3.2.1.

3 Things I learned:

1. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain, and then spread over the rest of Europe.
2. Women and children played a huge part in the Industrial Revolution.
3. Many of the inventions (spinning machines, steam engines) went from one inventor to the next until they were usable and practical.

2 Things that interested me:

1. Children were allowed (made) to work 12 hour days in a factory, when they weren't even ten!
2. Poor people didn't wear underwear until the Industrial Revolution came around (ick!)

1 question I still have:

1. Did Britain go into a depression or economic let-down after the Industrial Revolution? Did the demands start dwindling?

Spotlight On...

WOMEN.

Women in the Industrial Revolution were taken for granted. Many worked all day, just like their husbands. They not only had to work long, grueling hours in a factory, but most had to then go home and be a mother. I don't think that women get enough props for the role they played in the Industrial Revolution. The majority of the spinners and weavers in factories were women, and textile factories played a HUGE part in the Industrial Revolution. Women spinners, besides young children, are definitely the workers that do not get enough credit for what they did for the Industrial Revolution, especially in Britain.

American Event #2

Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin

Illustration of an early cotton gin

The second event that happened in the US during the Industrial Revolution is Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin. Eli Whitney, an inventor from Massachusetts, created the cotton gin to help industrialize the system of cotton picking and cultivation. The cotton gin was used to separate the usable cotton from the black seeds. This process used to be done by hand, and was extremely time consuming and tedious. Whitney's cotton gin strengthened slavery in the US, because it increased the efficiency of the slaves, and because the cotton could be cleaned quicker, there was a need for more slaves to pick it. The invention of the cotton gin ties right in with the Industrial Revolution because it was invented in 1793, right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was about inventions and mechanizing the way things were done, just like the cotton gin.

American Event #1

The first American event during the Industrial Revolution in Britain is obvious, the American Revolution.
The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783. America rebelled against her mother country, Britain, in order to gain her independence. The Revolution happened in the very early days of the Industrial Revolution, which is normally given the dates 1780 to 1830. Losing their New World possessions forced Britain into using their own resources rather than America, and luckily, they had plenty of iron and coal deposits, which were major factors in the Industrial Revolution. The American movement for Independence can be seen as a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution in Britain because it caused Britain to use what they had in their country, which ended up being enough to start an age of industrialization.

Important Figure #3

My last, but not least, inventor is......

Richard Arkwright, inventor of the water frame.

Richard Arkwright! Arkwright was the inventor of the water frame, a spinning machine powered by water. His water frame spun a very course and strong thread, which had to be re-spun later to thing it out. It used water, as opposed to the spinners' arm, speeding the process of spinning up, and requiring less energy from the people spinning the thread. It had hundreds of spindles, and required specialized watermills. From his invention, the people during the Industrial Revolution gained access to cheaper cotton, and in turn, the invention of body linen for the poor (a.k.a underwear). Arkwright's water frame sped up the spinning process, and saved countless women's arms from the constant spinning that was required from a spinning jenny

Important Figure #2

Sticking with the inventor theme, my second important figure is......

Henry Cort!

Henry Cort!! Henry Cort was the developer of the puddling furnace, which refined pig iron. The puddlers, or the ironworkers who worked the puddling furnace, cooked the pig iron with coke, and then raked the impurities off of the top, leading to a more refined and stronger iron. Cort also was responsible for steam-powered rolling mills. Through his invention, iron became cheaper, stronger, and more available to the public. This iron was used all of Britain during its expansion from the Industrial Revolution, and thanks to Cort, it was easily obtained, cheaper, and a major factor in Britain's economy.

Important Figure #1

Because this chapter is all about the Industrial Revolution, I thought it was fitting to choose inventors from the era for my 3 Important Figures.
For my first important person I choose......

The man himself, James Watt.

James Watt!  We have all heard of a watt, but not many know about the unit's namesake, James Watt. James Watt was a young Scotsman who helped to create a MUCH more efficient steam engine in 1769. He took Thomas Newcomen's design, and help reduce the waste of energy. Within the next twenty years, Watt managed to improve the steam engine enough to help it become a practical form of travel that had spread throughout Great Britain. Without Watt, the steam engine would never had become a practical, efficient (and safe) mode of travel, and would have hindered the growth of the Industrial Revolution. The trains played a big part in spreading the goods, and transporting materials needed to keep up with demands. Trains also played a HUGE part in the mining industry, which further helped the Industrial Revolution along.