How did the development of interchangeable parts directly affect industry?

Interchangeable parts were considered one of the most groundbreaking inventions during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Defined as identical components that can be substituted for one another (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016), the invention cannot be traced back to an exact date. Interchangeable parts were popularized in America when Eli Whitney began using them to assemble muskets during the first years of the 19th century (History.com Staff, 2010). Interchangeable parts played such a vital role towards the developmental growth of the country at the time because it revolutionized the manufacturing and effectiveness of weapons. Mass production of the parts allowed relatively unskilled workers to quickly produce and repair low cost weapons in large numbers. It took away the need for an expert and alleviated any concern about the lack weapons.…show more content…
Once interchangeability started, a firearm could be repaired by simply replacing the damaged part instead of making a whole new weapon. Compared to other inventions that came out during the Industrial Revolution, interchangeable parts are still as beneficial today as it was back when it was first introduced. Email has made the telegraph ancient communication system. The cotton gin, another Eli Whitney invention, is still being used today; however, the versions used today are much more sophisticated and efficient. In closing, interchangeable parts have not been the most talked about inventions from the Industrial Revolution, but it was definitely a game

Question Answer 1. Most tariffs in the 19th century were intended to raise revenue and protect domestic manufacturing 2. In the 19th century, the availability of canal networks, swiftly flowing rivers, extensive railroad systems, and banking and investment centers resulted in an increase in the number of factories in the Northeast 3. During the early 1800's many young women were employed outside their homes as cloth weavers in textile mills 4. In the 1840s, thousands of Irish immigrants came to the United States seeking to escape? a famine caused by the failure of a staple food crop. 5. What was one major effect of the opening of the Eric Canal? the cost of shipping goods from the Midwest decreased. 6. What was an effect of the Industrial Revolution on U.S. women in the early 19th Century? women seeking work migrated from rural communities to cities. 7. How did the development of the factory system encourage urbanization? workers moved closer to manufacturing centers. 8. The introduction of interchangeable parts led directly to the use of mass-production techniques. 9.Why did President Jackson support the introduction of a "spoils system"? It would open up jobs in government to average citizens. 10. As a result of President Andrew Jackson's policies, Native American Indians were forcibly removed to areas west of the Mississippi River. 11. Sectional rivalries during the period from 1820 to 1860 centered mainly around the issues of states' rights, the extension of slavery, and tariffs. 12. How did President Andrew Jackson impact the office of the President? by strengthening its power.

Eli Whitney's demonstration

In 1801, a man by the name of Eli Whitney pioneered a new manufacturing method. He had successfully demonstrated the concept of interchangeable parts. 

First conceptualized by French General Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval in the mid-18th century, the idea had been around for some time. Gribeauval even started producing firearms with interchangeable flintlocks in 1778. However, the idea never really made it much further than that.

The idea was simple, if individual pieces of a machine were produced identically, then the final product would be identical to others. This would also allow for easy fixing of broken parts, allowing machine owners to simply order a replacement. 

The first testing ground for interchangeable parts by Whitney was demonstrated within firearm production.

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Whitney took 10 of his interchangeable rifles before congress. While standing in front of the crowd, he disassembled all of them, mixed up al of the parts, and then reassembled them in working order. This would've been incredible at the time as everything prior was custom made.

It was at this moment that the idea of interchangeable parts started to take hold of the entire industrial revolution.

Ironically, Whitney's demonstration was all a lie. 

Whitney's contract for guns

In 1797, the U.S. Congress voted to prepare to go to war with France. First, they needed to order a massive amount of weapons. 

At this time, Eli Whitney was already well known for his invention of the cotton gin and played off of this to win a contract for 10,000 muskets from the government. By 1801, Whitney hadn't produced and delivered a single weapon to the government and was thus called to congress to justify his use of funds in front of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Whitney came prepared though with his 10 "interchangeable rifles". He put on the demonstration we mentioned before, but it was all a lie. Whitney had marked the parts prior to the demonstration so that he could reassemble them correctly. Nothing was interchangeable – but Congress didn't know that.

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