The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

Urban city building and the movement of the people to cities is urbanization. England’s cities grew so fast that they did not have any codes or laws to buildings. There was not a plan for garbage removal unpaved streets and drains, therefore sickness spread especially cholera. Factories were not well lit or clean. Machines injured people. The factories run 6 days a week to produce as much as possible. Working condition were very bad. Small children were used because their hands were small and could reach into small spaces. They worked long hours and were paid little for their work. The positive effects about working: Industry created new jobs, factories were dirty, unsafe, and dangerous, long terms effects-workers won higher wagers, shorter hours and better conditions with unions. The positive effects for social classes: factory workers were overworked and underpaid, overseers and skilled workers rose to lower middle class, and upper middle class resented those in the middle class who became wealthier than they were, long terms effect-standard of living generally rose. The positive effects of size of cities: Factories brought job seekers to cities, Urban area double, triple, or quadrupled in size, and long term effect-suburbs grew as people fled to crowed.

In the 19th century, factories started to develop. The people moved to the cities from rural areas because farming was very bad. More people lived longer because the potato was brought to the eastern hemisphere from the west. Because of more population, and moved to find work and support their families there were jobs in the cities. People moved to find work and support their families. The factory system had positive and negative. We will look at both. The Industrial Revolution started in England. They had the population, natural resources and the land to build these factories. They also possessed the wealth needs to find these factories. Resources needed are: water power land coal, to fuel the machines, iron ore to build the machines, Rivers for inland transportation, and Harbors from which merchants ships sets sail. The textile industry was changed forever with the invention of the sewing machine. England got their cotton from plantations in south America and production skyrocketed to 65 million pounds of goods in 1810. First James Watt from Scotland and them Robert Fulton used a steam engine to fuel a steamboat called the Vermonter in 1807. The steamboat operated up and down the Hudson River.

Industrial Revolution (cont)

Water Transportation: steam could propel (move) boats. Canals (man-made waterways) improved water transportation. Roads were improved using John Adam’s process of small rocks over large rocks for drainage. Roads were built by companies for companies for profit called turnpikes. The Railway Era begins: 1804 steam-driven locomotives were used. These trains connected the dock (where the goods came in) to the cities and factories. Fish and agriculture industrial were bolstered by the trains that could transport their goods to distant cities. Railroads would allow people to take jobs further away from their homes