​The Industrial Revolution

​The Industrial Revolution

By Meredith EastWakeMS

Open Ended

The Source: Testimony of Elizabeth Bentley (Child Laborer, 1832)

"I worked from five in the morning till nine at night... I was very tired. I have seen the overlooker [manager] take a strap and beat the girls if they did not do their work. The dust from the flax—it was so thick you could hardly see."

List two specific hardships Elizabeth faced in the factory (one regarding time, and one regarding treatment).

Why Britain First?

Resources: Plenty of coal, iron, and navigable rivers.

Capital: Money from trade to invest in new machines.

Labor: Farmers moved to cities after the "Enclosure Movement."

Multiple Choice

How did the Enclosure Movement contribute to the Industrial Revolution in Britain?

• It gave all farmers free land to start their own businesses.

• It encouraged people to stay on their farms and grow more food for their families.

• It forced many small farmers off their land, creating a large group of people who moved to cities to work in factories.

• It made it illegal to build factories near rivers or coal mines.

Key Innovations

Steam Engine (James Watt): Provided a portable power source for factories and trains.

Cotton Gin: Increased the speed of cleaning cotton (leading to an increased demand for enslaved labor).

Telegraph: Revolutionized long-distance communication.

Multiple Choice

What was an unintended consequence of the invention of the Cotton Gin?

• It made cotton so expensive that people stopped buying it.

• It led to the immediate end of slavery in the Southern United States.

• It made cotton farming much more profitable, which actually increased the demand for enslaved labor.

• It allowed clothes to be made out of wool instead of cotton

Social Impact

Urbanization: Rapid growth of cities leading to slums and poor sanitation.

Labor: Long hours (12–16 hours a day) and the rise of child labor.

Rise of the Middle Class: New wealth for factory owners and managers.

Multiple Choice

Which social class grew in size and wealth as a result of the Industrial Revolution?

• The Peasantry

• The Clergy (Church leaders)

• The Middle Class (Factory owners and managers)

• The Enslaved population

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a positive long-term effect of the Industrial Revolution?

• It eliminated the need for people to go to school.

• It made the air in cities much cleaner than it was in the countryside.

• It led to mass production, making goods like clothing and tools cheaper and more available to everyone.

• It ensured that everyone worked fewer hours for more pay immediately.

Multiple Choice

What was one of the major negative social realities of early factory life?

• Workers were given too many vacations, which slowed down production.

• Factories were too quiet, making it difficult for workers to stay awake.

• Dangerous working conditions and the use of child labor in factories and mines.

• A lack of jobs caused most cities to shrink in size.