The Domestic System

• Clothier-> a man who buys and sells wool
• Carding-> the porcess of untangling wool
• Spinning wheel-> a simple machine used to twist woollen fibres into single threads
• Yarn-> fine threads made by twisting wool
• Loom-> a special machine that weaves yarn into cloth

• Clothier/ wool tradesman buys wool from farmer
• Takes wool to villagers who turn it into cloth
• The Domestic System involved home or family

-Family could work whatever hours they wanted as long as they met the deadlines

• Clothier returns to collect cloth and pays the family for their production
• Gives them next time's order and takes the cloth away to be dyed different colours by another family before it's sold

• Richard Arkwright-> responsible for ending 'The Domestic System'
• Invented the spinning frame-> produced good, strong thread but couldn't fit in homes and was very heavy so had to be powered by a horse or waterwheel
• He decided to put huge spinning machines in factories/mills
• First opened in 1771 at Cromford by Derbyshire
• > powered by ONE waterwheel
• Machines and workers had to work 24 hours-> people began to work shifts

• Slavery started because-

1. Greed/Money- High priced goods manufactured in Europe loaded onto ships and exchanged with African traders in return for men, women and children (slaves)

2. Racism- Europeans believed they were better. Tried to justify it by quoting the Bible

3. Religion- Europeans mainly Christians whereas most Africans were Muslim

4. History- The Ancient Egyptians and Romans used slaves-> was seen as normal

How were slaves captured and transported?

• Ships travelled the slave triangle
• Slaves were chained to the floor so they couldn't stand up
• Ships kept detailed records of journeys, cargos carried, profits gained
• Slaves crammed into ships and conditions were horrible
• Deadly form of diarrheoa spread amongst slaves, had to lie in their waste because they couldn't reach the toilets 

• Horrific experience
• Temperatures below deck= very high, lack of fresh air
• Seasickness and heatstroke= very common
• Slaves were chained up, hard for them to reach the toilets-> had to lie in their own waste-> Diseases spread (e.g. Dysentary)
• Journey lasted 40-70 days (1510-1833)
• Nearly 10 million slaves were taken across Atlantic
• 2 million African slaves died making the crossing in ships
• Slave traders wanted slaves to be in good condition so they would be ideal to buy

• Young children worked in 'trash gangs' or as water carriers
• As got older, worked in fields with adults
• When adults, did less exhausting jobs (e.g. gardening, horse carriage driving, cooking, cleaning and nursing)
• Didn't manage to live very long because of cruel and tough punishments and poor treatment, poor diet and no proper medical attention
• Average life expentancy= 26 years 
• Had no legal rights, not allowed to be educated, marry or own property
• Punished if tried to rebel
• Slave Revolt-> 1791, armies sent to control them, 'free' slaves renamed an island-> 'Haiti"= first island run by former balck slaves