Technology and Our Lives

Technology and Our Lives

How has technology impacted the citizens of North Carolina over time?

Choose one group of photos to study. The first is Raleigh Durham Municipal Airport Dedication ceremony in 1929 and RDU Airport today. The second group is a phone from the late 1800’s and a current iPhone.

Use the guide below to analyze the primary document photos.1

Observe / Reflect / Question
Further Investigation

1 Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/

Technology in the Past

Technology has always affected industries in North Carolina. Many technologies helped industries grow by making work easier.

Around 1815, Michael Schenck built the state’s first water-powered textile mill in Lincolnton. Flowing water from rivers and streams turned machinery inside early mills. Later, mills were powered by steam engines.

By 1920, several mills used electricity to power machines. The textile industry grew quickly and soon became one of the state’s top industries. As industries grew, so did the cities near them. The cities of Greensboro and Durham grew around textile mills.

Technology also helped the tobacco industry grow. Tobacco farming is one of the oldest industries in the state. In the mid-1800’s, many farmers in North Carolina produced chewing and smoking tobacco. One of the largest tobacco growers was the Duke family. In 1870, the family built a factory in Durham to make tobacco products.

In the 1880’s, James B. Duke bought a cigarette-making machine. This machine, which cut the cost of making cigarettes in half, caused the tobacco industry to grow. Duke’s tobacco company and others in the state provided hundreds of jobs for North Carolinians until the information on the negative health consequences influenced tobacco growing in our state.

For many years, farmers in North Carolina prepared their fields by hand. They used plows pulled by horses or by mules to turn the soil. Farmers often hired workers to help them plant and harvest crops. Even with extra workers, planting and harvesting crops was difficult and often took a long time.

During the 1920’s, technology changed agriculture throughout North Carolina. During this time, much of the work done on farms became mechanized, or powered by machines. Machines helped farmers prepare land faster. As a result, they could plant more crops. New machines also helped farmers take care of their crops and to harvest them easier and faster than by hand.

Technology Today

Technology continues to change industries in North Carolina. For example, many textile mills now make materials out of synthetic fibers. People make synthetic fibers instead of getting them from plants and animals.

Farmers today add fertilizers to the soil to help crops grow. Often they use airplanes or other machines to spray fields with chemicals. These chemicals kill weeds and insects that damage crops. Sometimes technology is learning that crops are healthier without chemicals. Some farmers even use computers to plan when to plant and harvest their crops.

Technology is also changing the way people buy and sell goods and services. Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, allows businesses and people to buy and sell products worldwide by using the Internet.

Today, people can use computers to check their bank accounts and pay bills. Businesses use computers and the Internet for meetings. People have more free time because they do not have to travel for business as much.

Many new technologies are developed in North Carolina. Researchers and scientists work on these technologies at universities throughout the state. Much work also takes place at Research Triangle Park in the Piedmont region.

Outside of technology tools in telecommunications and networking, other businesses in Research Triangle Park are related to health care. Some work on making new medicines while others make tools, such as lasers, that can be used in surgery.

Some businesses in Research Triangle Park are part of the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry builds and tests equipment for air and space travel, including satellites.

In addition to improving communications, satellites are used to track and forecast weather patterns on Earth. Satellites are also used with Global Positioning System, or GPS, receivers. Satellites are able to find the location of GPS receivers anywhere on Earth. Many people have GPS as a tool in their phones and automobiles. With GPS, people can find directions to any location on Earth.