
Industrial Revolution – a period of increase output of goods made by machines and new inventions


Agricultural Revolutions (1700’s) – major changes/improvements:
1. Enclosures (less small farms) – consolidated farms, landowners experimented (EX: Jethro Tull – seed drill
(1721) – seeds spaced a specific depths allowing for larger amount to be germinated.
2. Crop Rotation
3. Livestock breading (increases size and quantity)

Agricultural Revolution means more food which leads to increase in population which provides more workers for industry

1. good natural resources – water, coal, iron ore
2. good geography – rivers/harbors – shipping fleet accessed all areas of the world
3. no wars on British soil
4. good banking system – lending money at reasonable interest rates
5. new ideas were encouraged
6. government support of business and merchants


The first large scale industry was the textile industry (cotton and woolen mills)


COTTAGE INDUSTRY – Method of production in which tasks are done by individuals in their rural homes

The cottage industry became inefficient with a series of technological advances

Invention/Date
FLYING SHUTTLE
1733
JOHN KAY
Inventor What Invention Did
FASTER WEAVING – allowed weaver to double weaving speed

Invention/Date
SPINNING JENNY
1764
Inventor
JAMES HARGREAVES
What Invention Did
SPINS THREAD FASTER – 1 spinner could work 6-8 threads

Invention/Date Inventor
WATER POWERED LOOM
1787
EDMUND CARTWRIGHT
What Invention Did
Sped up weaving process

Invention/Date
COTTON GIN
1793
Inventor
ELI WHITNEY
What Invention Did
Pick and clean 10X the amount of cotton as before
Increase use of cotton leads to increased imports from
Southern US

Invention/Date
STEAM ENGINE
1760 AND 1782
Inventor
JAMES WATT
What Invention Did
Improve steam engine so it could drive machinery and be used to spin and weave cotton


Most early factories were built near water. The use of a new source of power, steam, would allow factories to be built in other areas.

By 1800 500 steam engines were used in
British factories

British cotton cloth production increases:

1760
1787
1840
2.5 million lbs of cloth imported for cottage industries
22 million lbs of cloth imported to be spun on machines
366 million lbs imported to be spun on machines
 Cotton cloth becomes GB most valuable product