Industrial Revolution Webquest

The most far-reaching and influential transformation of human culture since the advent of agriculture eight or ten thousand years ago was the industrial revolution of eighteenth century Europe and America. The consequences of this revolution would change irrevocably human labor, consumption, family structure, social structure, and even the very soul and thoughts of the individual. What drove the industrial revolution were profound social changes, as Europe and then America moved from a primarily rural, agricultural, family-based economy to an urban, capitalist, industrial-based economy. This required rethinking social obligations and the structure of the family. The Industrial Revolution is the most dramatic change the world has ever undergone and its impact is still being felt by families today.

Task

You will be assigned to research and examine one aspect of the Industrial Revolution.  To show what you learned you will create a one page information sheet that contains information related to your topic.  You will then share what you learned with the class.

You will be assigned one of the following topics:

Cotton Gin

Samuel Slater (Textiles and Mills)

Steam Engine       

Francis Cabot Lowell (Factory System)                       
 

Process

Your handout must include the answers to the following questions.  Please create an understandable, thoughtful, and creative way of sharing this information in your handout.

1.  What was life in America like before your change took place during the industrial revolution?

2.  Who were the main people involved in this change?

3.  How did the changes in your topic change life in America?

4.  How does the change in your topic affect the world today?

Resources

The Cotton Gin

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcotton_gin.htm

http://www.whitneygen.org/archives/biography/eli.html

http://www.eliwhitney.org/cotton.htm 

Samuel Slater (Textiles and Mills)

Samuel Slater and Mills

Textile Mills

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h284.html 

http://www.slatermill.org/html/history.html

The Steam Engine (Transportation and the Industrial Revolution)

http://www.ulster.net/~hrmm/steamboats/fulton.html 

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/4547/fulton.html 

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrailroad.htm

Francis Cabot Lowell (Factory System and the Industrial Revolution)

Factories: Brettia.Com

Factories: West Virginia University

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h285.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/lowell_hi.html

http://web.bryant.edu/~history/h364proj/fall_99/kroner/page2.htm

General Information

Industrial Revolution: Western New England College

Industrial Revolution: Fresno Schools
 

Child Labor

Child labor in American factories
 

Inventors and Machine Inventions

Famous Businessmen/Inventors

Evaluation                                     Students will be graded according to the following rubrics.

Handout

Conclusion

The industrial revolution of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries greatly affected the United States of America.  Tasks were completed with new equipment and in new ways.  The workforce grew to include women and children.  New methods were invented to transport people and goods further distances and more quickly than ever before.  Cities sprouted to create factory towns, especially in the North.  For many Americans, life changed dramatically.

The industrial revolution, however, had its dark side as well.  As the northern part of the country became industrialized, the South continued to have an economy based on agriculture and slavery.  Over time, the differences between the two regions became more pronounced and would lead to the bloodiest conflict in American history, the Civil War.

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