While the Industrial Revolution had both positive and negative effects on society and the economy, the positive effects outweighed the negative. The Industrial Revolution is regarded as a major event in history. It brought about the modern era in which the world now lives. The force behind the Industrial Revolution was the inventions that enabled this country to move forward by providing a better means to increase productivity, develop new processes and enhance distribution. Innovations like the Cotton Gin, The Power Loom and The Steam Engine are just a few of the innovations that spread quickly throughout the country and across the world.
The Cotton Gin was a significant event that changed American history. Its inventor, Eli Whitney, had his U. S. patent approved in 1793. This invention would have a social and economic impact on the conditions that would lead to the Civil War. The value of cotton grew immensely following the production of Whitney’s cotton gin. Some estimates state that the U. S. supplied three fourths of the world’s cotton at the start of the Civil War (constitutioncenter.org). Economically the cotton gin was a significant boon for the United States. The cotton gin improved the separation of the cotton seeds from the cotton fiber. One cotton gin could do the work of fifty slaves; however, the cotton still needed to be picked by hand; therefore, the demand for slave labor to harvest the cotton increased.
The Power Loom reduced the need for skilled hand weaver’s and so initially there was a great deal of unemployment and reduction in wages; however, with the invention of the power loom it also opened up opportunities for women as mill workers. The downside of this was that there was a growth in the employment of children working in the mills. The power loom was used in textile weaving and first designed in 1784 by Edmund Cartwright and first built in 1785. It was refined over the next forty-seven years and made completely automatic. Now, creating cloth from cotton became a completely machine operated job with the exception of one human operator who would oversee several machines. In the long run the power loom made cloth more affordable which increased demand and also stimulated exports which caused a growth in employment.
The invention of the Steam Engine had a massive impact on the economy during the Industrial Revolution because of its use in transportation and mining. The steam engine truly defined the Industrial Revolution. It was a machine powered by coal and used to run machines at an efficient rate. Thomas Savory created the very first steam engine in 1698. Economically, the steam engine proved profitable to businesses because they now could transport products faster and easier. Another change involved factories because they now no longer needed to be located closely to a water source for energy.
Although the Industrial Revolution started in England, the United States wasn’t that far behind. The Industrial Revolution had profound effects that would impact the next hundred years. The numerous inventions were just one side of the effects of the Industrial Revolution. There was a growing idea that through technology and industry that the world would become a better place, that the world would have greater wealth and that those that were willing to work would prosper. Here, in the United States that idea gave birth to the American dream and for the rest of the world there was a hopeful vision for the future.
Works Cited
Arun. “10 Major Inventors of the Industrial Revolution.” Learnodo Newtonic, 9 Apr. 2018, learnodo-newtonic.com/industrial-revolution-inventors.
Boukary, Amy. “How Did Inventions in the Industrial REVOLUTION IMPACT SOCIE.” Prezi.com, 21 Mar. 2016, prezi.com/qo9i4ovyxmm7/how-did-inventions-in-the-industrial-revolution-impact-socie/.
“The Cotton Gin: A Game-Changing Social and Economic Invention.” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org, National Constitution Center, constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-cotton-gin-a-game-changing-social-and-economic-invention.
“Effect of the Steam Engine on the Industrial Revolution.” Hamlet's Loneliness Essay Example – 648 Words | Bartleby, www.bartleby.com/essay/Effect-of-the-Steam-Engine-on-the-P3KPV2ECDMRA.