Industrialization, along with new inventions in transportation including the railroad, generated economic growth. As in Great Britain, textile production led the way. In the first 50 years after American independence, many farmers moved to factory jobs. By the 1830s, the United States was one of the world's leading economic powers. ports, which further drove the growth of U.S. This meant Americans had to buy more U.S.-made goods.ĭuring the War of 1812, the British navy blocked ships from sailing in and out of U.S. The embargo banned foreign countries from sending products to the United States to trade. During his administration from 1801 to 1809, President Thomas Jefferson established a trade embargo. manufacturing began after the nation gained independence from England in the 1770s. Industrialization caused similar changes in the United States. Although their work conditions could be very dangerous, women's jobs were seen as less skilled than those of their male co-workers. They were forced to work 16 hours per day or longer. Despite their importance and hard labor, women and children received low pay. Factory owners wanted workers whose fingers were small enough to weave thin threads. During the first century of industrialization, children worked in factories. Unmarried women worked as servants in other families' homes, and many others worked in textile mills. Women and Children Took on Dangerous Factory Work Even when men stayed with their families, factory jobs were so difficult that they had little time to relax and enjoy family life. Sometimes, an entire family moved to the city to remain together. Some left their families behind in the country for jobs in the city. Once factories were built, most men no longer worked at home. This system was called the "putting-out" or domestic system. In 18 th-century Great Britain, women and men performed jobs like spinning wool into textiles and weaving textiles into cloth. Married couples and their children often worked together on farms or in shops. Throughout history, most people worked with their families. Perhaps the most harmful consequences of industrialization were those affecting families. Earlier forms of work and ways of life began to disappear. In factories, coal mines and other workplaces, people worked long hours in miserable conditions. As countries industrialized, factories became larger and produced more goods. The dawn of industrialization came alongside inventions such as the coal-powered steam engine, and the pace of work increased. Before the Industrial Revolutions, most goods were made by craftsmen, including jewelers and blacksmiths. Other Western European nations, including France, the Netherlands, and Germany, also saw an increase in their urban populations.įactory Jobs Often Meant Family Separationsįactory work in cities differed from farming. By the middle of the 19 th century, that number had risen to half. In 1800, only one in five Britons lived in a city. Industrial cities such as Manchester and Leeds grew dramatically in just a few decades. The growth of British cities was further accelerated by the development of factories. Once large-scale agriculture became widespread, wealthy people bought these lands and used them for private farms.ĭue to these shifts, more rural people struggled to survive and many headed for towns and cities to find new jobs. Previously, villages had common lands that could be used by all villagers. Conditions further worsened due to the enclosure movement. For peasants, the large-scale production of goods such as crops meant fewer opportunities. According to this principle, increased production of goods improves overall efficiency. The Industrial Revolution demonstrates the idea of economies of scale. Larger, more advanced farms replaced subsistence farms. Machines started to be used in farming, so fewer agricultural workers were required. Populations grew during the 18 th century and farmers increased food production to feed the larger population. Rural people worked as subsistence farmers, meaning they grew crops to feed themselves and their families. Before this time, people rarely traveled beyond their small villages. Most historians say that the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain around 1750.
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Once industrialization began, however, work and family life would be transformed forever. These shifts continue to affect the world today.īefore the Industrial Revolution, most people in Europe worked either as farmers or artisans making hand-crafted goods. The ways in which people lived had not changed significantly since the Middle Ages. This era created changes in business, the work that people did, and society.
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The Industrial Revolution is an appropriate name for a period in history where major innovation led to huge worldwide change.