14-1 Critical Thinking

Great progress was made towards industrialization in the United States during the late 1800's. Resources were being used in new, more effective ways, while new inventions changed the lives of people at both home and work. The most important development at the time may have been the discovery of how to successfully use electricity as power. Electrical power made many things possible then, and new uses are still found for it today.
Countless inventions have been created based on the idea of using electricity as power. One of the first of these was the light bulb, which was perfected by Thomas Edison, and patented in 1880. This invention used electricity to power a new source of light. The telephone was a similarly incredible invention, making communication over long distances much easier.
Electrical power and the machines that used it made a huge impact in homes and at the workplace. Electricity was made available to to anyone, and caused the creations of machines that would save time and make peoples' lives easier. Light bulbs saved time by making it possible to work at night, and telephones were often used for business. Typewriters and printing presses made writing fast and convenient. Women were given jobs that involved using electronic machines.
Electrical power was an incredible development in the 19th century, and it is still constantly used today. Many of the inventions atthat time have been further improved upon over time, and now a large part of society completely relies on the power of electricity.