How does this account of the invention of the steam engine differ from those in history textbooks produced in Britain? What does it tell you about the problems of using your own country's textbooks?Ī7: British textbooks rarely mention Ivan Polsunov's steam-engine. Source 14 claims that when he died in 1819 he left over £60,000 (£81,000,000 in today's money). Watt's decision to charge a premium based on the profits obtained by companies using his steam-engine also helped him to become rich. This meant that Watt did not have to worry about other companies undercutting his prices. After Parliament passed an act that prevented others from producing similar machines, Watt had a virtual monopoly over the production of these machines. Q6: Give as many reasons as you can why James Watt became a very rich man.Ī6: James Watt became a rich man because he invented a successful steam-engine. As factory owners preferred to employ women and children to work their machines, the handloom weavers faced the prospect of falling wages and an increase in unemployment. Handloom weavers realised that with the invention of Watt's steam-engine it was just a matter of time before they would be unable to sell their cloth. The output of these machines were far greater than those achieved by weavers using a handloom. Why were handloom weavers unhappy when they found out about Watt's steam-engine?Ī5: The picture shows that Watt's steam-engine could power several machines at the same time. Baines therefore believed that if the 1775 Act had not been passed the textile industry would have grown even faster during the last quarter of the 18th century. As Edward Baines points out in source 3, this stopped other inventors from improving Watt's steam-engine. Some people believed that the government was wrong to give Watt a 25 year monopoly of producing steam-engines. The government hoped that when people realised that large profits could be made from successful inventions this would inspire others to invent new machines. In time this would mean higher tax revenue for the government. The government was aware that Watt's steam-engine would provide considerable benefit for British manufacturers. Q 4: Why did the British government pass an act of Parliament on Watt's steam-engine in 1775 (source 5)? Why did some people disagree with this policy.Ī4: The British government passed an Act of Parliament on the steam-engine in 1775 in an attempt to make sure Watt was rewarded for his invention. Q3: What was the main form of power used to drive textile machines in the years: (i) 1775-1785 (ii) 1795-1805? Two horses are to his right, while another two - attached to a coal filled wagon - graze behind. Men can be seen loading coal into baskets and wagons for transport. On the left another man pushes a wheelbarrow of coal. In the middle of the picture, a man leads two donkeys containing baskets of coal. Q2: Describe what is taking place in source 7.Ī2: The painting shows a Newcomen steam-engine being used in a coal-mine, a weighbridge and a smoking chimney. Mine-owners were always looking for cheaper and more effective ways of removing water from their mines. In the second half of the 18th century the steam-engines invented by Thomas Newcomen and James Watt became the main way water was removed from mines. Methods included: (i) pumps worked by windmills (ii) teams of men and animals carrying buckets (iii) Thomas Savery's pumping machine. Explain why the mine-owners were always looking for new methods to remove this water.Ī1: Mine-owners used several different methods to remove water from their mines in the first half of the 18th century. Q1: Describe the different methods that mine-owners used to remove water from their mines in the 18th century. This commentary is based on the classroom activity: James Watt and Steam Power
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