hahn5

Hahn 5

Power loom:

hand loom weaving expanded with machine spun yarn/thread
more money to be made in making fancy cloth
expansion of steam power led to interest in having spinning and weaving in one factory complex (the vertical mill)
that gave a more uniform product, not necessarily cheaper or higher quality
why switch to power looms?

if you are selling in large quantity your business goes more smoothly if your product is more uniform
not the main reason, but microinventions (small improvements) make the technology more effective (also Jacquard Loom)
need less labor and less skilled labor, so if workers strike, factory owners replace them with machines

The myth of the inventor (pp. 165-167): to hide the labor politics people started telling a story that inventions caused the industrial revolution
Hahn summarizes her alternative view on p. 185 and 187 and it is also a focus of ch. 2 (contrast first and second paragraphs on p. 57)

Overview:

ch. 1	medieval to what was the system just before the IR?	putting out system development of world trade and mercantile capitalism
ch. 2	late 1760s into the 1780s	the complexity of the invention and adoption of the machines for spinning early development of factories: usually water powered so located in rural areas, employed women and children in particular, factories hired children from the poorhouse (orphans and children whose parent couldn't afford to take care of them) (single women in the US at Lowell but that is a side story) changes in laws that made the factories possible--factory owners worked for those
ch. 3	particularly 1780s and 1790s	the better organization of the cotton industry centered around Manchester expansion of spinning but weaving still done mostly in homes where was cotton cloth made in the Manchester area sold and how was it transported?
ch. 4	after 1800	shift from water power to steam power
ch. 5	starting about 1830s--middle stages of the IR	power looms replace hand looms--advantages: fewer (skilled) workers, more uniform product increasing corporate capitalism (corporations anyone can buy stock in and competition between corporations) growing consumer culture--more moderate cost fancy goods, more people buying things according to fashion imported goods were copied and the British-made copies out-competed the originals

Paper topic:
You pick a kind of history, such as women’s history, and examine how Hahn sees those causes and effects contributing to the industrial revolution and its effects on society.

your thesis statement should say something about the perspective of that kind of history--discuss the perspective, don't just tell what happened. "From the perspective of business history..."
if you pick history of technology you need to be very careful about what Hahn is arguing in this book (she is arguing against the idea that inventions caused the industrial revolution)
if you want to make an appointment to have a zoom conversation about your paper, contact the person who graded your introduction or Prof. Mack (via Canvas Inbox or contact information is in the formal syllabus). We are available to help through Friday 4:30 pm, not over the weekend (you can ask, particularly if it is a quick question, but consider it someone doing you a favor if you get an answer).
approaches (kinds of history): economic, business, social history, labor history, history of imperialism, women's history

Hahn has woven these together, you tease out what she says about that one thread

"causes, shape, and/or consequences of the British Industrial Revolution"

causes: what caused the industrial revolution to happen at a particular time in a particular place
shape: why did it take a particular form (eg. why did the shift to steam power happen when it did). Think how it took a particular form or shape in England, different from in the US (Lowell)
consequences: how the industrial revolution impacted society

Be careful to avoid plagiarism!

every time you use the exact words, you must put the words in quote marks and use a parenthetical reference: (Hahn, p. 165) or a footnote
if it is a specific point (paraphrase) or facts you must use a parenthetical reference
your works cited page should include Hahn and any other sources for which you used parenthetical references, correctly formatted in MLA, APA or Chicago style (there are lots of web sites that will help you)

Writing help:

Make an appointment with the Clemson writing center
https://clas.uiowa.edu/history/teaching-and-writing-center/guides/grammar/writing-well
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/