The Industrial Revolution Chapter 11 Section 1

Why It Matters In early America, most people worked as farmers. Men worked in the fields to produce food for their families. Women helped in the fields and made simple goods, like candles and soap, at home. The Industrial Revolution changed all this.

A Revolution in Technology The Industrial Revolution began in Britain, in the textile (cloth-making) industry Before the revolution it took one person 2 weeks to produce a pound of cotton thread.

Machines and Factories In the 1760s the spinning jenny sped up the thread making process. In 1764 Richard Arkwright invented the water frame, a spinning machine powered by running water To house the new large machines, manufacturers built textile mills on the banks of rivers.

Factory System Factory systems bring workers together in one place British mill owners had to invest in buildings and machines Mill owners turned into capitalists, people who invest money in a business to earn a profit

Steam Power In 1790 Arkwright built the first steam-powered textile plant Factories no longer had to be built on riverbanks Britain tried to protect its secrets about textile industry, skilled workers were forbidden to leave the country

The American Industrial Revolution In 1789 Arkwright’s apprentice Samuel Slater boarded a ship to New York Slater joined forces with a wealthy merchant and completely from memory created a spinning machine based off of Arkwright’s

American Industry Grows Slater’s success marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the US Industrialization began in the Northeast

Lowell Mills Francis Cabot Lowell built an improved version of the English Machines Lowell’s factory brought spinning and weaving in one building After Lowell died his partners built a new town with boardinghouses, a library and a hospital.

Lowell Girls Girls who lived in boardinghouses under strict supervision After work, the girls might attend lectures or visit libraries

The Revolution Takes Hold Mass production was now accomplished In the 1790’s Eli Whitney developed a system of interchangeable parts Manufacturing became more efficient

Factory Life Slater employed children in his textile mill As time went on, working conditions got worse Factories were poorly lighted Had little fresh air Many workers were injured on the job Workdays last 12 to 14 hours

Crash Course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhL5DCizj5c