The Industrial Museum

 For our first class project we constructed posters about an aspect of the industrial revolution. We were given about five different documents relating to the topic, and we had to analyze them and take notes. We had to make a "museum exhibit" and we had to be the curators. The analysis process is important for being a curator so that you understand the topic, its setting, viewpoint, and details. Our exhibit, shown to the left, is about the railroad and steamboat. We were given a diagram of the steam engine, which powered both methods of transportation by boiling water to turn motors. Our second source was a picture of workers cutting a path through the mountain and laying railroad tracks. Another source was a map of England, and highlighted regions that produced either coal, clot, or metal. The map also had lines showing major railroads and canals across England. We were also given two poems of opposite perspectives on the growing railroad industry, one supporting it, the other opposing it. A letter from Robert Fulton describing the steam boat, and how it can achieve speeds of 5mph. Our final source was a timeline of the progression of canals and railroads in England. We also came up with the title of our poster "All Aboard" because of the growing transportation industry. We hoped that it would draw attention to the exhibit and that people would learn how transportation evolved throughout the industrial revolution.

Other posters were based on different aspects of the industrial revolution. One of the topics was child labor. The children were chained and put in mines to do adult labor so they could help their family. Another was about the poor living conditions after factories and mills were made. Pollution started becoming an issue and people working there lived in squalor. There was also an exhibit about the new machines in the industrial ear. These increased production of wool in mills like the Spinning Jenny and the Power Loom.