Industrial revolution played a major role in making America’s economy the strongest as well as making it a superpower. It is through industrial evolution that America was able to begin manufacturing and exporting which majorly boosted the economy. During the first phase that took place between 1750 and 1850, the industrial revolution began in England and then spread to Europe and America. However, the second phase began in America spreading to Europe during the years between 1850 and 1914. This paper discusses the financial benefits of the industrial revolution and how it was connected to slavery in America and Europe.
The industrial revolution in America
Americans owe the start of the industrial revolution to two individuals namely; Francis Cabot and Samuel Slater who began textile industries. In the late 18 th and 19 th century, a lot of textile manufacturers had opened shop in New England which led to the development of various mills such as The Beverly Cotton Manufactory. This mill was based in Massachusetts and due to its role in the revolutionizing America at large; it is often referred to as the cradle of the industrial revolution in America.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
There were various reasons for the demand for goods that necessitated the industrial revolution in America and one of them is the Embargo Act of 1807. The act was supposed to keep foreign goods from France and England from entering the American market. The need arose due to the attacks on merchant ships that belonged to Americans during the Napoleonic wars. In return, the high demand for goods in America meant that there was a market that needed constant supplies hence the industrial revolution.
Secondly, there were a lot of natural resources in America that industries sought to exploit. Some of these natural resources included timber, gold, and coal. Coal was used in powering the industries that were created and since water was in plenty too, it helped run the daily operation.
The industrial revolution in Europe
The major trigger of the industrial revolution in Europe was due to the influx of people which created a large pool of workers. These events of the mid-18 th century also led to the need to have an efficient way of producing basic items to cater for the increasing population. Europe had the requirements to fuel the industrial revolution as they already had an excellent agricultural system as well as a good number of creative minds that were ready to exploit these advantages.
New forms of economic activities created by the Industrial Revolution
Mass production was now possible and necessary to cater for the ever-growing population in both Europe and America. New machines that were made during the 18 th and 19 th century ensured that it was possible to mass-produce goods as opposed to the previous methods. Additionally, the invention of the conveyor belt in America by Henry Ford created a new dimension in standardizing and mass production at faster speeds.
Urbanization became a new reality as more people migrated to look for employment opportunities in the urban areas. However, with this mass movement into urban areas dawned classism which separated the haves from the rest. Some few people became very wealthy and lived in good places with healthy environments while the workers lived in overcrowded houses that were in horrible conditions. During these times, there was a high demand for basic amenities such as housing, which opened the door for more entrepreneurs to exploit and become wealthy.
Mass consumption had to arise due to the mass production that was possible during these times. The first items of mass consumption included newspapers that people would purchase in large numbers to acquire knowledge of prevailing events across Europe and America. During the 20 th century, newspapers began to have advertisements on department stores and even on politicians. But this would change with the new era of radio but advertisements remained at the core.
Industrial revolution and slavery
South America became the supplier of raw materials that were required by industries in North America as well as the Midwest. Due to this segregation, most people went to the industries in search of employment leaving the South with a void that needed emergency attention. This led to the need for forced labour hence the rise of slavery and the slave trade. There was no way people would work in the plantations willingly under those prevailing inhumane conditions. Therefore, the owners of plantations in the South turned into slaves that would do whatever the master wanted with little to no frictions. In fact, the majority, which is more than half, of the cotton that was exported during the first sixty years of 1800 were planted by slaves. This shows how important slaves were in the realization of the industrial revolution in America, further proving that it was not just New England that was responsible for revolutionizing the American economy.
Entrepreneurs and invention-oriented individuals expanded to build cotton factories in the South to reduce transportation costs and optimize on time. Some of these factories were built in locations such as in Lowell, and Paterson which in collaboration with New England speared Industrial Revolution. Thus, this shows that were it not for the slaves in the South, the factories would not be built due to lack of dire demand which would have slowed the industrial revolution since raw materials to New England would have been limited. Therefore, the impact of slavery in America can’t be overlooked on its role in bringing America to the superpower it became.
In Europe, slaves were central in the economy of Atlantic hence Britain as they were the ones that worked at the sugar farms at the Caribbean. The sugar that was produced from these farms constituted more than 80% of the sugar consumed by people in Western Europe. This means that it was a critical part of the economy of Europe since the 18 th century. Therefore, whether the people accept the link between slavery and the success of the industrial revolution in Europe or not; it remains to be a fact that slaves played their role in the realization of a stronger and stable economy in Europe.
Conclusion
Industrial Revolution in Europe and America brought a lot of hope to people through the creation of jobs and facilitated faster accessibility to basic needs. Through mass production, social and economic aspects in livelihoods of the affected people were impacted positively. People from rural areas moved in large numbers to the urban areas which helped most cities and towns develop to cater to the growing numbers. On the other side, slavery was utilized to provide the necessary raw materials that had now a high demand due to mass production. Without the knowledge of these slaves; they turned out to be at the centre of major economic developments in Europe and America. Were it not for these slaves, factories would not have had enough raw materials which would have limited mass production hence slowing the success of the Industrial Revolution in both America and Europe.
References
Gerderman, G. (2017, May 3). The Clear Connection Between Slavery and American Capitalism . Retrieved on 28 September 2019 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2017/05/03/the-clear-connection-between-slavery-and-american-capitalism/#3a2a86b57bd3
Morgan, K. (2000). Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British economy: 1660-1800 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
