Introduction for Essay
The first Industrial Revolution started in England in 1705 with the Improved steam engine, originally made by Thomas Newcomen. Later, James Watt improved the steam engine so it could power bigger machines. This time of new inventions helped people to make more products that they needed in order to live and build. Steam and coal were used to power these new machines. James Watt was one of the most influential people of the time, with his work to improve steam. Factory owner Matthew Boulton helped Watt by financing Watt’s steam engines and making them even more productive. Robert Fulton invented the steamboat, which helped by transporting large cargo across the water.
Research Paper on Industrial Revolution
Factories helped people in the Industrial Revolution move into a new era: from animal and man-powered to machine-powered. Factories were created to contain thousands of workers and engines that made daily products. Men, women, and children all worked in a factory. Women and children were paid less because they had no rights. Across England, people were migrating from farming communities to industrialized cities to work. These factories helped to mass-produce things that people were buying in large quantities, such as clothing, small machines, and household goods. Factory workers learned new skills.
Steam power allowed these workers to make products much faster than ever before. Although these machines made it easier for people to get work done, they were also often deadly. Factory floors were dangerous, and almost no safety precautions were taken. Workers went deaf, lost body parts, or even died while at work. Children, often poor or orphans, worked alongside adults. They could be abused or paid very little money. Kids sometimes had the most dangerous jobs, using their fingers to reach into the small parts of machines that were often very sharp on the inside to fix broken parts. This job was known as a factory scavenger.
Argumentative Essay Examples of the Industrial Revolution
The Second Industrial Revolution started in the 1850s in the United States. It was similar to the first Industrial Revolution, expanding on the factory ideas that worked in England. This time the materials used and produced were more advanced: electricity, oil, and steel. It was a time of explosive growth in the United States. Railroads were built, and people began living in different areas of the country. This helped to link up the workforce with factories and transportation needs. The United States was a great source of natural resources such as wood, coal, iron, copper, silver, and gold. Wealthy industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie made their fortunes in the goods that were needed to fuel the Second Industrial Revolution. Carnegie sold steel used to build railroads all across the country. Another pioneer was Thomas Edison. The “Wizard of Menlo Park,” New Jersey, invented the electric light bulb, which changed the world. Electricity allowed people to work past sundown and powered machines into a new era. Later, Henry Ford mass-produced the first car. The affordable Model T car allowed people to get around with ease.
Thesis Statement for Industrial Revolution
Author Charles Dickens lived between the two Industrial Revolutions and wrote about the struggles of people’s everyday lives during that time. Dickens was born on February 7th, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. Dickens’ father was often in debt and had to go to debtor’s prison, which meant his mother, Elisabeth, and his seven siblings had to move around a lot to avoid the collectors. When times were good, Dickens was allowed to go to private school to get an education. When his father owed money, he was pulled out and had to work. As a child, Charles Dickens worked in a boot-blacking factory. He was so traumatized about this time of his life that he never spoke about it. Dickens later worked as an office boy. Then after he learned shorthand, he became a writer. His first publications were called The Pickwick Papers, which was a popular series of short stories about a wealthy man named Samuel Pickwick. He teamed up on the series with a cartoonist and used the literary name “Boz.”
Charles Dickens’ Legacy and Impact
Dickens later turned those stories into his first book, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. However, his most successful books were about hard-working and poor people struggling to live during the Industrial Revolution. His most famous books were: Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities. Many of his characters, especially parental figures, were written by Dickens as cruel and uncaring. In Oliver Twist, a young boy named Oliver lives a hard life in a horrible orphanage but escapes to London. Oliver meets up with a group of children who are thieves, pickpocketing other people. The boys are treated badly by an abusive man named Bill Sikes. In the end, Oliver is saved by a wealthy man who adopts him.
In his own life, Charles Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1835, and they had ten children. In 1842, he and Catherine traveled to America. Dickens did not like what he saw. He was horrified by slavery, upset about how the press treated him, and he was disgusted at seeing people spit tobacco. It was a difficult year in 1851 for Charles Dickens. His dad died, his wife had a nervous breakdown, and their youngest daughter, Dora, died at eight months old. Dickens and his wife separated in 1858, and Ellen Ternan became his companion until his death. He continued to write popular books, including, A Christmas Carol and gave public readings where he acted out his works. Just three years before his death, Dickens returned to America for a reading tour. Back in England, his doctor warned him against doing any more public performances. He gave his last reading in March 1870. Charles Dickens died at his home on June 9th of that year.
Conclusion
Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set during the Industrial Revolution. The hardships of the time brought big advancements that are still important today, the production of food and clothing on a faster and larger scale. Factories are still used to make these things today, but they are much safer thanks to protective laws and technology. Communications such as the telegraph and the telephone were critical successes of the Industrial Revolution that are still used today. Now, phones are wireless. The light bulb and electricity are still needed to power homes and businesses. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, there is so much to be grateful for.
