How Important Was The Iron Industry In The 17th Century

The British were able to obtain diverse raw materials for goods because of their central location. Great Britain had good access to the atlantic ocean which gave it good ports.Britain often exported opium to China. Often luxury items such as tea and silk was exported. In 1875 they also imported 125 pounds of cotton that was used in the British textile industry. Great Britain was successful for its industrialization giving that they were holding lands in places

Before the industrial revolution, most of Britain's population lived and worked on farms, but skilled laborers and artisans were an important part of Britain's economy (Martello). The country was especially wealthy because of their

To start off, England had all the natural resources needed to industrialize. England had a natural supply of wool, cotton, coal, iron, lead, and tin (doc 1). These are all resources that are needed and helpful when industrializing. Wool and cotton are especially good for the textile industry, whereas iron was great for making tools and machinery. Along with these resources, England’s location enabled trading due to it’s many waterways. You can not be more than 70 miles from the sea in England (doc 4). Even the animals in the country were an advantage. For example, the sheep in England gave off the best wool (doc 4). Having natural resources helped England industrialize because it saved the country from having to trade, and/or travel to other countries in order to get what they needed. So many of the natural resources needed to industrialize were found in England. England had everything from coal to power

After 1840s, the exports of iron and steel industry from Britain increased exponentially, with the expansion of railways, in England from the 1840s and in the colonies from the 1860s. By 1873 Britain was exporting iron and steel worth about £ 77 million, double the value of its cotton export. However, this should be noted that industrialisation did not replace the traditional trade, even at the

However the biggest advantage Britain had that spurred their modern thinking into industrial factories was its geography. England had fast flowing rivers that were effective to power water mills for machinery, and provided transportation routes for industrial goods. The weak point about rivers was that in winter they froze, stopping the water powered machinery and blocking routes (Little, n.d.). This leads to the true geographical advantage of Britain, one that wasn’t stop by the effects of seasons: high deposits of coal and iron ore. Coal was able to power the newly invented steam engine, which was a breakthrough leading to large scale industries (Little, n.d.).

The Industrial Revolution began in Britain during the late 1700s. It took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. Document 3 displays the look of the environment at the beginning of this shift in society. It is filled with smoky chimneys. Machines and factories led to great productions, such as new systems of transportation, more efficient communication, banking systems, a variety of manufactured goods, and an overall improvement of living. Britain was the perfect place for the Industrial Revolution to begin due to its coal and iron. Factories became a necessity because of the increase in demand for British goods (Staff, 2009). Before the Industrial Revolution, transportation consisted of wagons, led by horses. “In the early 1800s, American Robert Fulton built the first commercially successful steamboat” (Staff, 2009). Along

Great Britain was the first country to really experience industrialization. A combination of the small country, agricultural improvements, large population growth, increases in national wealth, and access to cheap materials and mineral resources allowed the Industrial Revolution to grow in Britain. Because Britain was such a small area of land, the transport of goods and materials was cheap through roads, rivers, and canals. Agricultural improvements resulted in an increase in the production of food which allowed people more disposable income in which they could purchase manufactured goods. Large population growth supplied abundances of laborers who could be employed in factories. Access to cheap materials from Asia and the Americas and mineral resources increased national wealth which allowed industrialization to continue.

British cotton textile industry grew into the worlds most productive; its railway network became the nation’s principal means of inland transportation and communication; and a new fleet of steam-powered ships enabled Britain to project its new productivity and power around the globe.

This was very important for England for one, main thing money. England was losing money when the colonists made their own iron. England wouldn’t get as much taxes from the imports/exports. Also, England was losing jobs because they didn’t need people to make iron for them. So England decided to pass the iron act so they could get more money and jobs. This act was great for England but terrible for the

The iron industry was and still is now a very important and dangerous industry. It involved very dangerous tasks including mining in enclosed caves. Henry Oliver played a very important role in the iron and mining industry. Hope you enjoy!

England had many natural resources that helped them in the industrial revolution. They had coal, iron, wool, cotton, lead, and tin. All of these were somewhat close to each other, most in the southern part of England.(doc. 1)

Much of the English goods were imported from other countries as well. Beginning in the mid seventeenth century England went through many changes including moving to a commercial and urbanizing country. The first set of changes occurred as England began producing different types of goods. Originally England was making thick types of clothes that were made for the colder weathers. In the late seventeenth century lighter fabrics began to be created. As the change shifted in clothing construction, goods of other markets began taking over the industry. “A wide range of English products replaced imports on the English market and began to compete successfully abroad.” This shift to exporting goods instead of importing greatly improved England’s economy. These goods included sugar, glass, pottery, iron, ships, and different typed of mined goods. Instead of paying to import these goods, England began exporting goods and bringing in a huge amount of money to the English economy.

Technological advances made the restructuring possible. Abraham Darby (1677-1717) owned an ironworks. He was looking for more efficient fuel to melt the iron ore, so he began using coke instead of charcoal. Thomas Newcomen (1712) made steam engines to pump water from coal mines. James Watt made a more efficient steam engine in the 1780s. Iron production grew rapidly. In 1784, Henry Cort invented a better way to make wrought the iron. Up until

The Industrial Revolution is considered as the age that a lot of technological innovation that led to modern technology has brought. The age completely transforms the use of human labor and animals to machines. The flying shuttle, invented by John Kay, has changed the way cloth and thread manufactured and also created job opportunities for many women and children. Iron production was also another key innovation by Abraham Darby, who came up with the idea of using coke instead of charcoal in the production of cast iron. The steam engine, which invented by Thomas Newcomen and improved by Abraham Darby later, was another success of this age. The invention of steam facilitated the movement of goods and services across cities and powered equipment

“One factor contributing to the development of industry in Great Britain was that nation's large supply of coal and iron ore. For many centuries, the British had converted their iron ores to iron and steel by heating the raw material with charcoal, made from trees. By the mid-eighteenth century, however, the nation's timber supply had largely been decimated. Iron and steel manufacturers were forced to look elsewhere for a fuel to use in treating iron ores. The fuel they found was coal. When coal is heated in the absence of air it turns into coke. Coke proved to be a far superior material for the conversion of iron ore to iron and then to steel. It was eventually cheaper to produce than charcoal and it could be packed more tightly into a blast furnace, allowing the heating of a larger volume of iron.” The living standard as well as health increased with the increase in trade, more food products and livestock can be transported to further cities. As the steam engine improved trade and travel, the assembly line did for manufacturing.