Technology & Tools Flashcards

Which invention by Eli Whitney in 1793 made cotton far more profitable and increased the demand for enslaved labor in the South?

Answer: Cotton gin

The cotton gin quickly separated seeds from short-staple cotton, making large-scale cotton farming highly profitable.

Which Virginia-born inventor developed the mechanical reaper in the 1830s to speed up grain harvesting?

Answer: Cyrus McCormick

Cyrus McCormick of Rockbridge County, Virginia, perfected the mechanical reaper, which boosted wheat production.

What was the main effect of Robert Fulton's Clermont on transportation in the early 1800s?

Answer: It proved steam-powered boats could travel upstream commercially

The Clermont demonstrated practical steamboat travel on the Hudson River, allowing upstream shipping against currents.

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, connected the Hudson River to which body of water?

Answer: Lake Erie

The canal linked Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo on Lake Erie, making New York City a major trade hub.

Which Richmond, Virginia, company was the main supplier of iron products and cannon for the Confederacy?

Answer: Tredegar Iron Works

Tredegar Iron Works on the James River produced most Confederate artillery and also iron plating for ironclads.

Samuel Morse's telegraph changed communication in the 1840s by allowing messages to be sent how?

Answer: By wire using electrical signals and code

The telegraph sent coded electrical pulses over wires, allowing near-instant long-distance messages.

Which technological development helped pioneer the use of interchangeable parts in manufacturing, speeding up musket production?

Answer: Eli Whitney's system of interchangeable parts

Whitney promoted interchangeable parts so identical components could be assembled quickly and repaired easily.