The United States, having been cut off from commerce with Europe for some time, had learned to depend more upon itself. Cotton and woolen mills had been built, discoveries of coal had given a new start to the iron trade, and American wits were hard at work over many new inventions. Among other things, matches now took the place of flint and steel, and when people wanted to light a fire in a hurry, they no longer needed to run into a neighbor’s house for hot coals.
If you enjoyed this article you will want to own the electronic version of the 1899 American History high school textbook from which this excerpt was taken. The electronic version of this 1899 book is available for download, including original images and an enhanced index for easy and fast reference. The ebook is printable.
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