The Industrial Revolution began in the area of textile manufacturing, Britain's chief industry. The British had long been in search of a newer and cheaper ways to make cotton. In 1733, John Kay invented the Flying Shuttle, a machine that was able to weave thread together better than a one-person loom. It performed the work of two weavers and increased the speed of weaving, as the shuttle was passed mechanically across the warp threads. The flying shuttle cut in half the cost of labor, and in 1753, weavers sacked Kay's house in protest. In 1760, James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny, a device named for his wife. The Spinning Jenny could spin eight spindles of thread at once and later was expanded to a sixteen-spindle device. This was the first machine to improve on the spinning wheel. In 1769, Richard Arkwright became the father of the Industrial Revolution when he produced the first power-driven spinning wheel, the water frame. It took six spinners to keep a weaver busy, and although the spinning jenny helped that situation, it had to be operated by highly skilled laborers. Arkwright's invention eliminated that difficulty and produce a stronger warp thread. It also enabled the rise of the factory system.
The first factories were very small in comparison to modern factories. In the early 18th century, most manufacturing was done at home in the countryside. The system of sending raw materials and farming out manufacturing work to country homes was known as the cottage industry. The invention of the spinning jenny and other devices made work in cottages more efficient, and eventually, other devices like Eli Whitney's cotton gin, helped fuel the growth of factories. The cotton gin mechanically removed the seed from raw cotton, which has a laborious process by hand. It caused the demand for and supply of cotton to increase dramatically, thus contributing significantly to the use of slavery on American plantations. The manufacture of cotton in England increase fivefold after 1793. By 1820, cotton man up one-have of all exports.
The first factories were very small in comparison to modern factories. In the early 18th century, most manufacturing was done at home in the countryside. The system of sending raw materials and farming out manufacturing work to country homes was known as the cottage industry. The invention of the spinning jenny and other devices made work in cottages more efficient, and eventually, other devices like Eli Whitney's cotton gin, helped fuel the growth of factories. The cotton gin mechanically removed the seed from raw cotton, which has a laborious process by hand. It caused the demand for and supply of cotton to increase dramatically, thus contributing significantly to the use of slavery on American plantations. The manufacture of cotton in England increase fivefold after 1793. By 1820, cotton man up one-have of all exports.