How Did The Steam Engine Affect Society

The economy of England during the 18th century was one that needed rebuilding after many years of war with other countries. A breakthrough of new technology and ideas boosted the economy, creating a time known commonly as the Industrial Revolution. Specifically, there was one invention that defined the Industrial Revolution. The steam engine, a device powered by coal used to run machines at an efficient rate, was developed during the Industrial Revolution. The invention of the steam engine had a major effect on the economy of England during the Industrial Revolution through its use in mining, transportation, and factories.

The introduction of an a highly efficient steam engine by Thomas Watt in 1769 was undoubtedly a crucial factor in the advent of the industrial revolution. This made it possible for mills and later factories to be located nearly anywhere by eliminating the necessity of a running stream to provide power. It was the rise of the factory system of manufacture with its strategy for the specialization of labor which contributed most to the

Quicker transport is an obvious long term effect as because of the invention many years ago, we now have quicker transport on land for both people and goods. Climate change was a negative as it largely increased levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The invention also led to advancements in manufacturing since the same physical energy could be used to drive tools and led to the invention of electricity. This was both a negative and a positive. A negative in the way not even more carbon dioxide was being emitted into the air. This also caused poor living and working conditions as homes and workplaces were filled with the unhealthy air. A positive because now we are privileged to have many more steam machines to make our lives easier in many ways.

The idea of using steam as a force to power machinery was not new during the seventeen hundreds; it had already been mentioned by ancient Greek scholars. It was scientist such as James watt that refined that idea to create the steam engine (Live science, 2012). The concept is simple, water is heated by coal and the resulting steam acts as a driving force for the machines, similar to how the rivers flow powered the mills (Live science, 2012). Water power meant that factories were limited to certain locations, however steam powered factories could did not have such constraint (Live science, 2012). The steam engine expanded industries all over Britain. First, it improved the coal industry by pumping water out of coal mines, making it safe from flooding (Live science, 2012). Secondly, the

In the late nineteenth century, technological advances provided inexpensive production methods through industrial manufacturing. One of the innovations that shaped the way the American industrial worker’s job was the steam engine by James Watt. Before the steam engine, the only methods of power were by wind, water, or hand, which made factories, for example,

“The water-frame used the waterpower from fast-flowing streams to drive spinning wheels.” (course reader 102) Then there was the introduction of the steam engine and power-loom. Due to an expired patent, James Watt decided to create his version of the steam engine for use in a cotton mill plant and introduced a system for the factory that was revolutionary. As a result, wages and manufacturing of cotton and iron really increased. This helped get more work done in less time and gave people jobs. (Document 2) The steam engines also helped get the economy ramped up by being able to bring supplies to the cities and more jobs to people. The steam engines provided jobs because they needed miners, engineers, and sailors who could build the canals and railroads for this transportation. As a result, they could bring supplies to the cities which also increased farmland available to produce more food for everyone. (Document 3) The steam engine brought in railroad development, industrialization and changes to the population. (Document 9) With the growth of railways and transportation, from 1801-1851, many cities were developed within the central part of Great Britain and the population

The Industrial Revolution plagued the lower working class with overcrowded cities and harsher working conditions. These effects were the result of the development of the factory system that followed the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was made possible by technological innovations such as the steam engine, invented in 1765 by James Watt. Machines were just as important as the labor class working the machines in factories and in the Industrial Revolution.

The most successful steam engine, built by Thomas Newcomen, was used to clean water out of the mines, which meant more coal to power more steam engines, which led James Watt to see the opportunity for improvement. Watt’s newer engine made railroads and steamboats possible. Actually almost all electricity all over the world, whether from coal or nuclear power is just a steam engine, which shows how truly revolutionary the steam engine was.

The unlocking of steam power in human technology was integral to the development of the steam engine, which allows access to steam ships and railroads.Railroads allow the mass transport of goods in rapid speed, promoting extensive trade. Steam shipping would induce the flow of goods and migration to the New World, and the development of the telegraph would create price convergence and rapid communication across multiple economies.

There were countless amount of inventions that were being invented. Steam power is believed to be one of the greatest inventions of them all. The invention of the steamboat changed the way we did most of our tasks. Food, resources, and people can now be exported/imported on a much faster and efficient rate.

   The steam engine can easily be considered the single most important invention of the entire industrial revolution.  There is not one part of industry present in today's society that can be examined without coming across some type of reference or dependence upon the steam engine.  But, who deserves the credit for this great invention?  Some give the credit to James Watt while others claim that Thomas Newcomen was the original inventor.

The steam engine used in means of travel revolutionized the transportation of goods, as well as the importing and exporting of them. "The steam-powered railroad changed geography and history. When grain merchants transported their goods by horsepower, they could go only so far before the horse consumed more than it could carry." (Gordon) In this aspect, the steam engine in railroads allowed people to import and export their goods on a faster, more reliable, source. Another major effect of the steam engine on society

The canalization of rivers, the steam engine, and railways were key components of the development of industry [2]. The extensive canal system was created around the mid 1700s to move goods and supplies inland. This system was cheaper and quicker than shipping goods over land [3]. The steam engine, however, was the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the invention of steam power, factories were located along rivers and used water for power. The development of a practical, efficient steam engine and its application to industry and transportation was a great leap in progress for industrialization. The steam engine’s application was limitless, and it was responsible for lifting industries from infancy to adolescence. Steam engines were used to develop machines that operated factory systems, pumps for mines, faster ships, and locomotives. A steam locomotive was able to carry raw materials and products very quickly. The expansion of the uses of the steam engine created the steam locomotive and a greater need for a railroad system. As a result, Railroads multiplied rapidly in England from 1,000 miles in 1836 to more than 7,000 miles by 1852 [4]. Machinery took the place of the work of many humans and made the work easier on others.

Gerald Finley says that for those who considered these new developments in a positive light it was reassuring that the "laws of science and technology were, after all rooted in nature and these developments seemed to promise widespread economic and social improvement.'; At the same time there were detractors and this was because of the perceived threat of further encroachment on what some considered to be the 'natural order of things'. Railroads struck many at this time as the seminal achievement of the industrial age, so it is not surprising that public ambivalence extended to the steam locomotive and rail travel as well. It signified to many the destruction of the countryside and a change in the old agrarian based social order. In conjunction with this shift, which was really a shift to a capitalist economy, the steam revolution fundamentally changed the fabric of peoples lives, it changed the way people experienced time and space, it shrunk the boundaries of their world and changed their imagined geographies. This had implications for the way people perceived the world at large and also imaged the nation.

The steam engine can easily be considered the single most important invention of the entire industrial revolution. There is not one part of industry present in today's society that can be examined without coming across some type of reference or dependence upon the steam engine. But, who deserves the credit for this great invention? Some give the credit to James Watt while others claim that Thomas Newcomen was the original inventor. However, the idea of the