PBS
Who Made America?: Francis Cabot Lowell:consolidated Manufacturing
A brief biography of Francis Cabot Lowell which describes his role in the industrial revolution in the United States. Read about the factory system, the so-called Lowell girls, and mechanization of cloth manufacture.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Wake Up, America!
This resource covers the changing of America due to the Industrial Revolution which brought in not only new technology but also opened the door to reform movements. From the series by Joy Hakim, "A History of Us." Includes a teacher's...
Other
James Hargreaves
The life and work of James Hargreaves, the inventor of the spinning jenny that revolutionized the English textile industry and brought on the Industrial Revolution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Industrial Growth
By 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, 16 percent of the population lived in urban areas and a third of the nation's income came from manufacturing. Funds were flowing into large-scale industrial development and into...
OpenStax
Open Stax: On the Move: The Transportation Revolution
By reading this section of a chapter on "Industrial Transformation in the North", students will learn about the development of improved methods of nineteenth-century domestic transportation and identify the ways in which roads, canals,...
Other
American Antiquarian Society: Exhibitions: A Woman's Work Is Never Done
Images with accompanying narration on women's work from before the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution. Exhibit describes the domestic work that women did and continue to perform and also provides information on women...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 15: The Changing American Landscape
The rise of American cities between 1865 and 1900 was spawned by the industrial revolution. Technological advancements in industry and transportation fathered the enormous growth of large cities across the United States. This led to the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Corporations and Cities
Overview of the American industrial age growth of corporations and urbanization.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Urbanization in America
This article contains interesting facts and information about Urbanization in America in the late 1800s which was fueled by the Industrial Revolution and Industrialization.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The First American Factories
The growth of cities and the American economy in the first half of the 19th century was driven by the growth of factories. Read about the textile industry in New England and how manufacturing spread throughout the north.
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: December 20: First American Cotton Mill
Library of Congress site gives a brief history and photo of the water-powered cotton mill that was built by Samuel Slater with links to related material for more in-depth study. Also, links to information about other historical events.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Era of Expansion and Reform
This resource, a speech by Woodrow Wilson to Congress on April 8, 1913, gives a great review of how the United States transformed from from a rural country to an urban one. It includes a review of industrialization, new inventions,...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Westward Expansion
This article offers a detailed history of early 19th century westward migration and the social diversity of the pioneers moving west.
Other
Red Mountain High School: The Growing u.s. In the Late 1800's/early 1900's [Pdf]
A PowerPoint presentation covering American history during the second Industrial Revolution. Learn the forces behind monopolies, the growth of cities, and the development of labor unions among other aspects of progression at this time in...
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Francis Cabot Lowell
This American industrial pioneer left as his legacy a manufacturing system, booming mill towns, and a humanitarian attitude toward workers.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?
In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Labor Conflicts and Unionism
This several page chapter from the site From Revolution to Reconstruction outlines the growth of the union in the railroad industry in the late 19th century. Read about the strikes, working conditions, the beginning of the American...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Rise of Industrial Unions
Article outlines the rise of industrial unions during the 1920s and 30s and the impact unions had on politics.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 159: Lowell, Massachusetts
History of Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mill that underwent tremendous growth in the early 1800s, and led to the creation of America's first industrial city. This is a transcript of an accompanying radio broadcast.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Anglo Amer. Colonization in Texas: Texas 1836 1848
A brief look at the declaration of independence from Mexico by Texas in 1836, the removal of restrictions on slavery, and how this dramatically increased the population and led to a much greater reliance on the cotton industry in the...
Other
University at Albany: Recruitment of Female Operatives in the 1840's
Tells the story of Lowell Mill factory and the "capturing" of poor white females to "work" in the factories. From "Voice of Industry," January 2, 1846.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Business Tycoons
Ouline of the blooming business industry and the development of entrepreneurs, big business, and the pursuit of financial success in 19th Century America.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
Presents a summary and list of interesting facts on the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin that revolutionized the cotton industry in the South.
Library of Congress
Loc: America at the Turn of the Century
A short report on America by 1900: "..the American nation had established itself as a world power. The West was Won. The frontier -- the great fact of 300 years of American history -- was no more."