History Term Paper

The subject I have chosen to research cause and effects on the 21st century is the Industrial Revolution. I believe this was a huge turning point in our advancement as a race but like everything else in life this also created future problems. I’m hoping to learn more of about what directly influenced some of the daily activities I go through in my day to day life. Are some of the things I take for granted here because of the revolution? Life was dramatically different back at the height of the revolution and I feel as if it created a snowball effect for even more technological and machinery advancements. Something as simple as taking the car to the gas station and buying a soda would be impossible had the revolution not occurred. The industrial revolution began in the late 1700’s and brought force new methods of production, chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, and improved the efficiency of water use. Before the revolution, everything was done by hand which made production exhaustingly slow and material production such as cotton just could not keep up with demand. This was until 1764 James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny. The flying shuttle invention before the spinning jenny helped the Jenny in becoming a success. Now more yarn could be used in a shorter time period at a lower cost. The ability to produce vast amounts of cotton materials made it much more profitable hence a new market would soon exist. Since clothes used to be made from hand and made specifically for the person purchasing them, they were rather expensive, and often had to be made at home. This meant poor people never had new clothes. Due to the invention of the spinning Jenny clothes became more available with lower prices. Now in the 21st century you can purchase various amounts of clothing for any activity you partake in at very low prices. Clothes are so widely available; you can buy a suit for a couple thousand dollars, or go to a discount clothing store or even a thrift shop and pay anywhere from twenty to only a couple hundred dollars. The prices of clothing vary almost as much as how many types of clothing are available. There is even clothing stores specifically for one type of clothing. Everyone used to dress the same for reasons mentioned earlier and that was the normal thing, two centuries later clothing can be used as a way to express yourself. One of the most monumental changes brought force from the industrial revolution was the creation of the middle class. No longer was it the rich and healthy living amongst the poor and starving. The middle class, the “working class” came about once factories were created for the mass production of materials and goods. The factories created a lot of jobs for the people which led to beginning of modern cities. All this progress led to healthier living conditions which meant a longer lifespan for people and the population of England nearly doubled in the 50 year span between 1800-1850. Although the chances of living longer were much higher the ability to survive childhood was the most difficult. Child labor was harsh, having kids use their small arms and hands to fix machinery resulted in many injuries. Overtime rules and regulations changed and child labor was no more. In the 21st century our cities have only grown more advanced. Cities like New York, Chicago and Boston would not exist had it been for urbanization during the revolution. People are now protected by law at their place of employment to avoid cruel and unfair workplaces. Children start school at a young age and are not allowed to enter the workforce until they are at least 14 with a workers permit. The factories and creation of industry shaped the modern world we live in today. The agricultural advancements made in the industrial revolution have led to us not having to depend on growing our own food for survival. Everything, literally everything we could ever need and want is

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term paper for history

Term Paper History