Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: First American Cotton Mill

For Students 3rd - 8th
This 4-page article provides an overview of the first American cotton mill put into operation in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and the history of textile industry.
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Today in History: December 20: First American Cotton Mill

For Students 9th - 10th
Library of Congress site gives a brief history and photo of the water-powered cotton mill that was built by Samuel Slater with links to related material for more in-depth study. Also, links to information about other historical events.
Primary
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: "Lowell Mill Girls" by Harriet Robinson

For Students 9th - 10th
Archived news article. A personal account of young female cotton mill workers in Massachusetts during the mid-1800's.
Website
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: Brief History of the Cotton Industry

For Students 9th - 10th
General history overview of the development of the Cotton Industry. Read here to learn about the history and growth of the Cotton Industry.
Website
Other

Spinning the Web: The Story of the Cotton Industry

For Students 9th - 10th
A complete look at the history of the cotton industry in England. Navigate the site by clicking on topics at the top of the page. You can also find a list of museums on the left side of the page. Clicking on the museum will take you to...
Graphic
Curated OER

Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in Indiana: Cannelton Cotton Mill

For Students 9th - 10th
The Cannelton mill, overlooking the Ohio River, manufactured thread and cloth for over 100 years from 1851 to 1954. Its innovative design used steam power and Southern cotton, and its utility and aesthetics attempted to make Southern...
Graphic
Boston College

19th Century Architecture: Mills

For Students 9th - 10th
This site presents pictures of the architecture of different mills located in the northeastern part of the United States.
Website
Other

Plains Cotton Cooperative Association

For Students 9th - 10th
Report on the selection of a Texas cotton ginner, Ronnie Nettles, as Ginner of the Year. Article also describes Mr. Nettles's career.
Graphic
Primary
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Industrial Manchester 1844

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Modern History Sourcebook of Fordham University provides an exerpt from "The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844". Personal account of what life was like for textile mill workers in Manchester.
Article
University of Houston

University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 159: Lowell, Massachusetts

For Students 9th - 10th
History of Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mill that underwent tremendous growth in the early 1800s, and led to the creation of America's first industrial city. This is a transcript of an accompanying radio broadcast.
Graphic
Curated OER

Unesco: United Kingdom: Derwent Valley Mills

For Students 9th - 10th
The Derwent Valley in central England contains a series of 18th- and 19th- century cotton mills and an industrial landscape of high historical and technological interest. The modern factory owes its origins to the mills at Cromford,...
Graphic
Curated OER

Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in New York: Harmony Mills

For Students 9th - 10th
Largest cotton mill complex in the world when it opened in 1872; one of the finest examples of a large-scale textile mill complex outside of New England.
Professional Doc
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Primary Sources: The Lowell System

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An hour-long professional development video on teaching how the Lowell System was a departure from traditional labor practices. Features experienced classroom teachers. Materials and a complete lesson plan are also provided.
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Transformation in North 1800 50: Early Industrialization Northeast

For Students 11th - 12th
Examines the transformation of work from artisan-centered to a mechanized workforce. Looks at the emergence of industrialization and the impact it had on production and on the worker experience, the development of the consumer society,...
Handout
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: Chronology of the Development of Steam Power 1696 1839

For Students 9th - 10th
This complete chronology of steam power is designed in time line fashion. Next to each year is a detailed description of the invention. Another useful aspect of this site is the "Link to the decades," found at the top of the page. Each...
Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: West River 1776 1896: Study of Early Industry

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Presents detailed information on the development of industry in Westville, Connecticut 1776-1896. Discusses where and why development happened. Includes lesson plans, but slides referred to are not provided.
Website
Other

Lecture Notes: Textile Factories Come to the u.s.

For Students 9th - 10th
Clemson University provides a historical overview of the wave of textile factories, including Slater and Lowell, that cropped up in the northeast. Hyperlinks to additional information.
Primary
Victorian Web

Brown University: Victorian Web: Life of the Industrial Worker in 19th Century

For Students 9th - 10th
The Victorian Web provides a report to British Parliament submitted in 1833 by a medical observer on how work in textile factories affected the physical health of the laborers. Also includes essays from a factory owner's point of view...
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Eli Whitney

For Students 9th - 10th
This Wikipedia online encyclopedia site offers a brief biography of Eli Whitney (1765-1825 CE), inventor of the cotton gin and many other things. The encyclopedia entry provides many hyperlinks to terms as well as an illustration of...
Graphic
Curated OER

Unesco: United Kingdom: New Lanark

For Students 9th - 10th
New Lanark is a small 18th- century village set in a sublime Scottish landscape where the philanthropist and Utopian idealist Robert Owen moulded a model industrial community in the early 19th century. The imposing cotton mill buildings,...
Website
Other

James Hargreaves

For Students 3rd - 8th
The life and work of James Hargreaves, the inventor of the spinning jenny that revolutionized the English textile industry and brought on the Industrial Revolution.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Empire That Was Russia, Photographic Record Recreated

For Students 9th - 10th
The digital revival of the glass plate images of the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I by photographer Sergei Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorskii. Very interesting from both historical and technological points of view.
Website
Other

Revolutionary Players

For Students 9th - 10th
Welcome to the website of Revolutionary Players, focusing on the history of the Industrial Revolution in the West Midlands in Britain between the years 1700 and 1830. This website features text --and images from museums, archives end...

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