The Industrial Revolution is the period between 1760 and 1840 in Great Britain. It is the time when a lot of important things were invented. For example, the steam power,thetelegraphandthe factories! Most of the industries produced textile and clothing. During this historical period cities became bigger and bigger and plenty of people left the land they worked in the countryside to move in the cities. They all worked in factories where the conditions were horrible. The newcomers lived in small rooms, worked for long hours and had very poor hygiene. They were not paid very well and were often separated from their children. The children had to work too!!! One of the work they had to do was to clean the chimneys of the factories and the houses!!! This was a typical job for them because, being small, they could get into the chimneys and clean them well. These children were called chimney sweepers.
During the Industrial Revolution a lot of kids were orphans and had to live with other children without parents or relatives. It is true that the times were difficult but it is also true that they were exciting. The train could transport heavy goodsand people could travel long distances for shorter time. The telegraph helped them receive news faster. These were all signs of progress! We can say that the Industrial Revolution is a very particular type of revolution because it was based mostly on economic and social changes. Soon after the Industrial Revolution began in England, it crossed the ocean and reached America too.
GALLERY
TEXTILE FACTORY
TELEGRAPH
STEAM POWER
FACTORY
CHIMNEY SWEEPER
GLOSSARY
steam power – an engine that is powered by steam generated in a boiler
telegraph – a system that transmits a message through a wire
textile – it is a material from which we make clothes
hygiene – the practise of keeping ourselves clean and washed
chimney sweepers – a person whose job is the cleaning of a chimney
orphans – a child without any parents or relatives