Museum Curator Project

Group A: Vanessa Navin, Melanie La, Thomas Peacock, Adam Bergeron, Parker Webb

My group was assigned six sources that displayed information about the evolving textile industry during the industrial revolution of Britain. We first analyzed each source for it's significance in relation to the developing textile industry and its impact on the common family. Source one (top left) was determined to be a display of how cotton was spun into thread before the industrial revolution. This source shows that a source of income for cottage families was making goods from textiles. However, source two (top right) displays a spinning jenny; this machine would be present in a factory, powered by anyone or possibly by water power. This had the effect of removing a source of income from the cottage families. Sources three (middle left) and four (middle right) have a similar relationship. Source three is a hand loom that would be present in the home of a textile maker, but when the industrial revolution began, the presence of power looms (like in source four) make it unprofitable for commoners to make cloth goods at home. This also decreased the income of the average person in England, and contributed to poverty. Source five (bottom left) shows the exponential growth of the population of London, from 1800 to 1914. This massive population growth was caused because the common people of England were forced to move to the city for jobs. They were no longer able to make money in their homes so they had to find a new occupation. The final source (bottom right) summarizes the impact of industrialization on the cottage families. 

The title for our project was determined by the relationships between our sources and the topic of the sources. Two of our sources showed technologies for textiles before the industrial revolution and two others showed the technology during the industrial revolution. The focus of our sources was the effects of the innovations in textile technologies on the family life in England.

We intended for all visitors of our group to learn that the industrial revolution was not necessarily good for all people. In fact it caused an increase in poverty and took many jobs from the skilled women who wove clothes at home. The textile revolution caused millions of people to be forced to cities in order to find jobs that they had lost to factories.  

Transporting the Industrial Revolution:

From this group we were able to learn about the necessary expansion and innovation of transportation due to the industrial revolution. The revolution caused many more goods to be available, this meant that these goods had to be transported, fast. The British made a intricate system of railways and canals in order to expedite the shipping process.

The Industrial Revolution Brings Poverty and Pollution:

This project showed us some serious negative impacts of the industrial revolution. One problem was that the thames river was heavily polluted. Another impact was that the wages of workers fell, but the cost of living continued to rise. This caused extreme, widespread poverty.

An Era Built on the Backs of Children:

From this poster we learned that thousands of children were forced to work in very dangerous and often lethal conditions during the industrial revolutions. In cotton factories, nearly 50% of the workers were under 10 years old, and they were working with equipment that could kill or seriously injure all of them. Many young children were also forced to work in coal mines, in constant danger of death by collapse. It took until 1883 for a preliminary law against extreme child labor came into effect.

Cotton and Slave Boom in the Industrial Revolution:

This exhibit showed that the industrial revolution caused even more slaves to be brought to America. England had more need for cotton, so America needed more workers for the fields. This picture shows that the industrial revolution truly depended on the work of slaves in order to be successful.