Birthplace of Industry

1716 Words4 Pages

Birthplace of Industry from the free library by Farlex, from freelibrary.com the article was about the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, using the new product coke to smelt iron. The Darby family demonstrated the uses of iron by building the first iron bridge. The article showed the inventiveness of people and how they contributed to advancements in technology. Written well and organized conceptually showing the importance of smelting iron with new technology of coke a product of coal.

The old furnace of Abraham Darby (1678-1717) was located in the town of Coalbrookdale the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. In 1709, Darby successfully smelted iron using a new coal product “coke.” The coke was made the same way charcoal was made through the use of heating coal at high temperatures creating a more purified fuel which burnt at higher temperatures. However, a bridge to nowhere built near the town of Coalbrookdale by the Darby’s to demonstrate the importance of iron made from coke. This new method of Darby’s enabled him to make the same items using half as much iron. Darby’s sons would be instrumental in helping other men build steam engines and trains not to mention rails and wheels. According to Reyburn; "Darby's key product was cast-metal iron pots. He found that, with coke, he could make cast-iron pots half the thickness of charcoal-fired pots.” Darby's achievement showed that coke could replace charcoal in iron production (thefreelibrary.com).

This essay from the free library located at (thefreelibrary.com) ; Railroads, Robber Barons, and unbridled Capitalism: the term “Robber Baron” is many times used in history books to be synonymous with “unrestrained capitalist,” but such a definition is overly general and misl...

... middle of paper ...

...alhistory.uh.edu/database/article .

Reyburn Ross, It all started here; this year is said to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Industrial Revolution. The Free Library 26 June 2009. 21 February 2011. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/It all started here; This year is said to mark the 300th anniversary...-a0202389677.

Todd, Paul. L and Curti, Merle Rise of the American Nation. New York, Chicago, Atlanta,

Dallas, Burlingame. Harcourt, and World, Inc. 248-251. 1961. Print

Unger, Irvin. These United States: The Questions of our past. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,

1999.199-220. Print.

Vries, Jan de. The Industrial Revolution and the Industrious Revolution

The Journal of Economic History, 1994. 54, pp. 249-270 Cambridge Journals. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=4134468&previous=true&jid=JEH&volumeId=54&issueId=02

Open Document