What is one problem that happened because of machines in factories?
Some workers lost their old skills and jobs
Which two men are famous for their work with electricity?
Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla
What did the assembly line do for factories?
Made many items faster and cheaper
Why did new technology speed up during the World Wars?
Countries paid people to invent new tools for the war
What is the main difference between an invention and an innovation?
An invention is a new thing; an innovation is a new way to use or spread it.
what can we learn from looking at how electricity spread to American homes over time?
New technology, especially electricity, starts slow and then spreads faster, until almost everyone has it.
Which technology helped businesses share information quickly across long distances in the 1800s?
Telegraph
Adapted Text: "Note to branch managers: The telegraph lets us send messages in minutes. We can quickly tell stores to send goods so city shops do not run out."
It transmitted instructions quickly.
What does “mass production” mean?
Making lots of the same item using set parts and steps
How did the telephone help businesses?
It let people talk quickly and arrange sales or deliveries
About what percentage of homes had electricity by 1940?
85%
Explain how Edison’s electric light both solved problems and created new challenges for people and communities. In your answer, describe two different kinds of effects (one social or daily-life effect and one economic or labor effect)
Solved a daily-life problem (social/daily effect),Created a new daily-life challenge (social/daily effect), Helped the economy and jobs (economic/labor effect)
Adapted Text: “Dear friend — Our factory now has a line where each worker does one part. We make things faster and cheaper. Some of the workers miss the old jobs that used many skills.”
Workers were assigned to perform one specific task.
Electrification Data Chart
1900-1920
What can you infer (guess) about how telegraphs might have transformed businesses?
Companies could operate across greater distances and still be controlled from a central office.
What does a patent do?
Lets an inventor have control of their idea for a time
"several of my comrades lament the loss of varied craftsmanship." What does this show us about workers' feelings?
They missed using different unique skills in their work.