Terms
Cotton gin-a machine that separates cotton seeds from the boll and greatly increased cotton production and the need for slaves in the US.
Steam engine-a machine that uses heat and steam pressure to create mechanical motion.
Gas street light-a street lamp that produces light by burning a combustible gas like coal gas,
Eli Whitney-inventor of the cotton gin. Hoped his invention would end slavery but it had the opposite effect.
Industrialization-the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.
Agriculture-the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.
King Cotton-a phrase that emphasized the importance of cotton to the southern economy.
Slavery-the practice of forcing someone to work or perform services against their will, and some people are owned as property.
Erie Canal-a 363 mile canal across New York that was dug by hand from 1817-1825. It connected Lake Erie to the Hudson River, and significantly improved trade between the East Coast and the Midwest. Dug by hand by Irish immigrants.