From Spinning Wheel to Cotton Mill

In the picture

1. 1Hand spinning wheel: one worker makes one thread at a time at home
2. 2Mill chimney: coal burning to make the steam that powers the factory
3. 3Engine house: the steam engine that drives every machine in the mill
4. 4Rows of spinning machines: hundreds of threads spun at once by workers tending machines

Examples

• The cotton T-shirt you wear was spun and woven by machines in a factory, not by hand.
• Many big towns grew up around factories because workers moved close to where the jobs were.

Quiz: From Spinning Wheel to Cotton Mill (Age 14)

1. 1

   Why could one steam-powered mill make far more thread than many families spinning at home?

   • It kept ordinary spinning wheels turning day and night without stopping
   • Its machines spun hundreds of threads at once, all driven by steam
   • Its workers spun by hand much faster than families could
2. 2

   In a cotton mill of the late 1700s, what drove the spinning machines?

   • A steam engine, powered by burning coal
   • Workers turning the machines by hand
   • Horses walking in circles beside the mill
3. 3

   How did the factory system change the way people worked?

   • Workers could choose their own hours as long as they finished their thread
   • Work moved out of homes into large buildings with set hours, machines and wages
   • Families kept spinning at home but sold their thread to factories

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.