HIST 1112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Thomas Newcomen, Spinning Jenny, Water Frame
Document Summary
Population grows from 6 to 20 million. New farming techniques like crop rotation, fertilizers, more food products to feed more people, less war, medical breakthroughs (smallpox), better diet. Enclosure movement forces people to the city. New social class or working class people who owned no land. Coal (steam engines, mixed with iron creates steel) Cotton (from colonies: number one manufactured product (easier to spin into thread, inventions. Putting out system- slowly turning cotton into yarn. James hargreaves: creates spinning jenny- the quicker way of turning cotton into yarn. Richard arkwright: water frame- can use water to turn the knob to make more cotton instead of having to turn it manually. George stephenson: makes the first locomotive. High demand for jobs caused people to be willing to do things for less money. Overnight inventions can cause people to be replaced by machines: work shifts of 12-14 hours and 6 days a week.
