The history of fabric and textiles
Textile development during the Industrial Revolution (1780-1850)
In 1968, Eric Hobsbawm said: “Whoever says Industrial Revolution says cotton.” Among many historians the Industrial Revolution is considered as the process in which technological changes led by the mechanized factories of the cotton industry created large profits for innovators that continued in succeeding decades. It was the key event in the emergence of modern economic growth, which led to shifting manufacturing from people’s houses and shops to factories. It was a time of vivid change, from hand tools and handmade items, to the products which were produced by machines. Nevertheless, life improved, the industrial revolution had some harmful consequences, such as increased pollution, harmful working conditions, employment of women and children, who were made to work long and hard hours, etc.
The shift to factories in the United States grew out of a process that began in the British textile industry. British inventors developed machines to do tasks that have been done by hand. Sometimes the machines replaced other, older and weaker machines. For example the spinning jenny, which was run by water power, replaced the spinning wheel; the power loom replaced the hand loom. These machines were small enough to be placed in the cottages. But later, people invented bigger and more powerful machines, which needed a huge space to be positioned. This was the reason why people started to
The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to society in the nineteenth century. With the rise of factories following the Agricultural Revolution and Enclosure Movement, it allowed goods to be readily available to the public due to mass production from having a large and available workforce. This led to further economic growth within the urban areas. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of this economic growth, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were the lack of working conditions, child labor, and horrible living conditions.
In the workplaces were new machines like Spinning Jennies and other textile machines that would assist people such as Mary Paul in the Lowell Mill (Document 1), or child laborers in other factories. The Industrial Revolution produced many machines which would later evolve to become our modern day utilities. Without this period of time, we would not have the technology we use or the lives we live. Production became faster through these large workplaces, especially places “such as...textile factories that appeared” (Document 3) during the time. These factories would have long lasting effects, not only positive. It would leave behind much waste, and later cause pollution; yet it would also make nicer clothing. Because of the work it did, products could be made quicker by less people. Finally, Industrialization produced faster transportation that completely changed the world. “Railroad travel was fast. Going to San Francisco from New York City took only six days. Before the railroads, the trip took months.” (Document 5) Through the frequent use of railroads, more business opportunities were available and more businesses could output their goods to more places. The more places that could be reached, the more money could be made. People could “travel cheaply from place to place, and not only travel at less expense, but travel ten times quicker,” (Document 9). This key factor is only one reason why the effects of the Industrial Revolution were, overall,
The Industrial Revolution began in Great in late 1700’s. Where many inventions increased the manufactured goods. Soon, people all over the country were turning to more complex machines that could perform tasks faster and more efficiently than human labor alone. In the Industrial Revolution there were many impacts and effects. Both short term and long term positives and with that always comes negatives. The short term negatives included child labor, poor working conditions, untreated human waste, deaths and hygiene issues. Also short term positives such as less deaths at birth, more produced goods and increased life expectancy. Along with short term effects also came long term impacts. The negative long terms impacts include population growth,
The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in history that took place between 1760 and the mid 1800’s. During this time frame, a variety of different machines were invented and put in factories to make workers and everyday people’s lives easier. These machines had to be run by people such as women and even children because the men were mostly in coal mines. Some of the many negative consequences about these new jobs and new machines being invented were; child labor, physical abuse on the job, and unsafe working conditions. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because more jobs became available, it was actually a negative thing.
The Industrial Revolution brought about great changes in how goods were produced and consumed, but it also brought about social and political changes. Some were positive, such as machines relieving much of the toil previously placed on worker’s muscles. But there were also negative changes.
The Industrial Revolution began in England in the late 1700’s. The Industrial Revolution was a time of new inventions, products, and methods of work. The results of the Industrial Revolution led to many short and long-term positive and negative effects. These results have been assessed from many viewpoints such as the factory workers, the factory owners, the government, and other people who observed the conditions in industrial cities.
The Industrial Revolution was a time period of rapid growth in society. Referring to the 1700’s century in England where the output of machine made goods greatly increased. Prior to the changes made during the Industrial Revolution, workers often manufactured products in their homes using handtools and basic machinery. However, industrialization marked a shift of labor from small farms in rural areas to large factories in cities and was a time of new products, inventions and methods of work.The results of the Industrial Revolution led to many positive outcomes because new cultivation methods spread rapidly around the world. The Industrial Revolution made a significant political, economical, and social change throughout Europe. The Industrial
The ability to get from one place to another is vital, “ The Encarta graphic shows the production of automobiles.” (Document 4) An American businessman, by the name of Henry Ford, made the automobile industry change drastically in a positive way. Ford used the idea of an assembly line and mass production to produce many cars in an efficient and low costly way. Even though Ford made a significant impact on the automobile industry, there was many other contributors like Karl Benz and the Duryea Brothers (Charles and Frank). Like previously mentioned, working in factories was very common, “In a spinning room tending four sides of warp.” (Document 1) Being able to acquire a job was vital during this time and working in the factories with machines was an ideal place to work. Richard Arkwright was an important English inventor who invented the water frame, which was a spinning frame powered by water. Another inventor that had an impact on the textile industry was James Hargreaves, who invented the Spinning Jenny which could spin eight threads at once. The invention of railroads made life and transportation superior, “Railroad travel was fast.” (Document 5) This elaborate and complex invention improved many people’s lives and was invented in 1869 by George Stephenson. Transportation wasn’t like it is today where someone can go to another town in an hour, it was very time consuming and difficult. When the railroad was invented, it made going from place to place more
The Industrial Revolution was a revolution in every sense of the word, as it altered almost every aspect of live in the nineteenth century including technology, government, communication, environment and eventually society as a whole.1 Although industrialisation created many positives for modern society, for people in Britain up to the end of the nineteenth century it had many significantly negative consequences. With the long term advances made for society came the then current development of overcrowding cities abundant with pollution, health problems and poor living conditions for the working class. These poor conditions continued into the work place with young children exploited as workers as young as the age of four or five.2 There were consequences of the Industrial Revolution for people outside of the core of Britain. India, being the periphery in the model were exploited for their raw materials which were exported to Britain.
The Industrial Revolution began in England during the late 1700s. It came with a wide range of both positive and negative effects for the economy and the people. Looking back from today, the Industrial Revolution was definitely a positive thing, as people now have a high standard of living with lots of conveniences. One must also acknowledge the people living during the Industrial Revolution and how they viewed the Industrial Revolution as a bad thing that came with many negative effects. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily negative consequences for society because of the terrible living conditions and hazardous working conditions, it was actually a positive thing for society. Industrialization’s positive effects
The Industrial Revolution is a pivotal period in human history that allowed for the complete transformation of rural life. First coined in the 1830s, the Industrial Revolution was an eruption of inventions, technical adaptations, and economic expansion. The origins of the Industrial Revolution are traced back to Great Britain, the first pioneer in Westernization and technological change. Britain’s well-developed banks, large potential labor force, and abundance of raw materials made Britain the most industrialized country in the world during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although the Industrial Revolution brought beneficial changes to Britain and the countries that followed Britain’s path, industrialization provoked reform
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the industrial revolution was at its way, gaining many economic and technological advances but the price of hardship forced onto the workers and children during this time was paid. During this time period rural societies transformed into urban/industrial ones and a shift from working at home to factories and mass production with machinery. Many different advancements including the iron and textile industries, and also the invention of the steam engine helped pave the way of the revolution. Industrialization brought an increase of manufactured goods and also helped pave the way to our world as we know it today. As all these things were great, the industrialization significantly and truly lowered the living conditions
Without the Industrial Revolution, majority of the people today would have to work on their farms for a living. There would be no factory production, no new types of transportation, and no jobs for the poor. The Industrial Revolution was a time of change and economic growth. New types of transportation were development, machinery slowly began to take the place of workers, and factories had been adopted into society. Businesses began to boom with these new inventions as time progressed. Materials were also shipped fast and efficiently because of the new ways of transportation. Not only did the Industrial Revolution shape the country’s economy, it also changed many people’s lives- especially the poor. The Industrial Revolution, “redefined how
Imagine a life where we would still have to ride in carriages to get down the streets and make our own clothes instead of just buying them. Well times similar to these have passed after the Industrial Revolution had started taking place. In addition to these inventions, there were the interchangeable parts, improved transportation, communication, clothes, and modern cities. The Industrial Revolution started with the invention of the Steam Engine by James Watt in 1775 (1). It was basically an engine that would induce the energy of steam to move other machines such as trains and powering factories. It was an incredible source of energy for transportation and goods. Public transportation such as locomotives could now be powered by the steam engine and this increased the speed of travel, which lowered the time to arrive at the destination. After the steam engine, the cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney was another remarkable invention during the Industrial Revolution. This machine easily separated the cotton fibers from its seeds. The invention and usage of the cotton gin augmented cotton production, mostly in the south. The rise in agriculture production increased greater
The Industrial Revolution could possibly be the most important event in the history of our world. Before it, people worked mostly on farms or sold things through the market that were hand crafted. This revolution brought about great change in the ways that we produce goods and the economies of the world. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily negative consequences for society because of the rough working and living conditions, it was actually a positive thing for society. Industrialization’s positive effects were an increased standard of living, better means of travel, and more developed countries with better economies.