In the United States, the Industrial Revolution is the term used to describe the changes brought about by the introduction of technology and mass methods of production. The first examples included a power loom introduced in 1814. Later developments included the completion of railroad transportation throughout the nation, the introduction of first the
Telegraph and then the
Telephone, and the wide use of steel. Entrepreneurs like
John D. Rockefeller, who formed Standard Oil,
Andrew Carnegie, who advanced the mass production of steel and lowered its cost,
Thomas A. Edison, who brought the benefits of electricity to Americans through new appliances, and
Henry Ford, who revolutionized automobile manufacturing in the first decade of the 20th century, all contributed to this long development.
It is now usual to describe America as belonging to a post-industrial age, where the importance of manufacturing iss less than knowledge and services.
