Podcast Draft

The English industrial revolution began in the late 17 century. It was a period where there was major changes in many things like social conditions, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation. It was a major turning point not just for England, but for mankind. The industrial revolution began after the 1688 "Glorious Revolution", the British kings lost power and the aristocratic landholders gained power. The landholders tried to reason their landholdings and started the Enclosure Movement to bring more and more of their own land under tighter control, this process went on through the 1700's. Population increased because industrial resources like coal and iron were in central and northern England. A shift in population from southern England northward took place in northern cities like Manchester. The people would be moving from farm land to the cities. These cities grew larger in population. Important inventions like the "Spinning Jenny", which was an invention that produced yarn began to be made in 1760s, and soon the British textile industry was booming, aided by Eli Whitney's invention of the "Cotton Gin" in America, which provided a ready source of cotton. Some negative aspects of the industrial revolution were that whenever new inventions arose, nearly everyone was forced to begin a new career within a factory. Some other negative aspects would be the life expectancy decreased to be 15 years of age. Also women and children were expected to work 16 hours a day doing work that could cause serious injuries. Now some positive aspects of the industrial revolution were that many jobs were available. Also the prices of goods decreased because of extreme availability. Knights of Labor (formed after the Civil War) were a loose federation of workers from all different trades they allowed women and African-Americans. They worked for better working conditions, an 8-hour day, the abolition of child labor, and equal pay for equal work. A strike is when employees refuse to work, hoping to force their employer to meet their demands. Some examples of this are The Haymarket Square Affair in Chicago. A bomb was set off that killed many police officers. Many people think that the bomb was set off by striking workers as retaliation for a previous clash with police that killed several workers. Another example would be the Pullman Strike in Illinois. Pullman railway workers had their wages cut, yet were supposed to pay higher rents in the company owned town. The strike led to violence. In 1886, labor leader Samuel Gompers helped found a new national organization of unions called the American Federation of Labor or AFL. Gompers served as AFL president for 37 years. The AFL focused on improving working conditions. By using strikes, boycotts, and negotiation, the AFL won shorter working hours and better pay for workers.