# data[].attributes.body
in 1764 James Hargreaves developed the spinning jenny a machine that could spin several threads at once other inventions sped up the process of weaving thread into cloth

# data[].attributes.body
1780s,
Edmund Cartwright built a loom powered by water. It allowed
a worker to produce a great deal more cloth in a day than was
possible before.

# data[].attributes.body
By 1793, in Pawtucket,
he built what became the first successful textile mill in
the United States that was powered by water.

# data[].attributes.body
New access to credit, or borrowed money, allowed people to
start mills and factories in cities and in rural places where swift streams
provided power.
A market revolution was taking place. Mills and factories sprouted
throughout the Northeast. New technologies, such as interchangeable
parts and the steamboat, allowed for more efficient production and
the transportation of goods. New roads and canals linked towns,
expanding opportunities for commerce.

# data[].attributes.body
The War of 1812 provided a boost to American
industries. The British blockade cut Americans off from their supply
of foreign goods. As a result, they had to produce more goods
themselves. American merchants and bankers sought new ways to
meet the increased demand. To profit from the efficiency provided by
manufacturing, they built more factories. As American investors took
advantage of new technologies and built more factories, the American
economy grew.

# data[].attributes.body
Machines Some new inventions made work easier for farmers.
In 1825, Jethro Wood began the manufacture of an iron plow with
replaceable parts.

# data[].attributes.body
British author Charles Dickens toured Lowell in 1842. The Lowell girls
impressed him. He later wrote:

# data[].attributes.body
Urbanization was a steady but gradual process. In 1800, only 6 percent
of the nation’s population lived in urban areas. By 1850, the number
had risen to 15 percent. Not until 1920 did more Americans live in cities
than in rural areas.