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Megan Mockerman
American History Since 1865
Miss Hanshew
25 November 2014
The Industrial Revolution and Its Effect on Technology
In general, Americans are consumed with their technological devices because we are
living in an age that is deeply influenced by the scientific and technological revolution (Prasad).
However, smartphones, computers, and television are all devices that were not a part of
American society until fairly recently in history. Before the revolutionizing emergence of big
business and technology in post-Civil War America, American society was primarily rural and
most work was done by hand. The American Industrial Revolution, inspired by the Industrial
Revolution in Europe, brought about significant technological and economical advances because
of the large corporation leaders and the innovative thinkers of the age. Two of the most
influential inventors include Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison because their
inventions created thousands of employment opportunities and were widely accepted and used
among society.
The industrial transformation of the United States was inspired by the growing industry
and business practices in Britain that began in the late 1700s. Although Britain had enacted
legislation to prohibit the exportation of their new technology and business practices,
industrialization ultimately trickled into the United States and the United States became the
world's leading industrial nation by improving and building upon practices founded in Britain
(Industrial Revolution). Industrialization in America sparked the age of big business. Several
men, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt, created
large corporations that dramatically lowered prices and allowed the American economy to
flourish. "While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of

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manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it often resulted in often grim
employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes" (Industrial Revolution).
These men created monopolies and, in turn, working conditions drastically worsened during this
time and unions grew in size. However, industrialization brought about thousands of jobs. The
booming factories and inventions of the age transformed America from a rural to an urban
society that most profoundly left an impact on the lives of women. New inventions propelled
them into industry, and the "Gibson Girl"the symbol of the growing independence and
assertiveness of womenbecame the romantic ideal of the age (Kennedy 528).
One innovative thinker that propelled thousands into the job market was Alexander
Graham Bell. As many great thinkers do, Bell sought to improve products already in existence,
one of which was the telegraph. Bell reasoned that a large number of telegraphic messages
could be sent simultaneously along the same circuit if the signals for each message had a
certain definite pitch different [from that of the others] after examining this philosophy with the
piano and notes that are sung (Bell 2). Although Bell [could not] with any great accuracy fix the
date of the conception of the system of Multiple Telegraphy, he conducted some of his most
important experiments of the Multiple Telegraph during the winter of 1872-1873 (Bell 1). In one
of his first experiments, he tested a circuit (see fig. 1) in which two wires are needed and
communication is only accomplished in one direction (Bell). Another circuit that was tested later
on during the experiments (see fig. 2) consisted of a closed circuit in which communication was
capable and successful in both directions, and Bell had not applied for the patent when this figure
was drawn (Bell).

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(fig. 1)

(fig. 2)

His work with the telegraph contributed to his success with the telephone. Because he
had a deaf mother, the inventor Alexander Graham Bell became interested in discovering how to
transmit vibrations created by sound via electricity. Bell and his hired mechanic Watson began
constructing a model using telegraph devices that were electrically connected by wires. In 1876,
Alexander Graham Bell successfully sent his first telephone message. The response to Bells
invention varied, but he formed his own company, Bell Telephone Company, in 1877 to market
his invention. He created the first long distance telephone line, between New York and Boston, in
1884. By 1900, there were 1 million telephones in operation (Mooney 70-71). As the popularity

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of the telephone spread due to its increasing affordability, thousands of employment
opportunities were createdthis was one of many inventions that propelled women into the
industrial workforce as operators. Bell's invention of the telephone drastically changed the daily
lives of not only those that it employed, but the daily lives of people in general. Communication
in between regions within the United States became effortless and extremely efficient. All one
had to do was pick up the phone and have an operator direct them to the correct person.
Therefore, the invention of the telephone left a lasting impact on the social aspect of American
society.
Another influential inventor that reached milestones during the Industrial Revolution was
Thomas Alva Edison. In 1876, Edison and his team built an invention workshop in Menlo Park,
New Jersey. In only his first two years there, Edison patented 75 inventions, one of which was an
improved version of Alexander Graham Bells telephone which then inspired him to invent the
phonograph (Mooney 80). In fact, the invention of the phonograph was an accident. While
Edison was singing into the mouthpiece of a telephone, it pricked his finger because the
vibrations from the sound waves from his voice moved the point. Being an innovative thinker, he
thought if he could record the actions of the point and then send the point over the same surface
afterword, it should produce sound (Dickson 122). He tested his theory and when it worked, he
decided to make a machine capable of sound-reproducingthe phonograph.
Shortly after his invention of the phonograph, Edison turned his attention to the light
bulb. He wanted to improve it so that it could burn longer and be useful in homes and businesses.
While experimenting with different filaments, Edison experienced many failed attempts.
Determined to find a successful filament he insisted on depriving himself of sleep until he found
a successful result to his experiment. On October 21, 1879, a lamp was successfully lit and it

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burned for several days (Dickson 195). In order for the electric light bulb to be used, Edison also
invented components of an electrical system such as sockets and fuses. He later focused on
creating motion pictures which led to the invention of the kinetoscope, and he produced one of
the first moving pictures, The Great Train Robbery (Mooney 84). A rare combination of
mechanical genius and visionary, Edison held 1093 patents at the time of his death in 1931
(Carlson). With his devotion toward his work and technological landmarks, Edison greatly
helped pioneer the electrical age. Because of this innovative thinker, society has the luxury of
listening to music, watching movies, and using electricity for light in our homes and businesses.
Throughout the American Industrial Revolution, there was an emergence of influential
inventors, two of the most well-known include Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.
The products and ideas of these innovative thinkers left an impact on American society that
changed the daily lives of individuals forever by transforming America into a nation of booming
industry that resulted in the emergence of new technology. Some of their inventions such as the
telephone, which became the most widely used communications device in the world, and the
light bulb had effects that influence modern society. The industrialization of America and the
technological advances associated with it have drastically changed American society, paving the
way for other innovative thinkers and businessmen to create and continue to improve upon
modern American society. Historical inventors have paved the way for technology to be a
primary product of America that has a profound effect on others across the globe (McQuire).

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Bibliography
Primary Sources
Manuscripts
Bell, Alexander Graham. "Pamphlet by Alexander Graham Bell, 1876." 1876. MS. Lib. of Cong.,
Washington, D.C. Lib. of Cong. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
<http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/magbell.26910105>
Photographs
Bell, Alexander Graham. Drawings by Alexander Graham Bell. Photograph. Lib. of Cong.,
Washington D.C. Lib. of Cong. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
<http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/magbell.27200112>
Newspapers
Carlson, Eugene. "Thomas Alva Edison's 'Invention Factory'." (1889-Current file): B2. 1989.
Academic Journals
McQuire, Scott. "Technology." 23.2-3 (2006): 253-65.
Prasad, Rajendra. "Science and Technology: Impact on Society." Social Scientist, Vol. 2,
(Apr., 1974): 18-30.

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Secondary Sources
Dickson, William Kennedy Laurie, and Antonia Dickson. The Life and Inventions of Thomas
Alva Edison. New York: T. Y. Corwell, 1894.
"Industrial Revolution." History.com. A&E Networks. 2009. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution>
Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. "Industry Comes of Age." The American pageant: a
history of the American people. 15th ed., Student ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning, 2013. 512-537.
Mooney, Carla, Jen Vaughn, and Inc ebrary. The Industrial Revolution: Investigate how Science
and Technology Changed the World with 25 Projects / [Electronic Resource]. White
River Junction, VT: Nomad Press, 2011.