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Final Paper: The Industrial Revolution

Decent Essays

Final Paper: Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution took place during the 18th and 19th century. It changed the way our products, including cloth and textiles, were manufactured. It was called a revolution because it was the spark of steam power and factory work, thus ringing in a new era of industrial technology. It greatly affected the way people lived and worked. This revolution helped shaped the modern world we live in today. The Industrial Revolution refers to a change from hand and home production of goods to machine and factory. The Revolution completely transformed America's economy, it made a full switch from an agricultural economy, to an industrial one. The Revolution built new roads, and canal systems making it easier …show more content…

The textile industry significantly grew because of the demand for cloth grew, so merchants had to compete so they could meet the demand. This was a problem for consumers because it raised the price of it. The solution was to use machinery because it was cheaper than making it by hand, therefore making the cloth affordable for the consumers. The first American textile factory was built in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell. One of the machines that helped produced cloth faster was called the “spinning jenny,” it was invented by James Hargreaves. This new machine connected multiple spinning wheels in such a manner that up to eight threads can be processed at once. The spinning jenny proved to be more efficient and productive because it processed up to eight threads to once. The Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have been possible without one key component; people. The canals and railways needed thousands of people to work on them. The demand of labor was met, in part by, millions of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and elsewhere. In the video “Industrial Revolution: Spinning Mills”, the narrator says “So what did people do 200 years ago if they needed a necessity of life like clothing, say you needed a new pair of pants or shirt, there’s no …show more content…

In the video “U.S. Child Labor, 1908-1920,” it says “Entire families were hired, the men for heavy labor and the women and children for lighter work. Work days typically ran from dawn to sunset, with longer hours for winter, resulting in a 68-72 workweek. Many families also lived in a company owned houses in company owned villages and were often paid with overpriced goods from the company store. Thus they lived a life entirely dominated by their employers.” Children were small, so workers used them to get into the tights spaces in the mines. With the advantages that the children had, it gave owners every reason to employ them. Factory owners were paying the children less because they simply could get away with it. Even if the children knew they weren’t getting much money, they wouldn’t say anything because they would get punished, often from their boss in the form of whipping. Children were more obedient, submissive, and would not

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