The invention of the light bulb and advancements in electrical power played a key role in the growth of American cities in the late 18000s because they allowed factories to produce more, which required more workers to move to the cities. Therefore, new kinds of energy were required to factories and power steam engines, and individuals were seeking for less costly ways to cook and heat their homes and those sources of energy for electrical power.
EXPLANATION:
There are sources of energy for electrical power in the Americas in the 1800s:
• Natural Gas
William Hart maintained the first natural gas well in New York in 1821. After that, natural gas was the main source of light fuel for most of the 19th century. There were no gas lines connected to each house at the time, so most of the fuel was used for street lights. Robert Bunsen discovered the Bunsen burner in 1885; this development made it easy for gas to be used for heating and cooking in homes and other buildings. In the late 1800s, several pipes were built to transport natural gas to new markets.
• Coal
Coal began to be used as the main energy source in the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s and 1800s. In this time, steam-powered machines with coal-fired boilers were used to drive ships and trains. The outbreak of the U.S. Civil War caused coal to replace charcoal as a source of fuel for steel furnaces. Coal was also utilized to fuel stoves and furnaces in the house. In the 1880s, coal was utilized to produce electricity, which was used in homes and factories.
• Oil
In the mid-1800s, oil started to replace coal as the source of energy. The first oil well was dug in 1859. Petroleum was collected from wells, refined into kerosene and worn in lamps as a substitute for whale oil. In 1861, Nikolaus August Otto established an internal combustion machine, which was fueled by oil. Gasoline was not tapped until 1892 when the first car which used gasoline was built.
• Wind and Water
Natural energy sources were also used in the 1800s. Energy from windmills was mainly used for grinding grain and pumping water. Watermills generated energy from the movement of water and were benefitted for the same intentions as windmills. After the discovery of the camshaft and crankshaft, waterwheels were expended to power iron casting plants and sawmills, and then cotton factories from the mid-1800s. In the late 1880s, hydroelectric power plants were expended, to boot to coal-powered plants, to produce electricity.
LEARN MORE
If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:
• Explain what you think were the most important factors that led to rapid industrialization in the late 1800s, and why were they important! brainly.com//question/13131829
KEYWORDS : Electrical Power, Americas in 1800s
Subject : History
Class : 7-9
Sub-Chapter : Industrial Revolution in America