Industrial Revolution, Research Paper Example

Life before the Industrial Revolution consisted mainly of hard work and little to no luxuries. The small necessities that are considered requirements of today such as washing machines, dish washers and automobiles were non-existent. Life was primarily made up of work from daylight until dark for mere survival and for families to feed their own.

Education was poorly implemented into the community and was only for specific individuals or those considered upperclassmen (Hall 4). The reasons were simply because there were so many work duties on the farm that there was little time. It wasn’t a priority to teach a child mathematics, when the family needed to work for food that night.

As times began changing and many inventions were made, life also changed for the best. While there were still long hours in factories, income was a larger part of the families makeup. Certainly the time was still primitive and the work hours and types were still difficult, but to see those changes and watch a family grow would have been incredible. Clearly the changes were likely met, with skepticism and fear, but there still must have been excitement. These families were seeing inventions like the steam engine, which fueled by steam power and even improved textiles through machines like the Spinning Mule, which greatly improved products like clothes (Fisk 30).

Being able to be a party to the various machines and tools that were developed would have been much more rewarding than seeing them in the museum. To actually watch them work and hear family members talk about their day creating new types of goods would have been very interesting. Taking that information and growing as well as being able to say that you were a part of that time in history would have been quite rewarding.

There are a number of inventors and leaders that I would like to have met. If I had to name one it would likely be someone like Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and helped others escape as well. While she was abused and had a difficult life, the mere fact that she made such great accomplishments tells a great deal about her character. She was able to create safe houses and would eventually become known as the founder of the Underground Railroad (Delaney 32). It would be incredible to listen to her stories and learn from her leadership.

Works Cited

Delaney, Yvonne Annette. “The Cosmopolitan Review.” New York Amsterdam News 11 Apr. 2002: 32.

Fisk, Karen. “Arkwright: Cotton King Or Spin Doctor?.” History Today 48.3 (1998): 30.

Hall, Linda. “‘A Chance Child’: Jill Paton Walsh And The Re-Invention Of The Time Slip Story.” Children’s Literature In Education 1-19.