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Crop Rotation
In the early 1700's, crop rotation proved to be one of the best developments by the scientific farmers. In crop rotation, a farmer would plant something in the soil wich would make the soil nutrients weak. However, the next farming season, the farmer would plant a root crop to restore the nutrients. The system of crop rotation preserves the fertility of the land. -
The Steam Engine
The early model of the steam engine allowed coal miners to remove water from deep mine shafts. However, the steam engine being used was consuming large amounts of fuel, which made it expensive to run. In 1765, James Watt came up with an idea on how to make the steam engine work faster and more efficietly while consuming even less fuel. Watts idea improved the steam engine, decreased the amount of polution, and saved money. -
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Major Changes Throughout the Industrial Revolution
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The Spinning Wheel
James Hargreaves created the Spinning wheel. It was also called the Spinning Jenny after his daughter. Workers were not able to keep up with John Kays invention of the flying shuttle. The flying shuttle doubled what a worker was able to do in a day. The creation of the Spinning Jenny allowed one spinner to work eight threads at a time. -
The Cotton Gin
Before the Cotton Gin, seeds had to be removed by hand from the cotton. This took a lot of time. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin.This machine was designed to speed up the cotton cleaning process. The Cotton Gin increased the cotton production. In 1790, only 1.5 million pounds of cotton were cleaned. The cotton Gin helped clean 85 million pounds of cotton by 1810. -
Road Transportation
In the early 1800's, John McAdams improved british roads. He created road beds with a layer of large stones for drainage. On the top of the large stones, he put a smooth layer of crushed rock. This allowed heavy wagons to travel along the new roads called "macadams" without sinking down into the mud. Also, the roads created profit by making people stop and pay at turnpikes before they could travel anywhere beyond that. -
Unios and Strikes
Workers joined together in unions and strikes. They were tired of working in dirty an dangerous working conditions, and living with threats of being fired. They insisted on better working conditions and higher pay. The Combination Act outlawed unions and strikes. Factory workers ignored this and joined unions anyway. Finally, Parliament canceled the Combination Act and put up with unions.Eventually, the unions were able to recieve higher wages and shorter hours. -
Water Transportation
Robert Fulton purchased a steam engine from Watt and Boulton. With the steam engine, he built a steamboat named Clermont. Clermont trasported people up and down the Hudson River. Meanwhile, in England, human-made water ways improved water transportation. 4.250 miles of inland chanels made the cost of transporting raw materials and finished goods cheaper by the mid 1800's. This helped the country transport goods while maintaing a reasonable cost. -
Abolishing Slavery
Some people believed slavery was right. While other realzied it was worng. William Wilberforce led Parliment to abolish slavery. The West Indies were the first ones to abolish slavery in 1807. Other countries followed after. The abolishing of slavery allowed the black community to raise families and work like everyone else. Also, it allowed them to be free and to be treated more like people. -
Factory Act
Children were working very dangerous jobs. The working conditions in the factories were awful and mines were not safe places for anyone to work, especially little kids. The Factory Act made it illegal to hire children under 9 years old. Children from the ages of 9 to 12 were not allowed to work over 8 hours in one day. Kids from 13 to 17 were not allowed to work over 12 hours a day. Also, children were prohibited from working in mines. This helped kids stay healthier and possibly live longer. -
Public Schools
Horace Mann was concered about education for young kids. He believed that if kids did not recieve an education, and learn how to be good citizens, the republic will go down for destruction. States started agreeing with Horace Mann and starting Public schooling. Public schooling allowed kids to grow smarter and more aware of important things they needed to know in order to maintain a successful life.
