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Resources (1830)
American resources grew after 1830,
when large amounts of grain, timber,
and beef traveled across the Atlantic
to European destinations. All these
products grew on colonial acreage,
which expanded Europe's land base.
Later in the century, American lands
also served as outlets for Europe's
surplus population.The Calico Acts (1720)
The Calico Acts of 1720 and 1721
prohibited imports of printed cotton
cloth and restricted the sale of
calicoes at home. Parliament even
passed a law requiring corpses to
be buried in woolen shrouds, but
legislation did not dampen consumers'
enthusiasm for cotton. Consumer
demand for cotton products drove
the development of a British cotton
textile industry.Flying Shuttle (1733)
Manchester mechanic John Kay invented
the flying shuttle. This device speeded
up the weaving process and stimulated
demand for thread. Within a few years,
competitions among inventors resulted
in the creation of several mechanical
spinning devices.Henry Bessemer (1856)
In 1856 Henry Bessemer built a refined
blast furnace known as the Bessemer
converter that made it possible to
produce steel cheaply and in large
quantities. Steel production rose sharply,
and steel quickly began to replace iron
in tools, machines, and structures that
required high strength.George Stephenson (1815)
In 1815 George Stephenson, a
self-educated Englishman, built t
he first steam powered locomotive.
In 1829 his Rocket won a contest
by reaching a speed of 45 kilometers
(28 miles) per hour. Although they
were more efficient than Watt's
invention, Stephenson's engines
still burned too much coal for use
at sea. Sailing ships remained the
most effective means of transport
over the seas.Henry Ford (1913)
In 1913 Henry Ford improved manufacturing
techniques further when he introduced the
assembly line to automobile production.
Instead of organizing production around a
series of stations where teams of workers
assembled each individual car using
standardized parts, Ford designed a conveyor
system that carried components past workers
at the proper height and speed. Each worker
performed a specialized task at a fixed point on
the assembly line, which churned out a
complete chassis Crystal Palace (1851)
In 1851 the bounty of industry went on display
in London at the Crystal Palace, a magnificent
structure made of iron and glass that enclosed
trees, gardens, fountains, and manufactured
products from around the world. Viewers
flocked to the exhibition to see industrial
products such as British textiles, iron goods,
and machine tools.Child Labor (1881)
Motivated in part by moral concerns
and in part by the recognition that
modern society demanded a highly
skilled and educated labor force,
governments established the legal
requirement that education, and not
work for monetary gain, was the
principal task of childhood. In England,
for instance, education for children
age five to ten became mandatory
by 1881Socialism (1830)
The term socialism first appeared around
1830, when it referred to the thought of
social criticssuch as Charles Fourier and
Robert Owen. Often called utopian socialists,
Fourier, Owen, and their followers worked
to establish ideal communities that would
point the way to an equitable society.Population (1800-1900)
High birthrates were common also
in early industrializing societies,
but death rates fell markedly
because better diets and improved
disease control reduced child
mortality. Between 1800 and 1900
the British population increased
from 10.5 million to 37.5 million
while German numbers rose from
18 million to 43 million.
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