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Start of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period of growth that resulted in the industrialization of rural, agrarian cultures in Europe and America. -
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Industrial Revolution
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Spinning Jenny
James Hargreaves invented the hand-powered spinning jenny in 1764. The transformation of the spinning wheel into the spinning jenny was a key element in the industrialization of the textile industry. -
Steam Engine
James Watt discovers the steam waste in a Newcomen steam engine in 1764 while repairing it. The Newcomen machine is improved by Watt, who also secures a patent for his own steam engine in 1769. This engine will be widely used during the Industrial Revolution. -
Spinning Mule
Samuel Crompton invented a multiple-spindle spinning machine in 1779. It was called the spinning mule and it allowed for the mass, rapid production of quality thread in the textile industry. -
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 as a machine to separate cotton from the seeds. -
Interchangeable Parts
Eli Whitney pioneered the concept of mass producing interchangeable parts that can be swapped out for one another, which was a crucial innovation to manufacturing. Large quantities of identical parts could be manufactured at small expense and with little labor using precision equipment. -
Urbanization
Urbanization significantly increased as a result of industrialization. 22 cities in Europe had more than 100,000 residents in 1800. There were 120 such cities in existence by 1895. New centers of both prosperity and poverty emerged in cities like London and Paris. -
Expansion of Maritime Trade
Ships traveled to every corner of the globe to bring back products as maritime trade rapidly expanded. Slaves from Africa, sugar from the West Indies, porcelain from China and Japan, cotton from Egypt and India, and eventually, the United States. -
The Luddites
The size and quality of factories grew as the Industrial Revolution went on. The demand for workers was drastically decreased by these new innovations, which led to widespread unemployment. As a result, a group of individuals called luddites developed to get rid of the new machines that took their place. -
Lowell System
The Lowell System, in which every stage of the manufacturing process is completed under one roof and by adult women rather than children, was developed by the Boston Manufacturing Company when it constructed its first textile mill in Waltham, Massachusetts. -
Steam Power
Long distances can now be traveled in a lot less time than before thanks to the development of steam power. 100 miles, for instance, took many days. With steam power, you get there in a comfortable two hours on a train, always on schedule. Due to the speedier and more dependable delivery of commodities, this effective use of time allowed trade to flourish. -
Child Labor
There was no legislation governing working conditions in mills, plants, or factories at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Children were the best candidates for the job since they were cheap, didn't retaliate, and were smaller than adults, which allowed them to fit between the machines. Young children worked against their will and without government assistance or instruction. The Factory Act of 1833 regulated child labor and set limits on the hours per day children could work. -
Women's Rights
When textile mills needed labor as a result of industrialization, women were favored since they are less expensive, more submissive, and would perform any tasks that men would not. Women faced the most abusive working conditions and the lowest pay at the start of the Industrial Revolution, earning only half to a third of what males did. They also put in between 14 and 16 hours a day at work. In 1848, the first American convention focused on women's rights and was held in Seneca Falls, NY. -
Bessemer Process
Henry Bessemer is credited with developing the Bessemer Process, which enables the mass manufacturing of steel at a low cost. -
Assembly Line
The manufacturing process was significantly accelerated by the assembly line. It enabled manufacturers to produce goods at a faster rate by reducing the amount of time it took to produce something. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad presidents met on May 10, 1869, in Promontory, Utah, and put a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that unites their companies. For the first time in American history, this made it possible to travel by railroad throughout the country. Travelers headed towards the West would no longer have to endure the exhausting and hazardous voyage by wagon train. -
Clean Water Systems
The building of sewers and clean water systems was important for health and homes. Thomas Hawksley was responsible for building some of the first urban water systems, -
The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized communication with his invention of the telephone. -
Incandescent Lightbulb
Thomas Edison's invention of the incandescent lightbulb in 1879 brings in the modern era of lighting. -
Boston Subway
In Boston, Massachusetts, America's first subway system was constructed in 1897. A different means of generating electricity would be required to construct a subway in the U.S. since Americans were not keen on the concept of a subway like the one in London, England, which had a steam train that operated in dim tunnels and sprayed ash and smoke everywhere. Fortunately, this issue was resolved when Frank Sprague, an American inventor, invented the electric motor in 1886.