The Industrial Revolution: A Blessing or A Curse?

This past week Honors History 10 turned a section of RMHS into a museum, as we built exhibits featuring different aspects of the Industrial Revolution, and displayed them down the hallway. Each group of 5 took on a topic relating to the Industrial Revolution, so my group dove into learning about the pollution created by factories and machinery. We began with 6 sources, and analyzed them to find the author, their motivation to create the source, date, and location. From this we were able to draw main points, which made it easier later when we had to write blurbs about each source. When we were done, our exhibit consisted of a poster connecting a map of 19th century England, a depiction of a Victorian slum, a drawing of run-down Manchester, observations on the dirty River Thymes, and differing views about the Industrial Revolution. The main argument of our poster was that although the Industrial Revolution was beneficial in the sense that new inventions and innovations took place, it also caused a massive amount of pollution which brought down the quality of living for inhabitants to England. We titled our exhibit “Pollution of the Revolution” not only because it’s a clever rhyme, but because it follows how the Industrial Revolution caused so much pollution, and how that pollution affected everyone.

A close up from my group's exhibit, Pollution of the Revolution.

 

   When museum goers stop in at our exhibit, the major point that they should take away is that although the Industrial Revolution was the source of many technological advances, it also caused excess pollution that made every day English life filthy, unsanitary, and depressing.

 

Other exhibits and aspects of the Industrial Revolution:



Group A:Spinning A City



During the Industrial Revolution the spinning jenny and British handloom were invented, which increased the amount of wool that could be made. Textile mills became popular and offered lots of jobs in London, so people moved there and the population rapidly grew.

 

 

 

 

 

Group B: Steam Powered Transportation:
Now We're Getting Somewhere

With the invention of the steam engine, power boats and trains came along and provided more efficient transportation. Although a select few disliked the steam engine because it disrupted nature, a large percent of the population liked it because it connected people.

 

Group D: Condemning the Innocent
 

Children and women worked in mines, in factories, and as bobbin girls. They had to work overtime, barefoot, and did strenuous labor, all in order to support their families.

The amount of slaves in the US skyrocketed after the start of the Industrial Revolution. This is because as more textile mills were built, the number of slaves had to increase to meet the demands of the cotton industry.