Coal In The 19th Century: A Social Analysis

Coal is a commodity, which has impacted the economy, environment as well as the human history in the 19th century. The production of coal started as early as the 18th century, in Britain, but in very little quantities. It produced these quantities because of the types of mining techniques practiced in that era, such as the bell pits and drift mines. The mine places were small, and the market for the coal was domestic. Industrial revolution occurred during the era of production of coal. It is the process that forced people to abandon farm work as their primary source of income to go to the industrial field since individuals believed it was financially beneficial. Industrial revolution led to rising in the demand of coal in Britain. The iron …show more content…
This statement is true because the industrial revolution began when people started to mine coal in large amounts. According to the Coal Mines, in the Industrial Revolution (2014) people in the early 1800 left farming to go to coal mining industries. Coal mining was the cause of many deaths, as it was hazardous and dangerous, accidents like flooding of explosive gases and drowning occurred in coalmines. However, the mine owners wanted to increase their mines and profit margins in order to expand their businesses; therefore, they needed as many people working in their mines as possible. Families, including women and children, engaged in mining and had to walk several miles to get to the mining sites. Many of these women and children were working on the dangerous mine sites in terrible conditions and for extremely low wages, as low as 2 pennies.(Coal mines in the Industrial Revolution, 2014).

Uses and demand of coal during the Industrial …show more content…
First, the increase in human population consequently increased the local market. Another cause for the rise in the demand for coal is the fact that most industries had opted for coal as their primary source of fuel. The other types of fuel such as charcoal and firewood had become expensive. Finally, the existence of railway lines is a significant factor for the large demand for coal and made the transportation of coal very easy. (Coal in the Industrial Revolution n.d). There are also some other major industries that required the coal. First, the steam industry generated a significant demand for coal because the coal powered the steam engines. Secondly, the iron industry and the coal had a symbiotic relationship. Darby used for a processed type of coal called coke to smelt iron. As the price of coal fell, iron industry grew to be a major user of coal, hence increasing the demand for coal. Finally, the transport industry had a mutual relationship with the coal industry. Coal industry needed transportation industry to move its coal. During that time, the roads were poor but water transport was excellent. Ship engines used coal for fuel, and when the road transport improved, coal reached larger markets through canals. (Coal in the Industrial Revolution