Technology

• Technological advances of the 19th century saw the economy of the northern portion of the U.S. change its economy from a farm-based, agricultural economy to an urban-based, manufacturing economy. The introduction and expansion of the transcontinental railroad that spanned the U.S. from East Coast to West Coast allowed the movement of goods and people throughout the country. In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse developed the telegraph system that further improved communication links among cities throughout the U.S. and particularly in the north part of the country. The seaports of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania became important international entry and exit points for goods manufactured in the northern U.S.
  
  

Factories

• The industrialization of the northern U.S. was characterized by the creation of larger factories in the region. The production of manufactured goods increased to the point that in 1860 the U.S. trailed only the U.K. and France in the production of goods in factories, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The U.S. was at the forefront of the establishment of factory technology during the 19th century, leading the development of such processes as interchangeable parts and the assembly line. Arms manufacturer Samuel Colt was a major figure in the development of interchangeable parts, in which the same parts were used in the manufacture of different goods. Interchangeable parts reduced the cost and labor time of creating unique parts for each product manufactured. The assembly line allowed each factory worker to concentrate on the production of a single piece of a product, resulting in less time spent searching for parts and tools. Stationary steam engines also increased efficiency within northern U.S. factories in the 19th century.
  
  

Population Growth

• Between 1800 and 1860, the population of the U.S. increased to 31 million people, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1800, the population was 5.5 million, with 220,000 people living in urban areas, according to Ohio University reports. Prior to 1814, immigrants entering the U.S. were educated, skilled people, while those entering after 1814 were largely uneducated and unskilled workers seeking work in factories. Immigrants entering the U.S. were European in descent, fleeing the potato famine in Ireland and revolutionary problems in Germany in the middle of the 19th century.
  
  

War

• The Civil War, fought between 1861 and 1865, saw the northern states of the country blockade the South, leading to the shrinking of the Southern economy. The majority of military goods were manufactured in the northern part of the U.S., leading to an increase in industrialization in the North that was not matched in the South.