return to syllabus main page
The spread of the industrial revolution, both in terms of geography and in terms of social, economic, cultural, and technological significance, is one of the key defining phenomena of modern history. As early as the first half of the nineteenth century, the significance of this was observed and commented on, from a range of perspectives. One of the earliest informed commentaries was that of Andrew Ure, whose Philosophy of Manufactures first appeared in 1835. You should begin by reading this excerpt from Ure.
The History of Railroads is a large, complicated, and interesting topic. One way of approaching it is through a site that compiles many other railroad history sites, such as www.rrhistorical.com. Another nice compilation, which is labeled "for kids," but that is actually a strong up-to-date set of informative links, is the Travel through Time site. Begin with one of these and branch out to explore the resources in railroad history. On the Continental Railroad in the United States, see the American Experience site constructed for the PBS program on this topic. Explore some of the links past the introductory essay there.
The creation of scientific industries in such areas as electricity and chemicals is another large and complicated subject. There are some famous cases in chemical industry that you should take a further look at. Look at at least two of the following:
William Henry Perkin and the Discovery of Coal Tar Dyes
Charles Goodyear and Vulcanization
LeBlanc and the Alkali Industry
Beginnings of Electrochemistry
On the beginnings of telecommunications, start with the history of telegraphy page constructed for the Smithsonian's "History Wired" site. You can also explore the Telegraph-History Web Site. Explore some of the topics offered here. A brief discussion focusing on the economic history of the telegraph is worth looking at for its focus on the economic and business context of this key technology.
There
are two assignments: (1) Bring a print-out from your exploration of Railroad history
and be ready to explain why you found it useful and (2) Write a paragraph on either the chemical industry or early telecommunications, explaining why you think the industry you've chosen is historically more significant than the other. Be sure to cite material from your readings.