Natural Resources in

the Industrial Revolution

                                                      [Steam Engine] ----->

    A good supply of natural resources is a vital need for an industrial revolution.  Without natural resources it would be impossible for a nation to enter into an industrial revolution.  Natural resources are needed for a variety of things, such as energy sources and material used to make goods.  Also natural resources are neededto build equipment to be able to produce goods.  

        One very important natural resource needed during the industrial revolution was coal.  Coal was for the most part used as a source of power.  Power was needed to run machines. Coal could be burned to produce heat to run steam engines. Coal replaced the use                 

of timber as something to burn. Coal was adopted by the brewing, metalworking, and glass and ceramics industries, demonstrating its potential for use in many industrial processes. Another use of coal was discovered by English industrialist Abraham Darby who successfully used coke, which was a high-carbon, converted form of coal, to produce iron from iron ore. Using coke eliminated the need for charcoal. This was good because charcoal was more expensive and less efficient as fuel.  After this, metal makers discovered ways of using coal and coke to speed the production of raw iron, bar iron, and other metals.

                                                                                                      [Coal Mine] ----->

      Another natural resource that was very important for the success of the industrial revolution was iron.  It was possible to produce iron because of the recent advancements in uses of coal to produce iron from iron ore.  This gave to opportunity for metal workers to use coal and coke to speed the production of raw iron, bar iron, and other metals.  The most important progress in iron production occurred in 1784 when Englishman Henry Cort invented new techniques for rolling raw iron. This was a finishing process that shaped iron into the shape and size that was needed.  All of this enabled iron to be used in many new and different ways, such as building heavy machinery. Without the heavy machinery that was made out of the iron much of the work that was done during the Industrial Revolution would not have been accomplished. Another very important use of iron was the use in railroads.  This led to great advancements in transportation during the Industrial Revolution. 

 <-----[Iron]      Because of these main natural resources and many others the Industrial Revolution caused the nation to thrive and take huge steps in industrialization.  The 18^th and 19^th centuries completely changed the nation; this would not have been able to happen without the abundance of natural resource within the nation. 

References:

"Industrial Revolution." MSN Encarta. 22 Sep. 2007. MSN. 1 Nov. 2007 <http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577952/Industrial_Revolution.html>.

"Coal Mines." History Learning Site. 22 July 2007. 2 Nov. 2007 <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/coal.htm>.

"The Industrial Revolution." Western Civilization. 24 July 2007. 5 Nov. 2007 <http://www.ecology.com/archived-links/industrial-revolution/index.html>.