An Analysis of The Industrial Revolution

A whistle blows early in the morning, signaling all mill workers to head to the factory in the darkness of the day’s dawn. The Industrial Revolution was the start of a time period in which the handmade goods were being replaced by the products of the newly, built mills that could produce more in less time for a better price. Competition between the handmade and the manufactured goods became a struggle for most Americans; they had to choose a side in the newly developing time period. Many chose to work in the factories to support their families; others stayed home to help on the farm. The Industrial Revolution started a chain reaction of economic changes, population movements, the creation of large cities, and changes in the roles of women and children.

The Industrial Revolution brought many economic changes to the affected areas of America, such as New England. The Factory System was created soon after the Industrial Revolution arrived in America, it was a new way of producing goods. The Factory System was the system in which new machines were produced to create goods at a faster pace; the machines and technology it required demanded a large mill to be built in order to work productively in a convenient space (Davidson 331). A mill required a riverfront with water flowing downstream or over a waterfall to turn a large wheel that provided a large enough amount of electricity for the machines to run efficiently (Davidson 331). The British came up with many of the mills and machines used inside of them; the formation of textile mills was the start of the Industrial Revolution in the United States (Smith 3/19/2014). The designs for the textile mills came to the United States when people like Samuel Slater came to America. Samuel ...

... middle of paper ...

...was given information on the spread of the Industrial Revolution. (Secondary Source)

Brown, Sally. "Excerpts from Sally Brown’s Diary." Old Sturbridge Village. Old Sturbridge Inc., 4 June 1883. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. The diary excerpts gave me a viewpoint on the differences between working in a factory and working on a farm. The life of a farmer is much different that that of a factory worker. I found information on what it was that people did when they were working on a farm and living at home. (Primary Source)

Lucy Ann. "An Independent Mill Girl, Letter." Letter to Cousin Charlotte. 29 June 1851. Old Sturbridge Village. Old Sturbridge Inc., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. This letter was a helpful source that informed me of the work that was going on at a factory. I also learned what it was like to live at a mill in a boarding house and work long hours. (Primary Source)