Great Britain and the Textile Industry During and After the Early Eighteen Century

The earliest factories in England came up by the 1730s and, with the technology enabled production processes like carding, twisting, spinning and rolling became faster and easier consequentially, between 1760 and 1787 raw cotton imports to British cotton industry rose from 2.5 million pounds to 22 million pounds. On the contrary, the traditional market of cotton cloth from India witnessed a steady decline from 30 per cent around 1800 to 15 per cent by 1815 and to 3 percent in 1870s. While exports of cloth declined rapidly, export of raw materials increased equally fast. Between 1812 and 1871, the share of raw cotton exports rose from 5 per cent to 35 per cent. This was not something triggered by the industrial revolution but the protectionist measures of the British t which imposed tariffs on cloth imports. The creation of cotton mill by Richard Arkwright brought processes under one roof and management, allowing better supervision, quality control, and the regulation of labour. Thus not only the trade the way business of production was handled also underwent a quantum change.

The industrial revolution was a time of great change in Europe. Many of those changes were brought about by mechanical inventions that greatly increased efficiency by which raw materials were processed. "While working in the sciences and tinkering with mechanics, a few people were able to come up with new ways of doing things. New machines were invented" (MacroHistory and World Report) Three significant machines that were invented during this time period that greatly increased the cotton industry were the cotton gin, the spinning jenny, and the power loom. Since cotton was one of the major cash crops exported by the colonies to England, it is important to understand these inventions in order to grasp the changes brought about by this trio of machines on the cotton industry.

In the late 1700s the invention of new machines launched the first wave of industrial revolution. New technology

American textile manufactures were at an advantage compared to British manufactures, and they were very successful. America persuaded Britain to prohibit the export of textile machinery and the emigration of mechanics. Yet, still many British mechanics migrated over to the United States because they were lured by the higher wages. In competing the British mills, America had the advantage of an abundance of natural resources. America’s farmers were able to produce large amounts of cotton and wool, and they had fast flowing rivers that provided good

In addition to the plentiful raw materials that England supplied, Britain had an expanding economy to support their industrialization. With the help of Britain's stable government and new investors, factories were able to quickly adapt to newly purchased machinery. The Industrial Revolution was further spurred by a resolution of new technology. These new inventions and expansion of factories led to a rapid increase in wealth of the overall nation. Which led the decrease in prices to come from the introduction of machines. For example, the creation of the well known cotton gin, by Eli Whitney helped revolutionized the production of cotton. Before, the cotton process took a long period of time and extensive work to produce a widely traded product. Whitney’s new tecnhioldingal invention was able to show tremendous growth in efficiency. This machine helped by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid-19th century, cotton had became America’s leading export. In other words, this machine was designed to spin and weave the fabric, which helped to expand the Industrial Revolution’s productivity. This picture displays the sketches made to depict the parts of the original cotton gin. These gins were an important invention because it dramatically reduced the amount of time it took to separate cotton seeds from cotton fiber. This was one of the key

In the early to mid. 19th century, the world came to life with the introduction of machines that could create products in hours, compared to what it would take skilled craftsmen days to produce. These marvels began in Europe but soon found their way to the American shores. The very first textile mill was produced by an apprentice named Samuel Slater in 1790 after returning with the English secrets of the textile machinery still buzzing in his head (Wallace, 1985). Soon more factories began to rise up armed with the new technology. With the means to produce more products, railroads being built to ship vast amounts of goods between states and the mass amounts of wealth to be made during this revolution, what were once small rural farming towns

In such a unique nation where the average person is family oriented and running a family owned farm and/or business their was bound to be room for change. In 1793 Samuel Slater, a born European created the first cotton spinning factory in Pawtuckett. This is said to be one of the many things that sparked Industrial Development in America. This project alone sparked the need for more cotton to be produced at a faster rate which brought upon the creation of the cotton gin. New growth in any field brings more than what meets the eye. The cotton gin producing more cotton made it neccassary for a new form aof transport to be developed. Shortly after the country started to adapt textile mills started to pop up

In the 19th century, America saw major expansions and technological advances that paved way for the grand expansion of agriculture that boosted the nation’s economy. Regardless of the fact that Great Britain had tried to keep secrets regarding machinery and inventions, most of America’s advances were propelled by inventions such as the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, steel plow by John Deere, railway, steamboats, telegraph, and canals. In addition, technology’s profound effect on agriculture also led to the rise of the textile industry whereby factories produced materials such as cotton thread and cloth. Many of these initial factories are recognized in historical texts, but the Lowell factory system is one that is famous – precisely the

Starting in the early 19th century,the United States underwent a process of industrialization. Two technological changes from this process of industrialization had a big impact on the lifestyles of Americans. Also,a transportation improvement made from this process of industrialization helped the United States expand towards West. The first of these technological changes from this process of industrialization is the textile mill,specifically the first textile mill opened in the U.S.This had an impact on the lifestyles of Americans by being the first invention to kickstart the U.S Industrial Revolution. This is because the Industrial Revolution first started in Britain and was brought to America by Samuel Slater who memorized some of the inventions.

According to Factory systems (document 7), the cotton spinning mill help made clothes a lot cheaper because everyone could have their own Factory system. This was very helpful because resources were more easy to access and everyone had it available to them. Also, according to document 4, clothes were made faster and cheaper and with the new invention called the Power Loom it was a lot more productive. The Power Loom impacted daily life by making clothes at a much faster rate and providing more products for everyone.

According to document 6, a chart of inventors who made changes in textile-machinery, England was equipped with the needed thinkers to change the machinery in order for the revolution to go into effect. The inventors include, Richard Arkwright, Edward Cartwright, and Eli Whitney. These inventors made the water frame, power loom, and the cotton gin, tools necessary to mass produce textile products. These brilliant machines allowed for England to outcompete its rivals in trade and bring in a great cash influx through mass production. According to document 7, a chart of inventors who made changes in agriculture, England was also equipped with thinkers who could industrialize agriculture.

The Lowell system was a production and labor model employed in the U.S., also in New England, during the early years of the American textile industry in the early 19th century. Moreover, the success of the early spinning mills of southern New England in 1810 and the uncertainties of shipping led the son of a leading Boston merchant family, Francis Cabot Lowell, to seek a haven for his fortune in manufacturing. After that, There Lowell and his entrepreneur later called the "Boston Associates”.

In 1830, Barthelemy Thimmonier, a French tailor, patented the first functional sewing machine that used a hooked embroidery-type needle to produce a chain stitch. However, in 1841, after successfully using his machines to mass produce army clothing, his production facility was destroyed and he was almost killed by other tailors in the town who were angry and threatened by the machine’s efficiency and utility. In America during the early 1830’s, a New York inventor, Walter Hunt, produced the first sewing machine that created a lockstitch. As a result, thinking changed and duplication of the human hand stitch was no longer the standard that inventors were measured by. Hunt at that time did not see the promise of his invention and did not file for a patent to protect it. He sold his interest for a small fee. (Museum of American Heritage, 2010).

During the 1800’s Great Britain’s empire stretched around the world, and with raw materials easily available to them this way, they inevitably began refining and manufacturing all stages of many new machines and other goods, distributing locally and globally. However, despite being the central ‘workshop of the world,’ Britain was not producing the highest quality of merchandise. When comparing factory-made products made in England to surrounding countries, most notably France, those products could not compare as far as craftsmanship and sometimes, simply innovation. It was suggested by Prince Albert that England host a sort of free-for-all technological exposition to bring in outside crafts into the country and also

From a broad perspective, the primary reason behind why Samuel Slater is commonly regarded to as the “Father of the American Factory System” is that he introduced the first efficient American machinery designed to spin cotton thread. Evidence from the text that further bolsters this claim is shown when the authors state, “A skilled British mechanic of twenty-one, he was attracted by bounties being offered to British workers familiar with the textile machines. Laboriously reconstructing the essential apparatus with the aid of a blacksmith and a carpenter, he put into operation in 1791 the first efficient American