Chapter Summary

Things that I learned...

1. The Agricultural Revolution in Great Britain was an important catalyst for the Industrial Revolution that followed.

2. Along with new inventions, new ideas about society and government arose during this time, including socialism.

3. The Industrial Revolution brought Britain its first experience of class division. Factories split society into the working and middle classes.

Things that I found interesting...

1. At first, parents were very supportive of having their children working, because it kept the family together and brought the household more money. They didn't realize the dangers until some years later, when legislation was passed limiting children's hours and age limits.

2. The Romantic period in literature, art and music started at this time. Some people strongly disagreed with the Industrial Revolution, and produced works about nature and human emotion.

A question that I still have...

Why did it take so long for industrialization to spread to other European countries?

Spotlight On: The Crystal Palace!

This gorgeous building in London was made entirely of glass and iron, and was the site of the famous industrial fair, the Great Exhibition, in 1851. This exhibition showed the world that Britain was the "workshop of the world". Displayed were examples of the latest technology invented in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. It was Britain's way of telling Europe that it was technologically and economically superior to other nations. The building was designed by Joseph Paxton, and was 1,851 feet long, and 128 feet in height. It was moved to Sydenham Hill, where it was expanded and rebuilt after the exhibition. It was there until the fire that destroyed it in 1936.

This building itself truly showed the of the extent of the Industrial Revolution. The people of Britain came up with so many new ideas in such a short amount of time that a museum was made to commemerate it, something we usually reserve for pieces of history.

US Event: The Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was made by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. He paid only $15 million dollars for this huge stretch of land. It includes 14 of the current states in America today. At the time, this was a controversial action because some believed that it was unconstitutional to purchase land to increase the size of the United States, since it was not mentioned in the US Constitution. However, the land was still purchased and approved by the US Senate.. This connects to the Industrial Revolution because the purchase let the United States expand and grow while European countries were trying to achieve the same thing with technology and production.

US Event: The Bill of Rights

In the United States in 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified. The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments made to the US Constitution. It states the basic rights that the government gives all Americans, including freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly, and the right to trial by jury. The addition of these amendments was the way that Congress ensured that all of the states would ratify the US Constitution.

James Madison and George Mason were both influential in writing these amendments. This document is today a symbol for American freedom, and every American is taught about it. It also connects to the Industrial Revolution because that Revolution began in Britain, and this document symbolizes the concrete idea that the United States is finally its own nation, with its own government, and not reliant on any other country. It also shows that the United States was growing and progressing, though not industrially yet.

Karl Marx

Marx was a philosopher and social scientist, and he was one of the most influential socialist thinkers during the ninteenth century, though this was not until after his death. He wrote many works, including The Communist Manifesto and Capital. Marx stated that capitalism would ultimately lead to exploitation and a drop in profit.  He believed that a stateless, classless society was the best way for a nation to be run. He also believed that the working class would someday rise up and take over the government. Marx was not influential during his life, but after his death he gained a great amount of support, and even today many of his ideas are still practiced. His theories even inspired some people like Mao tse-tung and Vladimir Lenin.

George Stephenson

Stephenson was credited with being the "Father of the Railway". He was a main factor in the production of the Stockton & Darlington railway line, which was the first ever public railway. Stephenson was also was the chief engineer of the Bolton & Leigh railway and the Liverpool & Manchester railway. All of these railways led to easier and faster transportation of Britain's citizens. This led to even more people working in cities because it was now more practical to travel for work. Because of these railways, Britain was even more navigable, making George Stephenson a very significant person during the Industrial Revolution.

Richard Arkwright

Arkwright was considered the "Pioneer of the Factory System". He invented the Spinning Frame that converted raw cotton into yarn. The machine had three sets of rollers that turned at different speeds and made the yarn a specific thickness. Then, a set of spindles twisted the fibers together, producing a very strong thread. This machine made the process of making yarn faster than any method that was used before. After this, other machines were produced to make cloth and do other jobs that were once required to do by hand. These machines were then all put together in one place so the process of making cloth was faster and easier, and required less effort. The skills required to make cloth by hand soon became obsolete, and many people turned to working in factories to make a profit. This system completely changed the way that the average household made their money, and Richard Arkwright's Spinning Frame was the spark that ignited the factory system to be created.

Introduction

This blog is about Chapter 22: The Revolution in Energy and Industry. The chapter includes the Industrial Revolution; the rise of modern industry and its impact on Western society. The Revolution began in Britain and spread throughout Europe, with the factory system leading the way. Mass-production of goods led to a faster and more inexpensive product that changed the way that Europeans lived and worked.

My Unit Objective is to explain why the Industrial Revolution effected the entire world and introduce the people that were significant to this time period.

Essential Question:
Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Britain and not somewhere else in the world?

Answer: Britain was surrounded by water, so they could ship their goods cheaply and easily. It had a successful central bank and credit markets that other countries did not have. Britain also had many colonies that produced raw materials and provided a market for British manufactured goods. The Agricultural Revolution also provided more people to work in the factories that were springing up everywhere in Britain. This happened because of the enclosure system, where farmers took their scattered land holdings into compact, fenced-in fields to farm more effectively. This took farmland from many other farmers in the area, forcing them to find work elsewhere.