Case Study #1: Britain of the 19th Century

This first case study will go through the many aspects of humanity in Britain during the 1800s.
Artifact 1: Primary Source Evaluation

Child Labour in Cotton Factories, 1807

(view primary source here)

OPVL

Origin:

The author of this passage is Robert Southey. It was first published in 1807, and later published in 1808 in New York, in a book of Robert Southey’s collections called Letters From England. The book was published by David Longworth. (1) This particular book was a collection of Southey’s letters from his tour of the country under the pseudonym Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella. Southey used this fake name supposedly to portray an accurate account of English life from a foreigner's perspective. (2) Southey, who was an English poet and prose writer, was born in Bristol in 1774 as the son of a linen draper. In 1794, he befriended Samuel Taylor Coleridge and at the same time developed radical political and religious views, supporting the ideals of the French Revolution. He wrote against the industrial revolution because of the damage it had to middle and lower class people. He became more conservative later in life, and later began to write unremittingly to support his family. (3)

(1) Google Books-Letters From England

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Southey

(3) http://www.answers.com/topic/robert-southey

Purpose:

This document was written as a way to let people at the time see the harsh conditions of children working in cotton factories. We can see this from Southey’s political views. The passage was written in first person in the form of a conversation. Southey chose to write the letter in this particular format so that he could retell the conversation accurately and at the same time express his opinions about what he saw. This piece of work was written to inspire and spur people to look at the damage child labor may have on people. The document was meant for British and American people, or more generally people whose life had been affected by the industrial revolution. Southey wrote this book to give his audience a different perspective of the society they lived in. It was for this reason that he wrote the book under a Spanish pen name. This document speaks out against child labor but also shows people’s perception of child labor. It shows that child labor was extremely common; children were expected to work as soon as possible and as much as possible. The document reflects not only the physical dangers of child labor (such as disease and injuries) but also the effect if would have on family and social life. Children who only knew how to work machines would be strangers to society and domestic skills. This would impair them for life. Moreover, this document shows that people accepted child labor; it was a normal and extremely common practice, and not seen as a cruelty. The Manchester gentleman in the document was not a cruel man from Southey’s perspective, but was okay with child labor.

Value

        From this piece, we can tell that the author is a visitor at the factory and not actually a worker there. We can also tell that he finds the children’s working conditions to be brutal. This document shows that 1807 was a busy year with heavy industrialization. It showed the changes brought by industrialization, and the mindset of the people affected by it. These ideas and events were all accurately portrayed in the letter. This piece was written to record a conversation with a factory owner. This passage also reflected controversies on child labor, mainly that even though it is widely accepted, it harms children. The author included his own thoughts in the passage, showing that he was against child labor.

Limitation:

This document purposely does no reveal the identity of the Manchester gentleman who Southey conversed with. This will limit us from knowing whether his mindset is the same as the mindset of other people during the time period. Furthermore, this is just a conversation, so we can’t be sure that the Manchester gentleman meant what he said. For example, in the line 'But if these children should be ill-used', said I. 'Sir,' he replied, 'it never can be the interest of the women to use them ill, nor of the manufacturers to permit it.', we cannot be sure that the Manchester gentleman is being honest. The information in this document can be verified using other primary source documents, like“The Moral and Physical Condition of the Working Classes of Manchester in 1832”, by Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, or with other secondary source documents. The other didn’t include specific information like the type of food the children were eating, or the type of machines they were working on. This article only focuses on child labor, so it doesn't talk about female/women labor a lot. The Manchester man also did not mention injuries from working the machines, he only mentioned consumption.

Reflection:

This artifact relates to the topic of Urbanization: Construction of the Modern City. This is because I think that child labor was an important aspect of life in Britain that came with the Industrial Revolution. Child labor was a key part of urbanization in the 19th century Britain. I chose to use this primary source because I had to-anyhow, it gave me lots of insights on a child's life in the 19th century. I made this evaluation at home, and in class in the library, and later spent around an an hour and a half minutes making it and organizing it. In creating this artifact, I learned about the aspects of child labor, and also how to use and evaluate primary sources effectively.This artifact does not represent my best work, and I feel that I could do better. However, considering that this was my first primary source evaluation, I feel that I did fairly well. Overall, I would live this artifact a rating of 2 for impact on portfolio, since although the OPVL doesn't seem particularly interesting, it is fairly well done and adds perspective to the portfolio. I would give this artifact 2 for enjoyment, since although I didn't particularly enjoy making this artifact,t it made me think. I would give it a 3 for impact on learning, since I learned a lot when making this artifact, and I feel that it reflects a good level of thinking. I would give it a 2 for originality, since although it isn't extremely unique, all the writing comes from my own thoughts.

Artifact 2: Idea Page

Idea Page: 10/01/10 Industrial Revolution-How to become a Cotton Millionaire
Go to the cotton millionaire game here.

Basic Info, Cotton Industry of 19th century: .              With new inventions like the spinning jenny and steam power, production of textiles was no longer domestic. .              Workers were thought of as an extension of machines .              Entrepreneurs often ended up in debtor’s prisons .              Cumbria: near Kendal where business man lives, fast streams, local workforce are skilled weavers .              Lancashire: skilled workforce, coal mines, fast stream, but needs relocating Questions/ideas .             Business men forced to make difficult ethical & business decisions (ex: not investing in better working conditions) .              Was a time of great change, the development of capitalism .              Workers did bone-breaking work, but got little benefits. The ones who benefited most from the industrial rev. were the ones with money and land to begin with. Game Walkthrough (Spoiler Alert! Highlight this area to find answer after going through the game yourself) Steps Choices Outcomes & Reasons Choose place Cambria Lose 2 bags, Cambria mainly produces wool, and is in a rural region, making it hard for supplies like coal to reach the area. Lancashire Add 1 bag, many skilled cotton weavers as well as experienced merchants in the nearby Manchester. Improved road systems and thriving port in Liverpool-promotes commerce and it suitable for ambitious ppl. Choose workforce Women & children Lose 1, perfectly acceptable, women and children more flexible and trainable. Men Lose 2 bags, Men are established as a high-skilled workforce using the spinning mule; but cost more, often protest, and demand more Choose equipment Water Lose 1 bag; Possible, but good water sites have been taken. Reliable, but not as good a choice as coal homeworkers Lose 2 bags; homeworking is outdated steam No change; Speeds production and allows cheaper production Choose future     investment Better working conditions Lose 5 stacks; costs you dearly, your business is barely surviving. Better equipment  Lose three, risky, but makes money during economic booms. You have enough money to make it through depressions; chance of prospering

Main Categories: l          basic info l          game walkthrough l          questions/ideas Connections/Idea l         building of capitalism l      the game showed that investing in better working conditions was not beneficial, but isn't it on the long run? l   was cotton the best business, or would other less competitive businesses be more profits

Today, we explored the effects of the industrial revolution on people's life. among other things, we looked at people's perspectives, the roles of women, children, and men, and the many aspects of investing in business during the 19th century. This included the risks and difficult decisions necessary.

Is capitalism really good? Why is it that with more tech., the gap between the rich and poor only increase?

Reflection:

This artifact relates to building of the modern economy, because it shows a lot about how the economy worked and how that has influenced the economy today.This artifact could also relate to the topic of Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurship. The game was all about investing and making decisions in the cotton business, so it was basically about entrepreneurship.  I chose to use this idea page because I thought that the cotton millionaire game was very interesting-it gave me lots of ideas and questions, which made it perfect for using as an idea page. I made this idea page in class, when we went to the library to play the game, and later spent around 30-40 minutes processing it and organizing it. In creating this artifact, I learned about the risks and complications of a businessman's life in the 19th century. Making the idea page also helped me connect 19th century entrepreneurship to business today. This artifact doesn't reflect my best, but I am satisfied with it for now. I feel that this idea page is better than my first few idea pages. I would give it a 3 for enjoyment, since I liked playing the game and organizing it in the idea page, a 2 for impact on portfolio, since although it adds variety to the portfolio, it isn't very special, a 3 for impact on learning since the game taught me a lot, and a 2 for originality, since although I put some interesting things like the walk-through, the ideas I put weren't very special.

Artifact 3: Luddite News Article

Example of a 19th century British news article:

Short overview-who were the Luddites?

The Luddite movement in England was a major movement against technology, and lasted from roughly 1811-1816. The Luddites were named after  General Ned Ludd, a mythical figure who was thought to have started the movements against technological advances in the textile industry. Luddites did things such as breaking and smashing machines such as looms. Luddism ended when the English Parliament dispatched 12,000 soldiers and the leaders of the movement were either executed or deported to Australia. 

This article, which I wrote, is based off an actual event in which Luddites attacked Rawfolds Mill, which was under the ownership of a man named Cartwright.

Luddites Strike at Rawfolds Mill

April 1812
                                                              

LAST SATURDAY NIGHT, AT RAWFOLDS- between the men calling themselves the army of General Ludd and the persons who guarded the property of Mr. Cartwright, a large conflict arose. As our readers might already know, the use of machinery, in particular for raising and dressing woolen cloth, has as of late become increasingly unpopular with shearmen. At Rawfolds, a particular machine such as this is owned by the gentleman William Cartwright. It was understood that an attempt was too be made on the mill, on Thursday night, the 9^th. On that night, around midnight, the sound of firing was heard from the north of the property, and this firing was later followed by firing from other directions. After a few minutes a group of armed men ambushed the two sentinels at the mill, and having suppressed them, moved on to make a violent attack upon the mill. Windows were broken in the frames. The assailants did not hesitate in discharging a volley into the premises. The guard within the mill arrived promptly, and heavy fires of musketry were exchanged. The assailants attempted to force an entrance many times, but weren’t once successful. In the following 90 minutes, the volleying and firing continued. Though their fury had not abated, the assailants, realizing the fruitlessness of their effort, then retreated, leaving behind the wounded. Any attempts to carry of the wounded were in vain; the firing from the guards proved to be steady and unrelenting. Furthermore, not one of the guards sustained lasting injuries. The firing had ceased, and the guards were brought to the attention of the pained cries of two men, who were bleeding profusely and had suffered mortal wounds. Upon applying medical care to the two men, one man was identified to be a cropper by the name of Samuel Hartley, formerly in the employment of Mr. Cartwright. The other was John Booth, a young man under 20 years of age, an apprentice to a tinner. Both men suffered serious and perhaps fatal injuries; Hartley had been shot in the thigh and Booth in the leg. Both have suffered from excessive blood loss. As of now, both men are not expected to survive this ordeal. After reading this narrative, you will hopefully take it to heart the fates of Hartley and Booth, and not be the next victims of these violent actions.

Reflection
This artifact relates to the topic of Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurship. This is because the luddite movement was caused by the sudden and speedy inventions that took place, changing the textile industry. I chose to write about this particular incident because I found lots of information about it, and it reflected many parts of the luddite movement. Overall, I spent around 2 hours working on this artifact (around an hour of research, and an hour of writing). This artifact helped me learn about the luddite movement. Reading other newspaper articles about the luddites also gave me a lot of insight on the general public's opinion about the Luddites. Over the course of writing the article, I also familiarized myself with the writing style of the 19th century, which I think is pretty interesting and useful. I would give it a 3 for learning, since I learned a lot about the luddites and the literary style of the 19th century. IT gets a 3 for enjoyment, since I enjoyed experimenting with a new writing style. I would also give it a 4 for impact on portfolio because not only does it include visuals, the article is pretty interesting to read. I would also give it a 2 for originality, since although the quality is and it was an interesting and new experience for me, I think that I could have been for creative with it.


Artifact 4: Biographical Spotlight: Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) is arguably the most famous Victorian female, only second to Queen Victoria. She has, over time, become a symbol of the ideal nurse-the common soldier’s savior, a pioneer in nursing reform. She has become a symbol permanently imprinted on the British national consciousness. She is also unique as a woman, in that unlike the women of her time who have achieved immortality, she was not a queen or a courtesan; she wasn’t known for beauty or art.

The two pictures above are depictions of Florence Nightingale.

Fame& Symbolism

Florence Nightingale is a nationally sanctioned heroine, who was until 2002 the only female who had appeared on paper currency. She was depicted in many books and even the movie “The Angel of Scutari.” Her story has been sentimentalized and romanticized over time, to the point where her true significance is not noticed. Florence was one of the few individuals to achieve the fame and adulation she had. By the age of 35, she had become an object of adoration, for her achievements such as in the Crimean War. Her later seclusion in life only served to promote her already legendary status. In reality though, Nightingale’s achievements in the Crimean War was only the beginning of her achievements. Her real achievements lie somewhere else. Nightingale worked for the modernization of nursing, government and army reform, as well as sanitation and hospital design.

This is a ten pound note with a painting of Nightingale on it.

This is a Florence Nightingale Lamp.The lamp is a honored symbol of dedication and commitment in the nursing profession.

 This is the sign of a museum dedicated to Florence Nightingale.

The face on the stamp is also Florence Nightingale!

                                              

Major Achievements:

        In general, Nightingale’s nursing career for the British Army transformed nursing into a profession for single women of great moral standards. Most importantly, she attempted to form a policy on public health through the adoption of better sanitation.

In 60 years of active life she was a woman whose work and standing signified much for the idea of women's rights. Contrastingly, she opposed the women's suffrage movement, and was known to work badly with other women. After her return from the Crimea, she was confined to her bed due to a bacterial infection, brucellosis, but never ceased to work for reform.In 1854, Sidney Herbert, the Minister at War, appointed Nightingale as the supervisor of a group of 38 female nurses on an expedition to Crimea. There, the group managed a barrack hospital at a small village called Scutari. At the time, there was a lot of public outrage regarding the bad living and medical conditions of the common soldier due to the British Army commanders’ incompetence. In a way, the future of the government and the cause of nursing in Britain depended on the Crimean Mission. The mission seen as a success among the public; the hospital was cleaned and equipped with necessary supplies that had previously been withheld. In reality, the death-rate among the soldiers in Scutari actually rose. In Nightingale’s first year at Scutari, 4,077 soldiers died there; most died from illnesses like typhus, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. This was because of the terrible sanitary conditions-the hospital was overcrowded, unventilated, and had defective sewers. After returning to Britain, Nightingale, in the process of collecting evidence, came to the conclusion that the soldiers at the hospital had been killed by bad sanitation and ultimately because of her ignorance. On the long run, one of Nightingale’s greatest achievements was demonstrating that statistics and organization were essential for decreasing mortality rate and promoting better sanitation in hospitals. Among many things, Nightingale represented statistics graphically and developed a Model Hospital Statistical Form for hospitals to organize data with.

This statue is a memorial of Nightingale located in  Waterloo Palace, London.

David Edstrom at Laguna Honda Hospital, San Francisco

Statue by DRI

Reflection:
This artifact relates to Gender Roles and Liberation of Women, because it reflects the limitations and symbolism of women (she couldn't become a doctor-rather, she was a symbol of the nursing profession).This artifact also relates to the topic of Human Health, because Nightingale's story tells a lot about the health problems in 19th century Britain.  I chose to do the biographical spotlight on Florence Nightingale because even though she is supposed to be extremely famous, I honestly did not know anything about her. I spent around an hour doing research, an hour writing it, and another 10 minutes compiling the pictures. Over the course of creating this artifact, I learned a lot about the health and medical conditions of 19th century Britain-their ignorance compared to today was also surprising. This artifact reflects fairly good work-Nightingale's story was interesting, and I liked my choice of pictures. I would give this artifact a 3 for impact on learning, since I learned a lot about !9th century health problems and about Nightingale. This artifact gets a 3 for impact on portfolio, since I think that the information and the way I organized the pictures were interesting and of good quality. I would give it a 2 for creativity, since I could have presented the info in a more creative way (such as in a poster format), and a 2 on enjoyment, since although the info was interesting, the process of making the bio was tedious and sometimes boring.

Artifact 5: Google Earth Tour: Exploring London

Download Tour Here

After Downloading the tour, view it! Here is an overview of the tour. Use it to follow along!
This is basically a tour of some famous places in London that were built in the 19th century:
Place 1: Westminster Palace:
This is the place where the House of Commons and the House of Lords (houses of the British Parliament) have met since 1550. The palace was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 1834, after which Queen Victoria moved in. The Westminster Palace is a world heritage site. It also contains the famous clock tour known as Big Ben.

Place 2: Trafalgar Square
This is a square in central London.  At its center lies the Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. the Trafalgar square commemorates the British victory in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars that gave the British monopoly over the seas. It was key to Great Britain's power during the 19th century.

Place 3: Royal Albert Hall
This building is an arts venue and one of the UK's most famous buildings, and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871. Today, leading artists go there and perform. It was built as a dedication to Queen Victoria's deceased husband Prince Albert. 

Place 4: Victoria and Albert Museum
This building is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, with a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, and  was founded in 1852, and officially opened by Queen Victoria on 1857.

Place 5: Queen's Tower

The Queen's tower was built to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. It was part of the Imperial Institute, which was established by the Royal Charter to research resources and raw materials and as a gathering for oversees visitors. It was headed by the Prince of Wales.

Place 6: Tower Bridge
This structure is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London,  over the River Thames.
In the second half of the 19th century, commercial development increased  in the East End of London, and a new bridge was needed. The bridge was officially opened on June 30th, 1894.

Place 7: Leadenhall Street
This street is one of London's biggest streets. It used to be the location of the East India House, the headquarters of the East India Company.The British East India Company was Britain's largest trade company during the 19th century. The East India Company monopolized trade and was one of the main causes behind the first Opium War (1839-1842).

Reflection:
This article relates to the topic of The Universe Through a Microscope, because in touring through a city using a computer, we are essentially looking at the world as if through a microscope. I chose to do a tour of London because London was the heart of the urbanization and industrialization that took place in the 19th century Britain. Furthermore, I think that the buildings I chose reflect a lot about Britain's power in the 19th century-they showed Britain's military success, development in culture and science, as well as their power in trade. In creating this artifact, I learned a lot about Victorian architecture, and learned about famous iconic buildings in Britain that were interesting. I also learned about historical events or things like the British East India Company. This artifact reflects some pretty good ideas, but I think that I could've done better. For example, I could have added more places in the tour, or chosen some better places. I would give it a 3 for impact on portfolio, since the tour adds variety and visual activities to my portfolio (the tour is also pretty well done, with lots of 3-D places with accompanying info and pictures). I would give it a 2 for impact on learning, since the tour helped me add to my previous knowledge of significant places in London. It gets a 3 on originality, since I think it reflects my ideas clearly. It gets a 2 for enjoyment, because although visiting places on google earth was interesting, I think that this particular tour didn't teach me anything significant.

Artifact 6: Draw My Own Picture!

Reflection:

This artifact relates to Communication and Transport Revolution, because its depicting the effects of new inventions like the steam engine that revolutionized transportation. I chose to draw the steam train because I think that it was a key part of the industrial revolution. I spent around 2 hours making it. Through making this artifact, I learned more about the artistic movements that took place in the 19th century. This artifact doesn't reflect my best work-the drawing needs improvement, and I don't think that I got the ideas I wanted to express across. I meant to draw something on Romanticism, but it turned out a bit like realism. I also think that I was limited by my lack of drawing supplies (like missing some color pencils). This artifact gets a 4 for enjoyment, since I never got bored doing it, a 3 for level of learning since I learned not only about the steam train, but also about the history and aspects of art, a 2 for impact on portfolio, since although it's a nice picture, I think it could have turned out better, and a 2 for originality since the way I presented the train wasn't creative.

Artifact 7: Famous Artwork:

The Slave Ship, by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Historical Background:
In the nineteenth century, Great Britain was declared a free land, in contrast to the slave-holding United States, having abolished the slave trade in 1807 with the Slave Trade Act. However,  Great Britain did not outlaw slavery itself until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. Although slavery was technically gone, its wounds were still fresh in Great Britain throughout the 19th century. This painting was inspired from the Zong Massacre, when the slave ship Zong, under the leadership of Captain Luke Callingwood, threw their African "cargo" overboard because the slaves had fallen ill. The captain was taken to court, but only punished for insurance fraud and mistreating cargo.

A bit about Turner:
 Born in 1775, Joseph Mallord William Turner, enrolled in the school of the Royal Academy, London’s official art establishment, in 1789. Turner became popular quickly because of his immense talent, which quickly showed itself in his first watercolors. In 1796 Turner began to exhibit oil paintings, which ranked higher in the art world than watercolors. Turner was an extremely skillful and talented landscape artist.Turner’s work is known to be Impressionistic and Romanticist.  Turner himself was inspired by Poussin, a Baroque painter who helped elevate line in the French and London Academies. Turner’s early oil paintings used a more dark, naturalistic palette, but his most famous paintings feature explosions of light and brilliant color. Turner often depicted pictures of humanity vs nature, as well as ancient vs modern, which made his works a great record of the many changes that took place in Britain.
Other great works: Great Western Railroad, The Burning House of Parliament, and The Fighting Temerair

Analyzing this work:
The Slave Ship tells people about the consequences of slavery. It has a chaotic and dramatic first impression, with its tumble of colors. Around the middle of the painting, the sun and the sunlight reflected on the water break the painting into two sections, in a way dividing the inhumanity of the slavers with the humanity of the slaves. The victims are closer to the viewers, which allowed me to sympathize with them more. Contrastingly, the slavers ships being swallowed by the sea, making their actions seem like a crime against nature.
 In this single painting, Turner manages to clearly depict the difference that free whites felt between themselves and their black slaves. He places the viewer in a way as to generate their sympathy for other people.


Reflection:
This artifact relates to Race Relations, because the painting is about slavery, a form of segregation. This also artifact relates to Human Expression Through the Arts, because in this painting, Turner is expressing the cruelty of people towards slaves. This painting was inspired from the Zong Massacre, when the slave ship Zong, under the leadership of Captain Luke Callingwood, threw their African "cargo" overboard because the slaves had fallen ill. The captain was taken to court, but only punished for insurance fraud and mistreating cargo. In the painting, Turner uses the sun and sea to show the division between people. I chose this painting because I think that it is simply amazing; Turner is talented and the painting expresses division and segregation perfectly. In creating this artifact, I learned more about slavery in Britain. For example, even though slavery was abolished in 1897, slavery itself was only abolished in 1833. I learned how even though slavery was technically gone from Britain during most of the 19th century, its effects remained. This artifact gets a 4 for level of enjoyment, since I personally love this painting. It also gets a 4 for impact on portfolio since this picture is not only beautiful but also inspiring. I'm giving it a 3 for impact on learning since this painting gave me a deeper understanding of life in 19th century Britain and the people's perspective of the world. I would give this artifact a 4. For originality, I would give this artifact a 2, since my analyzing of the painting wasn't very special.

Artifact 8: Free Choice~Play a Game!

Well, for this artifact, I decided to make jeopardy game that covers some parts of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. I hope you like it!
Click to download game!

Reflection:
This artifact relates to Human Expression Through the Arts. This is because a game can also be considered as a form of art, and I am using it to express my knowledge. I chose this artifact because I think that the idea of a game is interesting. The game can also cover a lot of information-it sort of sums up what I have so far and includes some new information that isn't in the blog. I spent around 2 half hours working on it. This artifact doesn't reflect my very best work; since it's a question answer form, I can't really put in my own opinions, but I think I did a satisfactory job with it. While making this artifact, I actually learned a lot. Since we didn't have a lot of time in class, what we learned about the industrial revolution isn't by any means complete, so in researching and making the game, I learned many things. Overall, I would give this artifact a 4. It wasn't particularly fun to make, but it adds to my portfolio (more variation, for one), is creative, and taught me many things.

Artifact 9: Free Choice~Artwork, The Crystal Palace.
For this artifact, I decided to draw a picture of the crystal palace, since I found it interesting.

Background of the Crystal Palace:
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's 990,000 square feet (92,000 m²) of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in the Industrial Revolution. Designed by Joseph Paxton, the Great Exhibition building was 1,851 feet (564 m) long, with an interior height of 128 feet (39 m).


A bit About the Great Exhibition:
The Great Exhibition was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from May 1st to October 15th, 1851. It was the first in a series of World's Fair exhibitions of culture and industry. The Great Exhibition was organized by Henry Cole and Prince Alber. It was attended by numerous notable figures of the time, including Charles Darwin and the writers Charlotte Brontë, Lewis Carroll, and George Eliot.


Reflection:
This artifact relates to the topic of The Notion of the Frontier. The Great Exhibition not only had scientific exhibits, but also included exhibitions of various cultures around the world. This reflects the British's eagerness to explore unknown lands. This artifact also relates to Human Expression Through The Arts, since it is a piece of art. I chose to draw the Crystal Palace because I had previously learned about it while reading some novels, and it appealed to me. I basically used this artifact as a chance to learn more about it. I chose to use a more realist art style, since I think that the Crystal Palace symbolized the greatness of the British empire to the British people, and is thus something that is positively and accurately depicted.  I spent roughly two hours working on this artifact, although I can't be sure because I worked on it in short intervals. While creating this artifact, I learned about the historical background of the crystal palace and the great exhibition, and also got to understand 19th century art better. This artifact doesn't reflect my very best work-for one, I was limited in both time and resources. For one, I didn't have any watercolors, and I had to use a normal pen to trace the picture. I also wish that I could have used a scanner instead of a camera. The drawing itself (and my skills) could also use some improvement. However, I think that this drawing is better than my drawing of a train in artifact 6, and I am happy about that. I would give this a 3 for impact on portfolio, since a colorful drawing, in my opinion, adds quality to a portfolio with lots of words (it would be a 5 if I could make something on par with Turner's works). i would give it a 4 for enjoyment, since I personally like to draw. It gets a 2 for learning, since although I learned a lot, I didn't receive a lot of impact from the information. Last of all, I'd give it a 2 for originality, since the way I depicted the Crystal Palace wasn't particularly special.


Artifact 10: Short Essay:An Industrialized Britain and the Growth of Cities

        The industrial revolution was one of the biggest and most influential events of the 19^th century, and in many ways shaped the society we know today. It was brought about with an age of economic stability in Britain and a burst of innovation, revolutionizing the business industry. This sudden change in Britain led to many great changes, such as changes in jobs, changes in value, and the growing of cities.

        During the industrial revolution, the invention of many machines that revolutionized the textile and other industries were invented, and as a consequence, the living and working conditions of people were greatly altered. Factory work dominated instead of domestic work. Children started working in factories at a young age, as early as six. Women too were forced to work outside of home, as former sources of income like lace making could not compete with machine-made textiles. Field work, too, had become a lowly, repetitive task. As a result, mothers were driven to send their daughters away, especially to cities and towns, where they were more likely to become respectable women. Working spaces and homes also became more crowded and more polluted. These things all happened because new inventions made machine made products cheaper and easy to mass produce, increasing the number of factories and decreasing the number of homemade products. The invention of the spinning jenny and later the spinning mule changed the textile industry, and jobs like making hand-lace and farming dwindled. Enclosure, an effect of the industrial revolution, also caused a change in jobs. Enclosure caused many laborers to lose their land, forcing them to work in factories, which were generally situated in cities.

        Another thing that changed during the industrial revolution was energy sources. In the 19^th century, the invention of the Watt engine removed limits on factory production and lead to the growth of cities. Before the invention of the Watt engine, water was the main source of power. Because of this, factories were limited to areas close to streams or other such water sources. However, the Watt engine ran primarily on coal, and was more efficient than water power, thus removing limits on production. Instead of moving near water sources, factories now moved to places where coal and materials were easily accessible. This in turn meant moving to cities. Factories grew in cities, and people were attracted to the cities because of the opportunities they now offered. Another consequence of the use of coal instead of water was that the environment changes. The air in cities became more polluted, and sanitation grew worse because even though cities grew, there was insufficient waste disposal, leading to many diseases like cholera.

        The growth of cities and the increasing use of machines also lowered the value of human work. Machines such as the spinning jenny could produce the amount of textiles ten times more than that of a single person. Machines like this did most of the work for the people, and so people were reduced to doing simple, repetitive tasks with little value. Similarly, farming or working in the field became a job that was considered repetitive and dreary. Hand looming, which was once a respected trade, also dwindled. Around the early 19^th century, both machine looming and hand looming were popular jobs, but starting at around the 1830s, people in the hand looming trade dropped sharply, while machine work steadily became more popular. Statistics also show that hand looming, once a valued job with high pay, became a job with almost no pay by the end of the 19^th century.

        In the 19^th century, working conditions changed, many jobs were lost, and at the same time, business became less limited, and industries expanded. As a result, people started gathering in cities because of these events. These were all consequences of the industrial revolution, caused by a string of innovations, which led to many changes in Britain, whether for good or for bad.

picture showing child labor

picture of the watt engine

picture showing growth of cities

picture showing factory

Reflection:
This artifact relates to the topic of human movement and migration, since it talks about people moving to cities with the growth of machines. I chose to use this essay topic because I had to, but I decided to focus on the change of jobs since that had the biggest impact on me. I spent around an hour writing it-45 minutes for the first draft, and another 15 or so minutes revising it. While writing this essay, I got to grasp and understand the full meaning and impact of the Industrial Revolution; I learned not just about what it was, but rather what it did. This artifact doesn't reflect my best ideas-it was average; I think that it was a bit short, so I didn't express my ideas very well. The paragraphs also lacked focus and weren't baked up by enough solid facts. I would give this artifact a 3 for impact on portfolio, since the topic of the essay is interesting, and I included some visuals. I would give this artifact a 1 for happiness, since I didn't really (and have never really) enjoyed writing essays. I would give it a 3 for level of learning, since the essay helped me learn a lot and make many connections. I would give it a 2 for originality, since some of the ideas in the essay weren't very special.


Artifact 11: Primary Scource Analysis 2: Waste Disposal in Great Britain

Excerpt from Chadwick's Sanitary Report (1842) pp. 133-134.

Origin:

This is an excerpt from Edwin Chadwick’s sanitary report of 1842. Chadwick was a utilitarian and was a professional civil servant as well as a social reformer who devoted his life to sanitary reform in Britain. In 1828 Chadwick wrote an article, "The Means of Insurance against Accidents" in the Westminster Review, which in many ways gave birth to his ideas on sanitary reform. Later on, he worked on a nation-wide investigation of public health which culminated in the historic Report . . . on an Enquiry into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain which he published privately and at his own expense in 1842, which is what this primary source is about.

Purpose:

Chadwick, while working as the secretary of the Poor Law Commission (a thorough investigation on poor laws that was influenced by utilitarianism), found out about and was appalled at the number of people admitted to workhouses (a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work). Due to this, he got the idea that if the people’s health could be improved then there would be a drop in the numbers of people on relief. This led him to investigate the sanitary conditions in Britain, which led to the existence of the sanitary report. The author created this work partially because he was assigned to investigate poor laws in Britain. However, this work was more of a personal effort of Chadwick’s to point out the correlation between bad sanitary conditions and health in order to decrease the number of people going to workhouses. The author chose to write in narrative form, while including quotes and records of conversation. This is most likely because this way, Chadwick was able to give more descriptive comments and be more convincing. Apparently, this document was written both for the government and for the people. We can see this because Chadwick both published it privately and gave it to Peel’s government in an effort to spur sanitary reform.

Value:

This document gives a good and descriptive overview of the bad sanitary conditions of the 19^th century Britain. The information in the document also teaches us about the relationship between bad sanitary conditions and health problems like disease and high mortality rates. In particular, this document teaches about the negative effects of bad waste disposal. There were many descriptions of inadequate waste disposal, such as information about the lack of bathrooms and floors that hadn’t been cleaned in years. From this document, we can see that its author, Chadwick, was working for improved sanitary conditions. We can also tell that Chadwick believes that bad sanitary conditions not only lead to diseases like cholera, but also cause a lack of moral education. This is seen in the sentence “No education as yet commonly given appears to have availed against such demoralizing circumstances as those described [insufficient cleansing, draining, and the internal and external conditions of the dwellings]”. This document really reflects the negative side of the industrial revolution, which was at its height during the 1800s in Britain. Living places were overcrowded and the use of coal and other technologies polluted the air, making people more easily infected by diseases, and all this sprouted from the industrial revolution.

Limitation:

Some major limitations in this document is that is isn’t extremely precise, and it is weak, medically. It isn’t precise in that in does not contain any statistics, or other such information. For example, this document doesn’t state the exact number for mortality rates. Its information also lack medical back-up, as Chadwick had absolutely no medical expertise. Since this document is only a small two page excerpt, it does not clearly tell about all of the effects bad sanitation had on health. For example, this document did not specifically talk topics like diseases low life expectancy.

The contents of this document can be verified using other primary sources like The Conditions of the Working Class, by Freidrich Engels, as well as secondary sources like books or websites. A lot of statistics and medical information is left out, because, as mentioned earlier, Chadwick lacked medical expertise. This document also leaves out the some of the other causes of disease other than bad sanitation, such as air and water pollution. 

Reflection:
This artifact relates to the topic of human health, since it talks about how bad sanitation can lead to health problems. I chose to use this primary source since I thought that it was useful-it had a reasonable amount of information, and was easy and interesting to read. I spent around an hour and a half making this artifact. Reading this primary source taught me not just about the health problems in the 19th century, but gave me a good insight to the conditions of the working class compared to the elite. This artifact reflects some pretty good ideas-I spent a lot of time thinking about and analyzing the primary source. However, I don't think that this is my best work-this OPVL is not very complete, and I think that I could have been more thoughtful with some of the questions. I would give this a 2 on impact on portfolio, since it really isn't extremely special or better than my other works although it does have some interesting things. I would give it a 1 for level of enjoyment, since I found writing the OPVL to be boring a lot of the time. I would give it a 3.5 on level of learning, since I did learn a lot, and a 3 on originality since it has some good ideas in my opinion.
Artifact 12: Idea page~Victorian Social Class and Morality

This picture is once of my original idea page. If you'd rather read something clearer, however, I have a typed version below.

This is a computer typed version of my idea page:

.              Victorian Prudery Ø          Very conservative, prude, but also contradictive Ø          Ex: not saying “leg”, using euphemism “limb” while in company Ø          Using bathing machines at the beach                                      Ø          Used language of flowers Ø          Contrast: art with nude subjects was popular, so were erotica novels Ø          Homosexuals were hated-received capital offence until 1861 .              Elite Values                                                                            Ø          Valued history, heritage, lineage, continuing family line Ø          Believed they had divine right to rule, paternalistic view of society Ø          Believed in Noblesse Oblige Ø          Continued tradition, but started accepting and recognizing middle class because of financial crises. .              Middle Class Values                                                           Ø            Stratified based on earnings, valued the self made man Ø            Superficial, valued showing off wealth Ø            Unhappily tolerated the elite.

Categories: Ø           Victorian Prudery Ø           Elite Values Ø           Middle class values See picture here   Seen in Kipling’s white man’s burden l            Like Winter Dreams, by Scott Fitzgerald l            Shaped modern consumerism

This idea page is about Victorian morality and social structure, fitting into the topic of class consciousness. This idea page wasn’t made form class material-it is an idea page about some independent research I did.

Ø           Would the elite have remained on top w/out industrial rev? Ø           Who represent the elite class today? Ø           How did industrialization contribute to changing values? Ø           What about lower class-did their libing situation improve?

Reflection
This artifact relates to class consciousness, since class consciousness was a huge part of victorian morality. I chose to do an idea page on victorian morality for two reasons-I didn't have an artifact fitting into class consciousness, and I have always been interested in victorian culture (possibly under the influence of some fantasy novels). I spent around an hour and 10 minutes researching and organizing this idea page. I learned a lot about victorian culture through this idea page-I also learned about some factors like industrialization and the difference between social classes that affected their culture. This artifact doesn't reflect my best ideas, but it does reflect good ideas-I feel that I made a lot of connections while learning about victorian morality. I would give this a 2 on impact on portfolio, since it is interesting but not especially visually pleasing, a 3 on enjoyment since I was interested in the topic, a 3 on learning since I learned a lot, and a 2 for originality since I didn't make any very unique connections in the idea page.
Artifact 13: Gapminder Analysis

Gapminder Analysis:

Note: Since Great Britain itself was not available on gapminder, we are using alternatives, meaning the United Kingdoms and Ireland, as well as India and Australia, two major British colonies. In this artifact, I've included a basic screenshot of the paths the countries had, but I suggest that you try these combinations out for yourself if you're seriously interested.

Analysis 1: Life Expectancy at Birth vs. Income per person

The life expectancy and income in Great Britain generally increased. However, Australia’s life expectancy barely changed and stayed around the 40s until roughly 1870, when their life expectancy started increasing a lot more. Surprisingly, their income increased. The low life expectancy despite the increasing income was because the industrial revolution had not yet reached Australia. The United Kingdoms had new technology and improvements in medical science, while Australia did not. Australia’s life expectancy did increase, though, because the industrial revolution eventually reached Australia. In the United Kingdoms, the income and life expectancy at birth increased steadily, with many small fluctuations. As mentioned earlier, the United Kingdoms increased a lot because it is around the area that was once the heart of the Industrial revolution. The small fluctuations in the income were most possibly due to entrepreneurship and a large work force. During the 19^th century, Great Britain’s population, especially around England, increased drastically. Machines were also easier to operate, allowing more people to work them. These factors made the work force in Britain large, but not particularly highly skilled, which contributed to the low income per person. Furthermore, a lot of entrepreneurship took place in Great Britain. Some business investors would become extremely rich, while others would end up sunken in debt. This further explains the fluctuations in the data. One other reason for the fluctuation is not as clear, but just as important-unlike Australia and India, the British people recorded data, and as a result, their results on gapminder are a lot more detailed, and less general. Another part of Great Britain, Ireland, also experienced a steady increase in income and life expectancy. However, they experienced a drastic, extremely large fall in both income and life expectancy around the 1830s and 1840s. This is because of the potato famine that took place at the time. Potatoes were their main source of food and income; without potatoes, the economy worsened, and people starved under the absence of their daily staple. The other colony apart from Australia, which is India, did not change much. They remained at a low number for both life expectancy and income in the 19^th century. This shows that people in India suffered a lot from British imperialism-their resources were probably extorted and their trade and economy monopolized by the British.

Analysis 2: Income per person vs. CO2 emission rate

In this graph, the United Kingdom’s CO2 emission and income per person were both the highest. In this map, the slope of the UK was so high that the other countries’ slopes seemed to be nothing in comparison. From this, we can see the effects of the Industrial Revolution, as it placed Great Britain as the greatest world power of the 19^th century. With the growth of machines (and thus CO2 emission), people’s incomes generally increased. This is most likely due to entrepreneurship, as ambitious businessmen could have made use of machines and become rich. However, I think that the income per person is flawed in that it doesn’t reflect the financial difference between social classes. Nobles and successful businessmen could have been rich, but there were also a lot of factory workers who had a modest pay at best. We can also see the Industrial Revolution’s negative effects on the environment from the extremely high CO2 emissions caused my machines.

Ireland’s CO2 emissions did not change much, while their income per person steadily increased. The CO2 emissions did not increase because the Industrial Revolution was not centered in Ireland

Analysis 3: Age at marriage (women) vs. child per woman

(Note: Australia and Ireland were not available for this graph)

In the general trend, the age at marriage slowly increases, while the amount of children per woman decreases by a lot. The age of marriage could indicate a nation’s level of stability and advancement. Females could start marrying later because they aren’t financially stable, or because they lack the domestic skills to marry quickly. In the UK, the marrying age of women increased to around 26, showing that this was most likely the case. Form this, we can see that women probably did a lot of factory work, which wasn’t very high paying, and deprived them of proper education, making them unable to marry away quickly. We can also see that farming dwindled, because families of farmers usually had more children. With India, the marriage age for women did not change and remained at around 14 throughout the 19ths century. The number of children per women only started decreasing at around 1880. India continually stayed at having low marrying age and high birth rates, showing that they were not an advanced country. The fact that women married extremely early and had many children shows that they did not industrialize. Places that aren't industrialized, and thus depend on domestic, family-contained work like farming would value having a lot of children. From this, we can infer that India was not able to advance and industrialize under British imperialism and colonialism. 

Reflection:
This artifact relates to the world through a telescope, since using stats visually is like looking at the past through a telescope. I chose these topics for analyzing since they were some of the few topics that had stats up t the 19th century, and I think that they show a lot. I spent around 2 hours creating and processing it. This artifact relates some of my best works and ideas, although I think that I could have done better in analysis 2. overall, I think that I analyzed the gapminder maps pretty well. This artifact gets a 3 for impact on portfolio since it has pictures and people could learn a lot of interesting things from it, a 1 on level of enjoyment since I found analysis 2 boring, while analysis 1 and 3 were pretty interesting to do. This artifact gets a 4 for level of learning, since I did learn a lot about analyzing data and the events going on in Great Britain. It gets a 2 for originality, because although it has some original ideas, a lot of the ideas aren't very unique.
Artifact 14: Group Presentation~Exploring Darwin and his Theory of Evolution
This is the video, on Darwin and his theory of evolution! For this research and collaboration project, I worked with Veronica, Sean, Grace, and Kelly.

My sources:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0411/feature1/
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/search/topicbrowse2.php?topic_id=46

Reflection:
This artifact relates to the topic of Evolution of science and religion, since Darwin's theory not only revolutionized science, but changed people's way of thinking towards religion. Our group decided to work on this topic because we thought it was the most interesting & was most controversial one. I also chose it because I needed an artifact for the topic of evolution, science and religion. Our group spent around 4 hours recording it. I myself also used an additional 1 hour for research and 3 hours for editing. While creating this artifact, I learned more about Darwin's theory, people's reaction to it before and now, and also how to edit videos. To be honest, I think that this artifact doesn't reflect my best work, as it is flawed in many ways. I think that I could have presented my part in a much more interesting way, and be more thorough and eloquent. So, that is my goal for the next research collaboration project. I would give this artifact a 2 for enjoyment, since a lot of the working process was tiring and unproductive, but I liked working with others for a change. It gets a 2 for impact on portfolio, because even though it offers variety, it is a bit long, making my portfolio more boring. It gets a 3 for impact on learning, because I did learn a lot, not just from personal research, but from my group members. Finally, it gets a 1 for creativity, since the way the presentation was done was not creative at all-we could have added something fun like a play or the like. This is also a part I'm working on improving.
Artifact 15: Timeline~Important Events in Building the British Empire
The timeline is in the prezi. Click around and explore!

Europe timeline on Prezi

Reflection
This artifact relates to the topic of The Balance of Powers, since it talks about how the British Empire came into power. This artifact can also relate to Globalization through imperialism and evolution of science and religion, since it also talks about exploration, science, and important events like rebellions and wars. For this artifact, I decided to chose events that I think had a major effect on the people in the British Empire. I included a bit over 20 events because I feel that it was necessary, as I wanted to deal with all aspects of the British empire-wars, politics, art, culture, and more. I spent around 3 hours making this artifact. It was actually hard to make, and I had to revise it a few times. While creating this artifact, I gained a more complete understanding of 19th century BRitain. This artifact reflects some of my best work-I feel that I went all out and worked really hard on it. I also added visuals and other such additions to the artifact to make it more interesting. I would give this artifact a 4 for impact on portfolio since it is visually pleasing and contains a lot of good information; a 1 for level of enjoyment, since I found making the prezi to be extremely tedious and tiring; a 4 for impact on learning, since I was able to get some good, solid facts and increase my understanding of 19th century Britain; and a 4 on originality since I think that using a prezi is an original way of presenting a timeline.
Artifact 16: Prezi~A Photo Story

My Photo Story on Prezi

Reflection
This artifact relates to the topic of Globalization through Imperialism, since the stories deal with the british consulate and other forms of British imperialism and influence in Kaohsiung. I chose these pictures because I feel that they were both nice to look at and represented or showed something. I spent roughly 2 hours (not including the field trip) working on this artifact. While creating this artifact, I learned a lot about photography (I already knew about British Influence in Taiwan, though). This artifact reflects some good ideas, although I think I could do better in the future, since this is my first try at seriously doing photography. I would give it a 3 on impact on portfolio since it is interesting and fun to look at, a 4 on level of enjoyment because I really enjoyed the field trip, a 2 on level of learning because although I relearned many things rather than learned them, it was a good experience all the same, and a 3 on originality since I think that my prezi was pretty original.


Artifact 17: Comparing Disraeli and Gladstone
This artifact is a speech, so there is a recorded version below. However, there is a transcript for you to read as a reference.
Transcript:
Good afternoon, honorable gentlemen. Today, I have come to present to you the many merits of Disraeli's act in purchasing the shares of the Suex Canal. On November, in the year of 1875, Disraeli dispatched his private secretary, Montagu Cory, to his long acquainted friend, the Baron Lionel de Rothschild requesting £4,000,000, and was elated to find that this request was answered. Following this short episode, the British Cabinet, under Disraeli’s orders, bought the Egyptian Khedive’s shares to the Suez Canal for £4,000,000. The House must be tolerably aware that during the whole period of the existence of the present Parliament the question of the Suez Canal has more or less been before us, and it was during his time as Prime Minister that Disraeli took it upon himself to resolve this problem. In this present company, I am aware that this decision by Disraeli is recognized by many, but even more do not realize the full extent of the benefits brought about by this action, that the acquirement of the Suez Canal could even be considered as a necessity in maintaining the Empire. Why is this, you make be thinking. As an answer, I will take the liberty of informing you first, that the Suez Canal has been for some time a key part of the Empire’s trade, as it greatly shortened the journey to India. Even though this is the case, over half of the shares to the Suez Canal are held by the French, and up until recently, the rest of the shares were held by the ruler of Egypt. The Suez Canal, though a vital link in British Imperial Communications, was under the control of a foreign company and under foreign rule. Such a situation was not only preposterous-it greatly risked British power over the seas and brought us under the mercy of foreigners. Securing shares to the Suez Canal clearly secured to a great extent Britain’s control and influence in the seas. This action may even, in the future, give an immense, and even preponderating, influence in the management of the canal. This success is only a breadth of the extent of Disraeli’s achievements as Prime Minister, and yet through it we can already see Disraeli’s dedication to Britain and its Indian Empire. I hope to bring you to the realization that with this action, the Empire will be maintained, to be strengthened, and that it will secure to us a highway to our Indian Empire and our other dependencies. Clearly, the propriety and the wisdom of this action is to be recognized.

Recorded version:


Reflection:
This artifact relates to nationalism and liberalism, creation of the nation state, because Disraeli and gladstone represent nationalism and liberalism, and work in creating a nation-state. I chsoe to do my speech on Disraeli because although I initially supported Gladstone more, I wanted to try make a speech from a different perspective. I spent around an hour researching and two hours writing it (I actually decided to write a new speech because I didn't like my first one). While making this artifact, I learned a lot about the politics of 19th century Britain-some of its similarities to today's politics, political rhetoric, some major reforms that took place, and the people's perspective of the government and their nation. This artifact doesn't reflect my best, but I think it has pretty good ideas. I think that I sufficiently got into the role of the person who was saying the speech. I would give this artifact a 2 for enjoyment, since I sort of enjoyed writing it, a 4 for level of learning, since as earlier mentioned, I learned and experienced a lot of new things, a 3 for impact on portfolio since the speech is interesting to read and listen to, and a 2 for creativity since this speech was a new and unique work and experience for me.