This activity will introduce you to the concept of urbanization, both as a shift in demographics and as a shift in the physical environment resulting from the rise of industrialization. By providing a narrative glimpse of how one fictional village transformed over 150 years into a city, you’ll be drawn into the chaos of rapid urban growth. This will help you begin to see how the Industrial Revolution created significant changes in human communities, how humans produced and distributed goods, and how networks began to expand. In addition, you’ll see the impacts of industrialization on the environment. Finally, this activity serves as an introduction to the Industrial Revolution, which is the central theme of this lesson.

Causation, CCOT
By drawing the development of cities, you’ll be creating what is in many ways a causal map of the urbanization process. In particular, you’ll show the social and environmental effects of industrialization. In addition, you’ll identify both significant changes and continuities over that period, which will help prepare you for content and activities that develop these ideas later in the course.

This is a multipart activity that first asks you to analyze a passage from Thomas Carlyle’s “Signs of the Times,” an essay that appeared in The Edinburgh Review in 1829. Then, you’ll listen to portions of a narrative about how life changed in an English village from 1700 to 1850. As you listen to passages from different years, you’ll draw how the effects of industrialization significantly altered life in England. Finally, you’ll answer a series of follow-up questions as you examine the drawings that your group and others created. This will help you visualize how the Industrial Revolution changed almost all aspects of life for those living in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England and beyond.

Part 1

Your teacher will project the following excerpt from “Signs of the Times,” an essay by the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), published in The Edinburgh Review in 1829. Follow along as your teacher reads it.

“Were we required to characterise this age of ours by any single epithet [description], we should be tempted to call it, not an Heroical, Devotional, Philosophical, or Moral Age, but, above all others, the Mechanical Age. It is the Age of Machinery, in every outward and inward sense of that word; the age which, with its whole undivided might, forwards, teaches and practises the great art of adapting means to ends. Nothing is now done directly or by hand; all is by rule and calculated contrivance [plan]. For the simplest operation, some helps and accompaniments, some cunning abbreviating process is in readiness. On every hand, the living artisan is driven from his workshop, to make room for a speedier, inanimate one. The shuttle drops from the fingers of the weaver, and falls into iron fingers that ply it faster. The sailor furls his sail, and lays down his oar; and bids a strong, unwearied servant, on vaporous wings, bear him through the waters.”

Then, have a discussion about how Carlyle describes the changes that took place during his lifetime by answering the following questions.

• What was Thomas Carlyle’s point of view regarding life in Europe in the early part of the nineteenth century? What evidence did you use to arrive at that answer?
• Using the excerpt by Carlyle, how do you think life in Europe changed over time (politically, socially, and/or economically speaking) by the mid-nineteenth century?

Part 2

Your teacher will organize the class into pairs and pass out paper, markers, and a template to each pair. First, your teacher will read short narratives about life in a small English village from 1700 to 1850. After each narrative is read, you’ll draw various elements of the village, following your teacher’s directions and using the template to determine the size and shape of the icons used. These include dwellings, canals, roads, railroads, and schools, among others. Note that the template should be used for reference and you won’t be graded on your artistic abilities, we promise!

After your teacher has read all of the narratives and you’ve finished drawing, you’ll post your work on the board for everyone to see. Take note of any similarities that you see between your drawing and those of the rest of the class.

Part 3

To wrap up this activity, you’ll examine the board full of drawings and the lesson experience to define the term urbanization. Then, answer the following questions and be prepared to discuss them with the class.

• Define the term urbanization based on what you now know about industrialization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
• Write three questions this activity raises about urbanization in England from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century.
• What can you now add to your list from before the activity about how life in Europe changed over time (politically, socially, and/or economically) by the mid-nineteenth century?
• What do you think the central themes of this unit will be?
• Why do you think the Industrial Revolution is considered a major turning point in world history? Explain your reasoning.

The Industrial Revolution transformed life on Earth more than any event since the Agricultural Revolution. In this video, Nick Dennis explores how industrialization changed our lives and why it started in Britain. There are many reasons that industrialization took off in Britain, including its abundance of coal, its geography and environment, and its economy. Still, many believe British industrialization would have been impossible without resources extracted from its colonies.

The Industrial Revolution was probably the most revolutionary event in human history during the last 10,000 years. It reshaped global trade and power, but it also produced change in societies on the national and local scales. This video provides you with evidence to respond to the unit question, which asks you to examine how the Industrial Revolution was experienced differently by different people in different places. It explores the various reasons for Britain’s early industrialization and how those factors changed life in industrial Britain and in its global empire.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

As a reminder, open and skim the transcript, and read the questions before you watch the video.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Think about the following questions as you watch this video:

1. How did coal and other environmental factors help Britain industrialize first?
2. How did coal mining change over the course of the Industrial Revolution?
3. How did England’s pre-industrial wool industry help it industrialize?
4. How did Britain’s financial system help launch new industrial ventures?
5. How might high wages in Britain have contributed to industrialization there?
6. According to the video, what global factors may have fed Britain’s industrialization?

Evaluating and Corroborating

1. This video provides a look at some of the possible causes of Britain’s early industrialization. Which factor do you think was the most important? Why?
2. Using evidence from this video, provide one impact of industrialization on networks, communities, and production and distribution in Britain.

This article asks where the Industrial Revolution started. But what do we mean by “where”? First, it examines the problem of scale—do we look for industrialization at the local, national, global, or some other scale? Most historians agree that the Industrial Revolution started in Britain. But a lot of them disagree on why it started there. Some argue local conditions caused it, while others think it was a result of larger, global processes. This article introduces both perspectives.

This article will introduce you to a historical debate: Why did the Industrial Revolution begin first in Great Britain? Understanding Britain’s early experience with industrialization is an important part of the unit problem, which asks how different regions and people experienced the Industrial Revolution. The article will ask you to think about this important event at different scales of analysis. As you read, pay close attention to how the author’s use of scale changes the analysis. This article will provide you with evidence that can be usefully viewed through all three frames. This view will help you evaluate the frame narratives for this era.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas – Understanding Content and Context

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What geographic factors helped Britain industrialize first?
2. What factors held back early industrialization in China and Japan?
3. What social factors helped Britain industrialize first?
4. How might the institution of slavery have helped cause industrialization?
5. Other than plantations, what global advantages did Britain have?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. The author concludes that the reasons for Britain’s industrialization were both local and global. But if you had to choose one scale as the explanation for Britain’s early industrialization, which would you choose? Which frame supports your choice the best: communities, networks, or production and distribution? Which frame challenges your choice?

This article introduces the Scientific Revolution and questions the usual story that it happened in Europe and involved only men. People had been experimenting with math and science before the sixteenth century. For example, much of the knowledge that made the Scientific Revolution possible either came from or was preserved by Islamic and Indian scholars working centuries earlier. The article explains that this was only a revolution for those wealthy enough to be a part of it. And most women were excluded, with some important exceptions. The article concludes by asking if the Scientific Revolution inspired the later Industrial Revolution.

This article provides an overview of the Scientific Revolution and considers its connections to the unit problem: “What was the impact of the Industrial Revolution, and how was this impact experienced differently based on such factors as class, gender, racial identities, and geographic location?” This article will provide evidence to help you question the usual story and evaluate the importance of the European Scientific Revolution using the networks frame.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is the usual story of the Scientific Revolution?
2. How does the author challenge the usual story of the Scientific Revolution?
3. Who participated in the Scientific Revolution?
4. What were some negative social effects of the Scientific Revolution?
5. Does the author think the Scientific Revolution caused the Industrial Revolution?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. You just read an article about scale and the Industrial Revolution. In that article, the author questioned whether the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain because of local or global factors. What do you think explains the emergence of the Scientific Revolution in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries? Was this the result of local or global processes?
2. Using the networks frame, explain why the Scientific Revolution happened in Europe and how it might have led to the Industrial Revolution.

In this activity, you will examine images from before and after the Industrial Revolution, which should give you a sense of how quickly change accelerated once the Industrial Revolution began. Seeing these changes through image analysis will also help reinforce the specific impacts on communities, networks, and production and distribution.

In this activity, you will look at images from before and after the Industrial Revolution, and then answer questions about how these pictures can help us see changes in communities, networks, and production and distribution.

Start by looking at the images from Denis Diderot’s Encyclopédie. Diderot’s Encyclopédie was published from 1751 to 1772, and is famous for representing the philosophy of the Enlightenment. Diderot’s goal was to create an encyclopedia of knowledge that included intellectual topics as well as everyday themes, such as the tools people used in their work. In addition, he wanted to influence the way people thought and some of the entries on politics and religion were revolutionary for the time. When you look at the Encyclopédie images, what do you notice and what do you think each picture represents? Now, look at the images from after the Industrial Revolution. Try to get a sense of what each one is about, and how they are different from Diderot’s Encyclopédie illustrations.

Now, look at the images side by side, comparing pre- and post-industrialization. After you’ve looked at the pictures, answer the following question: When examining these images, what kinds of changes do you see happening rather quickly to communities, networks, and production and distribution as a result of industrialization? Note that this is really three questions, since you need to respond in relation to each of the frames. Also, in answering the question, you should refer back to the illustrations and the specifics of the images that influenced your answers. Once you’re done, be prepared to discuss your responses as a class.

Do you think one frame was more impacted than another, or was the change similar across all three? While we usually think about the frames separately, they do overlap, and it’s hard for one to grow and change without the others being impacted. Your teacher will either have you discuss this last question as a class, or, create a chalkboard splash. To do that, you’ll answer the question in 15 words or less. When you are ready, write your response on the board. This is a good way to share your thinking and see what your classmates are thinking, too.

During the Industrial Revolution, humans started using fossil fuels like coal and oil in new ways. These new energy sources transformed life on Earth. The machines that kickstarted industrialization were steam engines used to pump water from England’s soggy coal mines. That innovation sparked many more inventions, as people used the steam engine for new purposes, like powering factories, steamships, and trains. This article specifically asks why the Industrial Revolution started in Britain and not in China. The article then explores how, why, and where industrialization spread. It concludes by considering some of the many impacts of industrialization.

This article provides evidence to respond to several parts of the unit problem. It will allow you to evaluate why the Industrial Revolution started in Britain using the production and distribution frame. It provides a summary of some long-term impacts of industrialization, and helps you answer the question of why some regions of the world managed to industrialize sooner than others. Be sure to keep track of the reasons that the author thinks industrialization started in Britain and not China. Which reasons do you find most convincing?

Preview – Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What was the initial reason that people in Britain started mining coal?
2. How did the fact that wet conditions made British coal hard to get to turn into an advantage for Britain?
3. Why did the Industrial Revolution spread out of Britain?
4. What were some consequences of the Industrial Revolution?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following question:

1. The article about scale and the Industrial Revolution listed British population increases as a reason for early British industrialization. In this article, however, the author says that China’s large, rapidly growing population was a reason that China did not industrialize early. Do you think the authors disagree? If so, whom do you agree with?

You will be practicing claim testing throughout the course—and in everyday life. At times, you’ll find that using one claim tester will be sufficient for determining a claim’s validity. In other instances, you’ll need to use multiple claim testers. Up to this point in the course, you’ve learned about the claim testers in general, and about authority specifically. In order to develop as writers, readers, and speakers, you’ll need to be able to use evidence to prove your claims and assertions. Evidence is often considered the most important claim tester because it relies largely on factual information, research, and data. Not only will using evidence help you prove your own claims, it will also help you determine what to believe in the writing of others. By applying multiple claim testers at the same time, you’ll be able to determine if evidence is being proposed by a credible authority, and then be able to use it to further your claims.

Reading, writing
In this activity, you’ll read “The Scale of the Industrial Revolution” to identify the major claim or claims and evidence used in the article. You’ll also analyze the strength of evidence, which will increase your awareness of how to incorporate strong evidence in your own writing.

Evidence is information that we can gather to understand the world around us—specifically things that we can see and observe. You’re going to read “The Scale of the Industrial Revolution,” by Trevor Getz, to see how the author uses evidence to support his claims. Remember, evidence doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t have the claim it supports (or refutes) in mind, so as you read the article, focus on the claims that Getz makes.

Once you’re done reading, highlight the claims you find in the article. Be prepared to share your claims with the class.

Now that you’ve found the claims, it’s time to think about evidence. Is all evidence the same? Are some types of evidence better than others? As a class, brainstorm as many types of evidence people use in history as you can.

Now, read the article again, this time looking for and underlining the supporting statements or evidence being used to support the claim or claims.

Remember that there can also be arguments against a claim or evidence. So, as you underline the evidence, look out for counterclaims, or sections of the article where Trevor Getz refutes or questions the evidence for these claims. Circle any counterclaims you find. Again, be prepared to share your answers with the class.

Finally, answer the following questions on a piece of paper to submit as an exit ticket:

• Write a claim about which piece of evidence is strongest in supporting its claim and why.
• Write a claim about which piece of evidence would be easiest to refute and why.

Though the Industrial Revolution happened around the same time as the political revolutions from Unit 2, it was arguably more revolutionary in how it changed the lives of people living on this planet. Almost every aspect of human life changed because of the Industrial Revolution. John Green explores the origins of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and as well as several key innovations that made all these changes possible.

This video provides an overview and evidence at the national scale for responding to the Unit Problem: “What was the impact of the Industrial Revolution, and how was this impact experienced differently based on such factors as class, gender, racial identities, and geographic location?” In particular, it allows you to compare several different explanations for why Britain industrialized first, while contrasting that industrialization with later events in Japan. The arguments presented here may differ or extend explanations provided in other assets. That is a feature of the course, and should help you evaluate contrasting arguments later. As you watch, remember to consider the impacts of industrialization through the communities and production and distribution frames.

Preview – Skimming for Gist

As a reminder, open and skim the transcript, and read the questions before you watch the video.

Key Ideas – Understanding Content

Think about the following questions as you watch this video.

1. How does John Green define the Industrial Revolution?
2. What Euro-centric explanations does John Green give for why the Industrial Revolution started in Europe?
3. How does John Green refute those Euro-centric explanations?
4. What does John Green list as Britain’s advantages over China?
5. How does John Green argue that Indian textiles spurred the Industrial Revolution?

Evaluating and Corroborating

1. Do you agree with John Green that the Industrial Revolution was more revolutionary than the political revolutions of the Atlantic world? How does this argument challenge or support the communities frame?
2. You’ve now read or watched several explanations for why the Industrial Revolution started in Britain. What do you think the single most important factor was?

You have been introduced to the historical thinking practice of contextualization, and now you’ll deepen your understanding of this practice by considering the factors that made industrialization possible. This will help you learn that it’s important to consider geographic and environment factors when contextualizing historical events or processes.

Causation
In order to understand why and how industrialization happened during this period, you must analyze the factors that led to this transition.

In this activity, you will use the content you learned in this lesson along with event cards to complete the Contextualization Tool and discuss the answer to the question, How was industrialization possible?

First, think about the content you’ve covered in this lesson about the origins of the Industrial Revolution and why industrialization began in some regions more quickly than in others. You’ll use this content knowledge to help you sort the event cards and complete the Contextualization Tool (incorporated into the Contextualization – How Was Industrialization Possible? worksheet).

Your teacher will break the class into small groups of three to four students per group and either hand out or have you download the Contextualization—How Was Industrialization Possible? worksheet. You’ll begin by adding the dates and location for industrialization to the Contextualization Tool (Great Britain/United Kingdom from c. 1750 to c. 1914). Then, you’ll work with your group members to categorize the event cards into broad or narrow context.

You’ll share your broad and narrow context decisions with the class by placing your event cards on the funnel on the board. Be sure to share your reasons for categorizing your event cards as broad or narrow context. You are allowed to move any event cards that you think were placed incorrectly by the prior group, but you must provide justification for doing so. After your group has moved any of the previous group’s event cards, you can place two of your event cards that are not already up on the funnel and explain your reasoning to the class. Then, return to your group to answer the remaining questions on the tool.

Finally, you’ll have a class discussion about the geographic and environmental context that made industrialization possible.

Your teacher will collect your worksheets to assess how your contextualization skills are progressing.

Working with frames allows you to understand how and why people lived the way they did throughout history. They help you recognize how communities (such as societies and nations); networks (such as those for trade and exchange); and the production and distribution of goods, impacted, and still impact, people in different parts of the world. Viewing history through frames gives us a usable knowledge of history that allows us to make sense of the world today and think critically about the future. The process of depicting frames by drawing them—mixing language with imagery—will make the information more memorable.

In this activity, you will draw the course frames, much like you did earlier in the course. However, instead of coming up with your own ideas about each of the frames, you will draw them according to the frame narratives at this point in the course. This will not only help you gain a sense of your understanding of the frames, but will also give you a chance to review what you’ve already learned, which will help you remember all that stuff!

Don’t worry about your drawing skills—you don’t have to be an artist to complete this activity. However, try to use more pictures than words. And feel free to be creative! Here are the criteria:

• Draw a representation of community based on the content of this unit. Be sure to label that area of the picture with “community.”
• Draw a representation of production and distribution based on the content of this unit. Be sure to label that area of the drawing with “P&D.”
• Finally, draw the networks between communities (people, states, empires, and so on) based on the content of this unit.
• Where possible, use arrows and other lines to show movement. This will largely apply to P&D and networks.

Once you’re done, be ready to share your drawings and thinking behind them with your class. Was your approach the same as your classmates? Or did you think about the frames differently? Frames are no different from anything else we study in history—there can be many perspectives on the same topic.