About the Book The Industrial Revolution changed the course of American history, accelerated the American economy, and affected the way people lived. This ready-reference encyclopedia offers in-depth coverage of the economic, political, and social developments of the Industrial Revolution in the United States from 1750 to 1920. More than 200 substantial entries cover key individuals--among them entrepreneurs, inventors, captains of industry, and robber barons--significant technologies, inventions, court cases, companies, political institutions, economic events, and legislation. Highlights of the work include numerous entries on developments in water and rail transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, mass production, the labor movement, big government, and the key inventions that changed the American economy. Entries on the social implications of the Industrial Revolution will help students to understand how the Industrial Revolution affected the social fabric of the nation. Each entry is placed in economic, political or social context to show how it contributed to the great changes that were occurring in the United States, such as how the development of new technologies altered agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and even patterns of immigration. Each entry is followed by a short list of suggested reading for further study. A comprehensive, engagingly written introduction traces the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. A timeline of important events in the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and a topically organized bibliography are important research aids. More than fifty historical illustrations and photos enliven the text. This curriculum-related reference work will supplement the American history course and is ideal for student research. Book Synopsis The Industrial Revolution changed the course of American history, accelerated the American economy, and affected the way people lived. This ready-reference encyclopedia offers in-depth coverage of the economic, political, and social developments of the Industrial Revolution in the United States from 1750 to 1920. More than 200 substantial entries cover key individuals--among them entrepreneurs, inventors, captains of industry, and robber barons--significant technologies, inventions, court cases, companies, political institutions, economic events, and legislation. Highlights of the work include numerous entries on developments in water and rail transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, mass production, the labor movement, big government, and the key inventions that changed the American economy. Entries on the social implications of the Industrial Revolution will help students to understand how the Industrial Revolution affected the social fabric of the nation. Each entry is placed in economic, political or social context to show how it contributed to the great changes that were occurring in the United States, such as how the development of new technologies altered agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and even patterns of immigration. Each entry is followed by a short list of suggested reading for further study. A comprehensive, engagingly written introduction traces the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. A timeline of important events in the history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and a topically organized bibliography are important research aids. More than fifty historical illustrations and photos enliven the text. This curriculum-related reference work will supplement the American history course and is ideal for student research. Review Quotes .,.this condensed one-volume encyclopedia delivers a well-organized and comprehensive ready reference to the period spanning the 1750s to the 1920s that was critical in both American and world history...High school students will find this single volume helpful as a starting point for information...definitely a book to be used for basic research purposes...-VOYA .,.this is a handy compilation of information about a significant period in our history. It should be available to people studying that era....Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin ?...this condensed one-volume encyclopedia delivers a well-organized and comprehensive ready reference to the period spanning the 1750s to the 1920s that was critical in both American and world history...High school students will find this single volume helpful as a starting point for information...definitely a book to be used for basic research purposes...?-VOYA ?...this is a handy compilation of information about a significant period in our history. It should be available to people studying that era....Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin ?Highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.?-CHOICE ...this is a handy compilation of information about a significant period in our history. It should be available to people studying that era....Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin Highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.-CHOICE ...this condensed one-volume encyclopedia delivers a well-organized and comprehensive ready reference to the period spanning the 1750s to the 1920s that was critical in both American and world history...High school students will find this single volume helpful as a starting point for information...definitely a book to be used for basic research purposes...-VOYA About the Author JAMES S. OLSON is Distinguished Professor of History at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He is the author of numerous reference works, including Historical Dictionary of the 1960s (Greenwood, 1999) and Historical Dictionary of the 1970s (Greenwood, 1999).