We became curators in history by looking at and analyzing sources with some relation to the industrial revolution. My group had sources that showed the horrible conditions the revolution created, as well as the poverty and pollution. We analyzed the sources and figured out what the important topic in each was, and what message it was trying to convey. We found that they all showed negative effects of the revolution, and we concluded that this would be the topic of our exhibit.
We went through the curating process for our sources, much like someone would in an actual museum. Once we had read and looked at all of our sources, we concluded what they had in common, and we made this the theme of our exhibit. For us, all the sources had poverty and pollution in common, so that is what we made the theme of our exhibit. When we put our sources on our poster, we placed them in a way that flowed, so that people viewing the exhibit would understand the information better. We made small descriptions for each source, so that the people viewing the exhibit wouldn't have to interpret the information for themselves. We also grouped like things together, and highlighted important information from large pieces of text. I think that in doing this, I got a better understanding of my topic and sources, and I understood the information in other peoples exhibits better.
The first exhibit that I viewed was about the production of cotton and slavery. I was shocked to see how much slavery increased after the textile industry took off. While I believe that the the production of cotton was a very good thing, and critical to advancing Great Britain as well as the world, I have a new opinion on it knowing how many slaves where used.
The next exhibit I viewed was on spinning wheels and power looms. I learned from this exhibit that before these inventions an entire family would work together at their home to make their clothing. After the inventions, only one person from a family went to work in a factory. While the inventions had so many benefits, I was surprised to realize that it caused families to not spend as much time together.
The last exhibit that I viewed was on child labor during the industrial revolution. I was shocked to see that the majority of the people were under the age of 10 years old. I of course was aware that there was slavery in the cotton factories, but I had no idea that children so young were working. In todays world, it is unimaginable to picture someone as young as 9 working, especially in such harsh conditions. The pictures that went along with this exhibit amazed me even more, and made me feel so thankful for the opportunities I have and the era in which I live. The exhibit really opened my eyes about the downsides of the revolution, and I now view the Industrial Revolution, while having a lot of benefits, as a very flawed era.
When I had previously heard about the industrial revolution, it made me think of a time period in which great improvements were made to society that still benefit us. I thought of a time that great minds created great, innovate things that changed the way that things worked for the better. While this still holds true in my mind, with a more in depth understanding of the Industrial Revolution I see how many faults it has. The pollution, slavery, child labor, and families being torn apart make me rethink my statement of the revolution being beneficial. I know believe that the Industrial Revolution was a time that was full of inventions and improvements to life, but has an horrific side that we can learn from and make sure never occurs again.
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