Industrial Revolution Museum Activity

In order to make our exhibit, we had to analyze five separate documents and consider how they were all connected and what main idea they conveyed. This was essential to the process of creating the exhibit because we had to organize each document in a way that made sense and explain the idea of each one. "Colonialism, Slavery and the Industrial Revolution" showed how the driving force of the revolution was slaves and cheap labor. The map of cotton trade showed how raw cotton was often shipped from the U.S. to Britain, where cotton products were made. The slavery statistics from the U.S. showed how the slave population increased a huge amount during the Industrial Revolution. The number of cotton mills in Lowell  and slave population represented the connection between the number of slaves working as the demand for cotton increased. Finally, the picture of Boott Cotton Mill represented how more and more mills and jobs were created as the Industrial Revolution. As you can see, each and everyone of the sources show a connection between demand for cotton and an increase in population and mills all over the world, hence the title: Cotton Creating Connections.

Change is Looming

This exhibit described the changes seen in cotton production during the revolution. New machines allowed for more cotton and products to be produced faster and easier, using less man-power.

All Aboard the Steam Engine, Railroads and Canals

The sources in this exhibit showed the advancements made in methods of transportation. It became much faster and therefore easier to transport both people and goods, furthering the spread of the Revolution.

Living Conditions During the Industrial Revolution

In this exhibit, it was explained how England went from having many people living in smaller towns and in the country to having most of its population based in industrial cities. The cities became crowded (as shown in the picture below) and living conditions were almost unbearable.

Work Destroys Children's Lives

The final exhibit displayed the large amount of child labor and awful conditions they endured during the Revolution. Fifty percent of children under ten worked during the Revolution. The horrid conditions, dangerous work and outrageous hours kept by the children led to The Factory Act in 1833, limiting the number of hours children of certain ages were allowed to work.