Industrial Revolution

In the early eighteen century the Industrial Revolution began in England. From about 1770 to 1850 the transition from agricultural to industrial was growing. The productivity of England, Europe, and the United States was revolutionized. New machines and factories changed the way goods were produced and in turn increased the standard of living. The impact of the Industrial Revolution was wide spread, from the poor to the very wealthy. Harold Perkins said, “the Industrial Revolution was no mere sequence of changes in industrial techniques and production, but a social revolution with social causes as well as profound social effects” [The Origins of Modern English Society, 1780-1880 (1969)].

The factory system began changing the way textiles were produced. In 1764, James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny. This machine could spin multiple spools of cotton simultaneously. Although it was hand powered, the device greatly reduced the amount of labor and time needed to produce yarn. Early on the spinning jenny was able to spin 8 spools at once and over time progressed to 120, as technology advanced. Around the same time in 1769, Richard Arkwright designed the water frame, also used in the production of yarn. Originally powered by horses, Arkwright built a water powered mill at Cromford, Derbyshire in 1771. This became one of the first factories dedicated more to machines than people. Additionally, modern employment practices can be traced to Arkwright. He is known as “the father of the factory system.” Both inventions were able to flourish because the spinning jenny produced a fine thread while the water frame spun coarse yarn. Weavers were unable to keep up with the larger supply of yarn created by these machines. But a breakthrough came with the introduction of steam power.

The steam engine was developed by Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen in 1698 and 1705 respectively. The early versions pumped water from coal mines. In 1782, James Watt...