World History 173: The Age of Revolution
Artifacts
A woman working at a spinning jenny, a multiple-spindle machine for spinning wool or cotton invented by James Hargreaves in 1770.
For more information about the invention of the spinning jenny and its impact on textile production, click here
Envelope: Cotton is King! (1861)
Envelope published in New York in 1861. The envelope criticises the reliance of Britain on cotton grown by enslaved people. John Bull is shown bowing to a bale of cotton, shown as a monarch, whilst kneeling on an enslaved person. John Bull has a paper in his pocket printed with the words 'Manchester'.
See more on the connections between Manchester, cotton, and slavery in the US Here
A Peep at the Gas Lights in Pall Mall in 1807
An 1809 engraving by Thomas Rowlandson from an original drawing by Woodward showing the public's reaction to the first coal gas street lighting in Pall Mall, London in 1807.
For more on the image, click here
For more on the invention of coal gas streetlights, click here
Illustration from the Report of the 1842 Royal Commission into Children's Employment (Mines)
Illustration from the Report of the 1842 Royal Commission into Children's Employment (Mines).
For more on child labor in Welsh coal mines, click here
Deeper Dives
Deeper Dives
The Children who Built Victorian Britain (58:00)
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Boulton & Watt Rotative Steam Engine, 1785Pamphlet from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1986).
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Research: The Industrial Revolution Left Psychological Scars That Can Still Be Seen Today
Research overview, not too long.
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A First Step Towards Democracy [Great Reform Act of 1832]
What was the act, how did it come about and what, if anything, did it achieve?
Industrial Revolution
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Background/Overviews
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Industrialization, Labor, and Life
Industrialization ushered much of the world into the modern era, revamping patterns of human settlement, labor, and family life. -
Then and now
Introductory chapter to "The Industrial Revolution: A Very Short Introduction." Excellent overview
Setting the Stage
Key innovations & their Economic and Social Impact
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Children's Employment Commission Report, 1842 (Mines) [Excerpt]See more on children in Welsh mines in the artifact gallery.
Citation: Franks, Robert Hughes. Children's Employment Commission [excerpt], 1842. pp. 42-45. -
Frederick Engels: Condition of the Working Class in England, 1845 [Introduction]Citation: Engels, Frederick. Conditions of the Working Class in England, 1845, pp. 1-10.
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Josiah Wedgwood: the radical father of English potteryArchived link. May be slow to load.
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Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675-1825
A beautiful collection of English ceramics with helpful contextual notes that give great insight into the period.
Legacy & Influence
How inventions change history (for better and for worse) (5:14)
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