The industrial revolution was the greatest reform seen for countries such as Britain, France, United States, Canada and Australia during the 18th and 19th centuries. Britain was the first country to embrace the new technologies with the rest of the countries to follow suit soon after. The most important of the changes that brought about the industrial revolution was the invention of machines which replaced a lot of the work done by hand tools, the use of steam and later electricity replaced manual labour and thirdly the adoption of the factory system.
Many factors helped bring about this revolution in trade. America was discovered and European nations began to acquire rich colonies there and elsewhere. With the opening of new trade routes by 1750 large quantities of goods were being exchanged among the European nations and there was a demand for more goods than were being produced. England was the leading commercial nation, and the manufacture of cloth was its leading industry.
Until 1815 France was busy with the Napoleonic wars. When peace came France began to follow England. It followed slowly, however, and never devoted itself as exclusively to manufacturing as England had. The United States too was slow in adopting machine methods of manufacture. Farming and trading were its chief interests until the Civil War. The new nation had little capital with which to buy the machinery and put up the buildings required. Such capital as existed was largely invested in shipping and commerce.
A start in manufacturing, however, was made in New England in 1790 by Samuel Slater. An employee of Arkwright's spinning mills, Slater came to the United States in 1789. Slater was hired by Moses Brown of Providence, R. I., to build a mill on the Pawtucket and Seekonk River. English laws forbade export of either the new machinery or plans for making it. Slater designed the machine from memory and built a mill which started operation in 1790. When the Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812 upset commerce and made English products difficult to obtain, more American investors began to build factories.
Many factors helped bring about this revolution in trade. America was discovered and European nations began to acquire rich colonies there and elsewhere. With the opening of new trade routes by 1750 large quantities of goods were being exchanged among the European nations and there was a demand for more goods than were being produced. England was the leading commercial nation, and the manufacture of cloth was its leading industry.
Until 1815 France was busy with the Napoleonic wars. When peace came France began to follow England. It followed slowly, however, and never devoted itself as exclusively to manufacturing as England had. The United States too was slow in adopting machine methods of manufacture. Farming and trading were its chief interests until the Civil War. The new nation had little capital with which to buy the machinery and put up the buildings required. Such capital as existed was largely invested in shipping and commerce.
A start in manufacturing, however, was made in New England in 1790 by Samuel Slater. An employee of Arkwright's spinning mills, Slater came to the United States in 1789. Slater was hired by Moses Brown of Providence, R. I., to build a mill on the Pawtucket and Seekonk River. English laws forbade export of either the new machinery or plans for making it. Slater designed the machine from memory and built a mill which started operation in 1790. When the Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812 upset commerce and made English products difficult to obtain, more American investors began to build factories.
