The Civil War defined the 19th century in the United States and was a seminal historic event. After the war, the invention of usable electricity, steel, and petroleum products led to a second industrial revolution from 1865 to 1900 that featured the growth of railways and steamships, faster and wider means of communication, and inventions that are taken for granted in modern life—the lightbulb, telephone, typewriter, sewing machine and phonograph all came of age during the 19th century. Try to imagine life without these things. The inventors of many of these products are household names more than a century after they did their work.
The 19th century was the age of machine tools—tools that made tools—machines that made parts for other machines, including interchangeable parts. The assembly line was invented during the 19th century, speeding up the factory production of consumer goods. The 19th century also gave birth to the professional scientist; the word "scientist" was first used in 1833 by William Whewell.
From his involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 until his untimely death in 1968, King's message of change through peaceful means added to the movement's numbers and gave it its moral strength. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is embodied in these two simple words: equality and nonviolence.
