Discussion Which factor do you think was most important to the growth of British industry? Why? Agriculture or natural resources were most important, since industry cannot thrive without the food needed to support a working population or the raw materials needed for production.

Discussion How would lack of access to common lands have changed the way farmers lived? Without common pasturage, farmers could use only their own scattered plots for raising livestock. This would have reduced the amount of land they had for raising crops.

Background During the Middle Ages and after the Black Death, most of Europe went through an agricultural recession. There were few innovations in technique, and production remained constant. An open-field system was in place: Large plots of land had been cleared and divided into long strips owned by different farmers. Often, a farmer's lands were discontinuous and scattered. After the harvest had occurred, the communal fields were available to all for grazing sheep or other livestock on a free-range basis. The enclosure laws restricted the use of these fields, allowing the construction of fences or hedgerows that prevented communal grazing. This practice began during the creation of large estates by the lords of manors. Eventually, enclosure led to more efficient and profitable farming, free of the regulations that governed the open-field system.

Changes in the Cotton Industry Spinning jennys and steam engines The first factories

Background In the Middle Ages, urban guilds controlled small-scale manufacturing by artisans. Entrepreneurs used rural workers, who were supplied with raw materials and did the work for less pay. This allowed rural families to have added income, marry younger, and have more children. The work also provided a source of income to offset bad harvests, and it prepared workers for the types of tasks that would be found later in factories.

innovation Equate it with the term invention. Think of famous inventions and explain how they improved people's lives. To innovate means to come up with new ideas about how to do things.

Coal, Iron, and Railroads Coal used to power steam engines Improvements in iron production Railroads revolutionize transportation

Discussion What connections can you see among the advances in iron production and the development of railroads? Iron was needed to build railroad tracks, and both iron factories and locomotives used coal as fuel.

Discussion Why was an unfailing source of power one of the keys to the Industrial Revolution? When animals or humans provided muscle power to produce goods, the limits of their strength and endurance determined how much work could be done in a day. The power of the steam engine allowed machines to do work faster than animals or humans.