English Textiles
Telephone
As the population grew in Britain, the demand for cloth
increased. Spinning cotton by hand took too much time. John
Kay invented the fly-shuttle in 1733. This machine required only
one weaver to operate. In 1765, James Hargreaves invented the
spinning jenny, which allowed workers to spin eight threads at a
time rather than one.
These devices cut down
the work hours needed to
produce cloth. In 1769,
Richard Arkwright made
the water-frame, but it
produced coarse thread.
Then, Samuel Crompton
combined
Arkwright’s
invention with the spinning
jenny a decade later that
produced good quality
thread. In 1789, Samuel Slater brought over the ideas of the
textile industry to America and the first water-powered cotton mill
was built in Rhode Island.
The new inventions of the English textiles sped the process
of producing cloth very quickly. I consider this a major change
because this was the beginning of the factory system in the
Industrial Revolution. There were many changes after changes in
the English textiles. The old system of producing cloth was done
at home. The production was too slow and it did not catch up to
the rapid growth of population. Then, new machines were being
invented. The production became efficient and quicker. Soon,
people began working in larger facilities. As we discussed in
class, people were able to produce good quality cloth that were
affordable. This was one of the reasons why England was the
center of industrialization. Because of these movements during
The telephone is also one of the important inventions of
the Industrial Revolution. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell
invented the telephone. Before the telephone was invented,
telegraphs were used. Telegraphs used bursts of electricity to
send messages by Morse
code.
Telegraphs made it
possible
to
communicate
between towns, but these
messages could only be sent
to special telegraph offices.
Telephones allowed people to
communicate
at
home
personally.
The first long
distance telephone lines were
placed in 1884. Copper wire
was used since it could send
signals over long distances. In
1891, switchboard operators were replaced by automated dial
systems. At first, telephones could be used only between big
cities, but as the network became larger, eventually each
household had a telephone.
I think the telephone was a great convenience for the
people in America. People back then lived far away from each
other. With poor transportation, they could not see each other
often. Now, they could communicate with each other and hear
their voice without seeing that person directly using the
telephone. This invention helps our lives much more today. The
wireless telephone system developed quickly, and the majority of
the people now own a cell phone. At first, the computer network
system started using the telephone line. With the telephone and
network system, the world became smaller. Our lives may have
become convenient, but they came with too much information,
the Industrial Revolution, we have factories today.
making us busier than before.
1
10
References
Adam Smith [Sketch]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/07/hbc-90000622
Bell on the telephone in New York (calling Chicago) in 1892 [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_telephone_1.html
Ten Significant Innovations and
Changes in the Industrial Revolution
The development of canals in Britain. (n.d.). The open door web site. Retrieved from http://www.
saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/020.html
[The first canal in England] [Painting]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sthelensnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/
sankey-canal.html
Friendrich, C. D. (1818). The wanderer above the sea of fog [Oil on canvas]. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_032.jpg
Hine, L. W. (n.d.). [Children working in the mill] [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.history
place.com/unitedstates/childlabor/hine-empty.htm
Hine, L. W. (n.d.). [Newsies] [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/
childlabor/hine-jumps.htm
History of canals. (n.d.). History world. Retrieved from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainText
Histories.asp?historyid=aa19
Industrial Revolution [Painting]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/blvesboy/
2121487586/
Industrial Revolution- textile industry. (n.d.). Industrial Revolution research. Retrieved from
http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_ revolution_textile_industry.php
Karl Marx [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retreived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Karl_Marx_001.jpg
[The light bulb] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldculture.org/pages/1anniversaries.html
McNeese, Tim. (2000). The Industrial Revolution. St. Louis, Missouri: Milliken Publishing
Company.
[Spinning jenny] [Drawing]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/
industrial_revolution_textile_industry.php
[Steam engine] [Diagram]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/
017.html
Stearns, P. N., & Hinshaw, J. H. (Eds.). (1996). The ABC-CLIO world history companion to the
Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc.
Telecommunication timeline. (n.d.). The telephone: Ringing in a new age. Retrieved from
http://www.schoelles.com/Telephone/telindex.htm
[Women in the Industrial Revolution] [Sketch]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.trueroots.us/blog/
2009/05/08/a-brief-history-of-motherhood/
[Working conditions of the Industrial Revolution] [Painting]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.
saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/039.html
11
In this booklet, there are
information about the many
innovations and changes that
occurred during the Industrial
Revolution, which took place from
1750 to 1914.
There are
information about English textiles,
the steam engine, canals, Laissezfaire, child labor, women in the
industrial revolution, romanticism,
socialism, electricity, and the
telephone.
There are also
paragraphs of why I consider
those changes to be important.
Enjoy!
About the Author
Nozomi Murayama was born in Berkley,
California on October 23, 1997. She lived in
Quincy, Massachusetts until she moved to
Kobe, Japan in 5th grade. She now attends
the international school Canadian Academy.
Ten Significant Innovations and Changes in
the Industrial Revolution is her first book.
When she is not finishing homework, she
enjoys playing the violin and the piano.
Ten Significant Innovations and
Changes in the Industrial Revolution
Nozomi Murayama
Electricity
Steam Engine
In 1879, an American inventor Thomas Edison invented the
first electric light. This caught on quickly in America, unlike
Britain. In Britain, the source of light was coal, a cheap and
abundant resource. The demand for electric lights was not as
high as in America. There were many other inventions created
that used electricity. In 1800, an
Italian inventor Alessandro Volta
invented the chemical battery. In
1866,
Michael
Faraday,
an
Englishman,
made
the
electromagnetic generator. With the
help of these innovations, in 1887,
American inventor Frank Sprague
designed the electric railway. Later,
Sprague also invented an electric
elevator, which later led to
skyscrapers to be built.
I think electricity is one of the
most important discoveries for both
the past and the present. Electricity
changed people’s lives dramatically
during the Industrial Revolution.
Just by looking around me, I see many things powered by
electricity. I see my computer, air conditioner, and my room lights.
Outside my room, I see the refrigerator, stove, microwave, and
the television. I think without electricity, I cannot survive even a
single day. Electricity is not only used to power appliances. It is
used for transportation as clean power source. The number of
electric cars is increasing. Whenever I go somewhere off Rokko
Island, I take the Rokko Liner, an automated train run by
electricity. Because of these inventions, our lives are very easy
and efficient.
One of the great inventions
created in the Industrial Revolution
was the steam engine. In 1712,
Thomas Newcomen invented a steam
engine that pumped water out of
coalmines. The machine had a piston
inside a cylinder. Steam was created
from a boiler below the cylinder. The
vacuum made by the steam caused
the piston to rise. The piston was
connected to one end of a wooden
beam that acted like a seesaw. On
the other end, pump rods were
attached. When the piston end of the beam rose, the other end
went down into the mine. The steam inside the cylinder
condensed which brought down the piston. The other end rose,
pumping water out. Although this was very efficient compared to
the older ways, there were still problems. Heat and fuel were
being wasted. James Watt designed a new steam engine that cut
the amount of fuel used by 75 percent in 1775.
I think the steam engine was one of the great inventions
created during the Industrial Revolution because this invention
brought many changes that were related to the steam engine.
First, Watt improved Newcomen’s steam engine because it
wasted too much heat and fuel. I think it was ridiculous that while
the engine was pumping water out of the mine to get more coal,
the engine’s boiler was using coal to make steam. Later, factories
began using steam engines for their waterpower. Then Richard
Trevithick created the steam locomotive. Robert Fulton invented
the steamboat and Thomas Edison opened the first commercial
power plant. I think it was amazing that the steam engine could
be put in use in many ways. People living during these times
must have been excited and surprised to see their lives become
9
efficient rapidly. Over the years, these new things were
improved and led to our modern trains, boats, and power
plants.
2
Canals
Socialism
After the steam
engine was invented,
there was an increase
in demand for coal.
However, the supply of
coal was always limited
and the transportation
was costly. Before, coal was transported over muddy roads.
People realized that using rivers for transportation was easier and
efficient, but there was a problem. The rivers did not always flow
for efficient transportation. The Duke of Bridgewater thought of an
idea to create artificial waterways/canals to go where they were
needed. This new idea allowed goods to be transported quickly
and cut expenses. Bridgewater employed James Brindley to build
canals for him in 1750. The first canal was built in 1761. Brindley
was successful with the first canal. He later built over 580
kilometers of the British canal network.
I consider canals to be one of the major changes because
it greatly improved the way to transport goods. Canals were
widely used and were much more efficient than transporting
goods by roads. Traveling by roads took a great deal of time
because of bad weather and the roads’ poor conditions.
Bridgewater wanted a more reliable way to transport his coal.
Since the canal system was very successful, Bridgewater was
able to cut down the price for coal. Then, more people could
afford to buy Bridgewater’s coal. I think this led to the general
good of his business. I think because of the success of his
canals, they became widely spread around the world now. New
ideas of faster and flexible routes for transportation were made.
The Suez and Panama Canal are two of the famous canals in the
world. They are both important canals and are used for world
shipping. The Suez Canal connects Asia and Europe, so one
does not have to travel around the southern tip of Africa. The
Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean so one
The
Industrial
Revolution
brought efficiency, but abuse as well.
Workers were exploited and were
working in unsafe conditions. This
gave birth to socialism. In 1839, the
word socialism was first used.
Socialists believed that there should
not be different classes of people and
everyone was equal. Some believed
that competition was the cause of
different classes, and the government
should help everyone so no class of
people was more powerful than
another. One of the great socialist
thinkers was Karl Marx. He combined four ideas, materialistic
view, class warfare, surplus value, and dialectical change, to
develop his theory of socialism. Marx encouraged class warfare
because he believed that that would overthrow the workers’
opposite. This theory, Marxism, led to communism in the
twentieth century.
If I were a worker during the Industrial Revolution, I would
have agreed with the great socialist thinkers. Everything they
believed brought benefits to the workers. Even though I believe
these ideas are great, I do not quite agree with Karl Marx’s theory.
I agree with Marx about achieving equality between the workers
and their opposites, but I do not agree about what to do to
achieve that. Marx encouraged workers to overthrow the higher
class by violence. I think socialism had a major impact to the
world because this was the beginning of two main groups,
socialism and capitalism. Socialism was developed into one big
country, the Soviet Union. On the other hand, capitalism was
developed into the United States of America. Those two countries
had been in the Cold War for several decades. Around the late
20th century, most of the socialism countries collapsed.
does
not have to travel around South America.
3
8
Child Labor
Women in the Industrial Revolution
Before the Industrial Revolution, children were working
under their parents’ directions, so they learned the skills that were
needed to support families of
their own when they became
adults.
During the Industrial
Revolution, this system changed.
The children began working in
factories, and the directions came
from foremen instead of their
parents. They worked from early
in the morning to late at night.
The jobs they performed were
often dangerous. The children’s
health was not good, because the
working conditions were very bad.
It was until the 1830s when the
English Parliament created laws
that limited the types of jobs
children performed, decreased the
work time, and raised the wages.
Before I learned about child
labor in class, I read the book
Counting on Grace. When I finished reading the book, I saw the
darkness of child labor. Then, many questions came to my mind.
Why didn’t the mill owners think about the children’s future? Why
did child labor last so long? As Grace emphasized, I think
education is an important factor for a brighter future. Because
children could not get an education, they were usually working in
the factories even when they became adults. Child labor is still
going on today. The main reason why child labor cannot be
stopped is poverty. Without children working, some families
cannot survive. I know that getting rid of child labor completely is
a very difficult issue. I wonder if there are any ways we can do to
help, big or small.
Before the Industrial Revolution, women did household
chores and worked in the fields with their husbands. When the
Industrial Revolution came along, it changed women’s lives
greatly.
Women now had job opportunities and earned
independent wages. In the 1851 census, more than 30% of the
workers were women. Although women got some freedom, their
work options were limited because they were believed to be
incapable to perform those jobs. After the English Parliament
created laws about child
labor, it was decreasing.
In the textile industry, mill
owners needed more
workers, so they replaced
children with women. It
took time until people
accepted women to be
capable of working at any
job as much as men.
I think this is an
important issue during the Industrial Revolution because women
were exploited. Women got some freedom, but were still working
under the direction from men. Their job choices were limited too,
because many people believed that women were mentally and
physically unable to perform certain jobs. The majority of women
were short-term workers, because they often stopped working
after they marry and have children. From that fact, I understand
why some people did not hire women to work certain jobs, but
from the women’s point of view, I think it was very unfair. Just
because women marry and have children does not mean they
have to stop working. Men do not stop working after marriage.
Now, women and men have the same amount of chance to get
the same job. Although there is equality, working mothers’ lives
5
are difficult with house chores and childcare.
6
Romanticism
Laissez-faire
The Enlightenment of the
century led to Romanticism
in the early 19th century. The
Enlightenment gave little value
to emotions and feelings.
Romantics wanted to express
their emotions in new ways.
Writers, musicians, and artists
wanted to let the audience
escape from the industrialized
world. The stories, music, and
paintings were often set in far
away places.
One of the
famous
Gothic
works
is
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Romantic poets expressed their
emotions in a positive way that showed nature’s beauty. Painters
ignored the restrictions of neoclassicism and used vivid colors
with excitement. Composers created music that was very
emotional. Some pieces of music were based on popular
literature.
I think it is important to know that the Industrial Revolution
was not only about industrializing. I did not know that the
Romantic period of music and Romanticism of the Industrial
Revolution was related. During the Industrial Revolution, the
workers’ lives were very mechanical and based on the clock.
Gradually, their identities disappeared. Musicians and artists
wanted those people to escape from the industrialized world by
their romantic works. My favorite composers like Saint Saens,
Wieniawski, and Sarasate composed very beautiful music with
strong expressions. Compared to the composers in previous
musical periods like Beethoven and Mozart, their musical style
has more freedom in expressing emotions. Most of the classical
music people know now is from the Romantic period. I think
those pieces of music are the most comfortable to listen to for
With successful factories, the
owners became very wealthy.
Adam
Smith developed a philosophy called
Laissez-faire. He wrote the book The
Wealth of Nations in 1776. He said that
the economy was better when the
government left it alone. Smith believed
that people should work towards their own
self-interest and that would add to the
general good. David Ricardo expanded
Smith’s ideas. He developed the iron law
of wages. He said that workers should be
paid as little as possible. If the workers
had higher wages, they could support a larger family, therefore a
surplus of labor would be created leading to poverty.
The
government did not care about problems of child labor, workers in
poverty, education, and public services. Eventually, the difference
between the rich and poor became greater.
I think Laissez-faire had a positive effect on England, but
had a downside to it as well. People were allowed to follow their
own self-interest, which I think is a fair idea. I think if the people
were more interested in their jobs, they would work harder and
add to the general good of the country. On the other hand,
workers were living in poverty because of the iron law of wages.
Ricardo’s new idea led factory owners to become wealthy, but led
workers to poverty.
Although this philosophy led England’s
economy to become better, I do not think it was worth having
social problems like child labor and severe poverty. Laissez-faire
spread all the way to America and caused a big difference
between the rich and the poor. This ended up as the Great
Depression. In the present day, the world’s economy’s conditions
are not good and many people are unemployed. There is still a
big difference between the rich and the poor. I wonder if there is
18th
a system that works best for everyone in the world.
7
people in any era.
4