7th Grade Exam Study Guide - Sortina



7th Grade The Industrial Revolution

Part I

The Industrial Revolution

1. Basic Information

• In the Industrial Revolution, machines took the place of many hand tools.

• Much of the power once provided by people and horses began to be replaced, first by flowing water and then by steam machines.

2. Thread Making

• For centuries, workers had spun thread in their homes on spinning wheels.

• In the 1760s, the spinning jenny speeded up the thread-making process.

3. The Water Frame

• This system of working was replaced by the factory system, which brought workers and machinery together in one place.

• In 1764, Richard Arkwright invented the water frame, a spinning machine powered by running water rather than human energy.

• Textile Mills began to be built on the banks of rivers.

• In 1790, Richard Arkwright built the first steam-powered textile plant.

• Factories no longer had to be built on riverbanks.

• Samuel Slater built the first water-frame-style spinning machine in the United States.

4. Interchangeable Parts and the New Mill

• In the 1790s, inventor Eli Whitney devised a system of interchangeable parts, identical pieces that could be assembled quickly by unskilled workers.

• During the War of 1812, the British Navy blockaded U.S. ports.

• This caused industry to grow significantly.

• Francis Cabot Lowell and his partners built a mill that was organized in a new way.

• It combined spinning and weaving in one building.

• Later, the town of Lowell, Massachusetts, was built.

• Factories there employed young women from nearby farms.

Typical Factory Working Conditions

5. Basic Information

• Length of Workday: 12 – 14 hours

• Factory Conditions: poor lighting and little fresh air

• Safety Conditions: dangerous machinery caused many injuries

• Treatment of disabled workers: no benefits

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