America at 250: A Different Kind of Revolution

“…everything tending to establish substantial and permanent order, in the affairs of a country, to increase the total mass of industry… is ultimately beneficial to every part of it.”  -Alexander Hamilton, Report on the Subject of Manufactures, 1791

When the 13 colonies turned themselves into states under a national government with the creation of the U.S. Constitution, the nation was overwhelmingly agrarian. Having been a plantation owner for many years, Thomas Jefferson was notable in his affection for agriculture, espousing an indissoluble tie to the land which he felt was the future of America. Being an apprentice in a thriving mercantile business, Alexander Hamilton looked at things differently. He saw great opportunity in the development of industry and commerce. In some respects, both men were right: our nation needed an agricultural base to support its population, yet Hamilton’s vision telescoped decades into the future, imagining the enormous potential for various industries to diversify our economy and help the young nation thrive.

The phrase “Industrial Revolution” was discussed for years, but popularized by the economic historian Arnold Toynbee in his series of lectures in the 1880s. He was describing the dramatic changes in Great Britain which occurred from 1760 to 1840. The term later caught on with historians and authors describing the massive technological breakthroughs which brought us into the modern age.

The “spark” for the development of numerous world-changing inventions started in England, with ingenious inventors and scientists having visions for new products and devices to solve existing problems. Dreaming of a way to take standing water out of a mine, Englishman Thomas Newcomen in 1712 developed the first practical steam engine. Decades later, Scotsman James Watt improved upon Newcomen’s device and was granted a patent on his revamped steam engine; the first ones were installed for usage in 1776. The steam engine- and the principles behind its power- would become one of the most important technological developments in human history, eventually leaving the horse and buggy behind.

England led the western world in the production of textiles- and some budding inventors took notice. James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny in 1764, which made tedious work much easier. Despite England’s ban on exporting technology, Samuel Slater literally memorized the working parts of an English mill, emigrated to America and in 1790 built the first water-powered textile mill here in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Over the following decades, textile mills opened all across New England and spread throughout the nation, creating a new industry. In 1807, Robert Fulton from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania used the concepts behind steam power to develop the steamboat, his ship Clermont cruising up the Hudson River to the amazement of watchers nearby. The steamboat was the next major invention to literally transform commerce and the economies of the United States and countries around the world. Fulton would subsequently take part in another groundbreaking event- the creation of the Erie Canal, which allowed transport of large quantities of heavy goods and commodities more easily.

Another Englishman would have a profound influence on the development of motors through electromagnetism. In his experiments with magnets and electric wires during the 1820s and 1830s, Michael Faraday developed what would be called the first dynamo, the ancestor of all modern power generators. Faraday’s invention was so monumental, decades later a man named Einstein would keep a portrait of him on his wall, considering Faraday one of the most important pioneers in the history of science.

Developments in both communication and transportation literally reconstructed the landscape in America. In his book What Hath God Wrought- The Transformation of America 1815-1848, author Daniel Walker Howe discusses the enormous changes caused by the creation of the steam locomotive by Englishmen Richard Trevithick and George Stephenson and later the telegraph by American Samuel F.B. Morse. The locomotive was an entirely new, faster and more efficient mode of land transportation and railroads quickly crisscrossed the United States. In 1830, there were just 23 miles of railroad track here. By 1860, more than 30,000 miles were laid across the nation. Following them closely were telegraph lines- strategically positioned to provide timely information about the departure and arrival of trains. Towns and then large cities thrived all along the railroads. American commerce blossomed from the 1850s onward due to this synergistic combination. A young Thomas Edison was so fascinated with the telegraph, he nicknamed two of his children “Dot” and “Dash.”

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone – a device many at the time considered unnecessary. In the following decades, Bell’s invention would create an entirely new industry- telecommunications, which would impact virtually every aspect of modern life. Edison was a major player in the development of several new technologies. He holds the record for the most patents in the United States (1,093); worldwide he held an amazing 2,332 patents in fields ranging from electric power to recorded sound and motion pictures, his most famous being the commercial development of the light bulb. Edison’s inventions would, like Bell’s, touch virtually every activity we know today. Henry Ford’s development of the assembly line for mass production of the automobile helped another new industry become a mainstay of modern life.

Looking back, we see signposts along the way which brought us to where we are in the year 2026. In 1916, oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first billionaire, the empire he created affecting the lives of millions of Americans. Now 110 years later, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire, a status so mind-boggling, many cannot fully understand it. What did these men have in common? Besides sharp intelligence and creativity, they both recognized great potential in developing vital products and forging new industries to meet the needs of mankind. The two were also blessed by fate. They lived and worked in America, our system of government allowing people with great ideas, guts and determination to become enormously successful. Their many achievements and those of their compatriots lay a foundation for prosperity in the decades to come.