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The Land Enclosure Movement
By the 1700's, the British Parliament facilitated enclosures through legislation because they wanted to create larger fields that could be cultivated more efficiently. The enduring impact of this event is that is lead to the migration of people to the city in search of jobs who eventually tended to the machines of the Industrial Revolution. -
Second Agricultural Revolution
In the 1700's, the British expanded on agricultural experiments practiced by the Dutch. The agricultural revolution contributed to a rapid growth of population and reduced the risk of death from famine because it created a higher amount of food. This was the enduring impact of this event because the population incline and development of new technology contributed to the Industrial Revolution. -
Abraham Darby's Experimentation
Abraham Darby experimented by using coal instead of charcoal to smelt iron. The enduring impact of this event is that his ideas lead to the production of cheaper and better-quality iron. Eventually, this iron was used to build railroads. -
Key Improvement Made by James Watt
James Watt, a Scottish engineer, made improvements on the steam engine to make it more effective. The steam engine was originally developed by Thomas Newcomen. The enduring impact of this event is that the improved steam engine was later on used with locomotives and steamships. -
The Industrial Revolution Spreads to the US
Samuel Slater, an English businessman, brought British knowledge of cotton manufacturing to the United States in 1793. He opened the first textile mill in Rhode Island. The enduring impact of this event is that this caused the Industrial Revolution to spread to the United States. -
Luddites Protest Against Industrial Revolution
Luddites were textile workers who destroyed textile manufacturing machines as a protest against the industry that was taking over their jobs. The enduring impact of this event is that it displayed a downside of the Industrial Revolution. Although it provided machines that could produce more efficiently, it replaced the factory workers. -
The Factory Acts Passed in England
The factory acts, which were child labor reform laws, were passed in the early 1800's to reduce a child's workday to twelve hours and to remove children from the cotton mills who were under the age of 8 or 9. The enduring impact of this event is that in the mid-1800's more laws were passed to limit the workday for women and require that child workers be educated. -
The Writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Karl Marx, a German philosopher, and Friedrich Engels, a German socialist, wrote a pamphlet called "The Communist Manifesto." In the pamphlet, they explained their prediction that there was a struggle between social classes and they also had a theory that economics was the main power source in history. The enduring impact of this event is that their ideas were accepted all over the world in places such as Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
