Steam Engine In The Industrial Revolution

One of the most important inventions in the industrial revolution was the steam engine. The steam engine was a crucial part in the industrial revolution as it changed the way of manufacturing and transport. Before steam power, factories were powered by wind, water, horse, and man (Ducksters, 2018). Both wind and water power were unreliable as rivers dry up and the wind does not always blow. Horse and man were also unreliable due to the inability to be sustainable for a long period of time (Ducksters, 2018).

The first inventor of a steam engine, Thomas Savery, created a basic steam pump which had limited use to pump water out of mines, and could only be used for a short period of time (Ducksters, 2018). Over time little improvements were made

by Thomas Newcomen in 1712 and John Smeaton in 1741 (Hmopedia, 2015). In 1765 James Watt made great improvements to the steam engine such as making it last a long period of time without overheating, and to use it for more than just pumping water, but to power machinery and factories. Up until 1796 James Watt continued to make improvements to the steam engine making it more efficient. By the early 1800s Watt’s steam engine was being used to power factories and mills in England (Ducksters, 2018; history learning site, 2018). The engine was used to power machines. In 1814, the first successful steam engine locomotive (train) was built by George Stepherson which was used to transport coal and goods and was able to carry more than man and horses could, and in a shorter time (Costumer QR code-Library, 2018).

The steam engine meant that supplies could be distributed faster across larger areas. The steam engine was used to power new factories and machines. Before the Industrial Revolution people lived in rural areas and worked on their farms the industrial revolution saw people more from rural areas and work in factories to earn a steady income. People started to travel out of there local area explore land that they had not had access to with out transport (steam engine locomotive). Ships and trains powered by steam moved manufactured goods and people from place to place quickly and more efficiently. Cities grow bigger as laborers who had worked in cottage industries or on farms moved there in search of jobs (Whipps, 2008; Costumer QR code-Library, 2018; soft schools, 2018).
Whist many machines and inventions helped reshape the world during the industrial revolution none were more important than the steam engine. It allowed workers access to continuous power and they were not reliant on nature forces, like the wind and rivers or animals, that require breaks and rest (Ducksters, 2018).

Without the invention of the Steam engine in the industrial revolution, the industrial revolution would never happen or spread so fast around the world, and no new inventions would have been made as there would not have been the power to run them. The steam engine signifies the change in how people worked, they went from using horses as a beast of burden to relying on machines to provide the tools for work. It changed the way people lived from making everything buy hand and living on farms to living in a cities near the factories they worked in. Cities became crowded and families work life and way of living changed dramatically.

During the industrial revolution the steam engine had a significant impact on the society. It changed the way of living, work, transport, and tools. Since than it is still used