Acting as curators for a museum exhibit, myself along with four other honors history students analyzed six sources on the industrial revolution in England, and created informative placards which described them. These six sources were all creatively arranged with the placards onto a unique museum display which we called: “Not So Great Britain: Why Industrialization Wasn’t Always a Good Thing.” Each of the six sources were either maps, articles, tables or pictures that showed some of the effects of the industrial revolution in Great Britain. As well as curating, my group also had the privilege to explore several other museum displays all about the revolution. It was a different yet effective way to learn as much as we could about the time period.
 |
| Above is a picture of my group's display, "Not-So-Great Britain: Why Industrialization Wasn't Always a Good Thing." |
Each source that we analyzed reviews different effects the Industrial Revolution had on Great Britain, that weren't exactly ideal. One source consists of two side-by-side articles. One article talks about the advantages the revolution brought to the world, like helpful inventions and an improved economy. The other talks about how the revolution would only lead to a technology obsessed society in the future. A map of Great Britain in our display called Industry 1715-1718, labels where and when different inventions were made, shows what types of industries took place and where, and shows a table of the dangerously high populations of different cities, London having almost a million occupants. One of our picture sources is a detailed drawing of a street in Manchester. It shows a line of factories, and smoke coming out of them, polluting the air. The second picture source depicts a Victorian slum, with many hungry, dirty people living in terrible conditions. Another article talks about the Thames River, which ran through a squalid a slum, and how its color had turned brown from the excessive pollution. The last source we analyzed is a table that expresses the average nominal and real earnings as well as the cost of living for a list of years. The cost of living was typically greater than the real earnings of the year, showing that many people were poor during the revolution.
The sources all seem to depict negative things that arose from the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. From the displayed articles, pictures and maps, you can see that the revolution brought poverty, pollution, and high population to the already suffering country. The display should help you to realize that although it led to great advancements in industries, the revolution also had some not-so-great consequences, specifically in Great Britain. This is how my group members and I came up with the name “Not So Great Britain: Why Industrialization Wasn’t Always a Good Thing." It expressed the overall theme of the exhibit; how industrialization negatively impacted Great Britain.
Exhibits made by other groups outline some other themes of the Industrial Revolution. The “From Countrysides to the Big City” display is all about the railway system and steam engine. Coal was a big industry during the revolution. It led to and powered a transportation system that efficiently carried people and merchandise; the railway system.
The “Devastation of Child Labor” exhibit describes the intensity of child labor during the revolution. People were so poor that they had no choice but to send their children to work in factories. Most factory workers were extremely young, and had to face dangerous machinery, poor conditions, no protection and little supervision.
“Weaving a New World” features sources about the evolution of weaving. Prior to the revolution, wool was handspun at home by women. After the revolution, spinning wheels were no longer used, and the power loom was introduced to factories. Women could no longer help to support their families, and the men and children were their sole money source. Power looms caused crowded mills, and a dangerous working space. The Spinning Jenny was eventually introduced, and was capable of doing work for eight people. These weaving inventions had an equal amount of negative and positive effects on society.
“Products of a Dark Time” shows how industrialization brought about more slavery. During the revolution, the textile industry took off, and the water frame was invented for more effective and quick makings of cotton. The demand for cotton caused a demand for workers, which led to the increase of the slave population.
Although the Industrial Revolution greatly improved upon the world we live in today, it did bring about numerous horrible things to society during the 1700s and 1800s. We owe the people who endured these hard times a thank you for sacrificing so much to make our industries what they are now.
The curating and exploring process was a unique yet efficient way to learn about the Industrial Revolution in depth and from different perspectives. I’m glad we got to share this interesting experience!
