perform one task repeatedly as goods move past
Natural resources: Raw materials from nature (coal, iron ore) that powered industrial production