WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most people in Britain lived in open field villages. They relied on subsistence farming which produced just enough food for peasants or tenants of the land and hardly did they get any extra.

Detailed explanation-2: -Before the Industrial Revolution, most Americans lived on farms. The whole family worked together to make what they needed for daily life. They bartered (traded) for items they could not make themselves. A farmer may trade corn with the blacksmith for horse-shoes or nails.

Detailed explanation-3: -Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most people lived in rural areas. They made their living either farming or manufacturing goods in their own homes.

Detailed explanation-4: -Most people were farmers, working in small towns and villages. If you lived in a port city such as London or Bristol, you could benefit from imported goods that arrived by ship. While there was some technology, it relied on wind and water power, such as using a windmill to grind wheat into flour.

Detailed explanation-5: -Industrial cities like Manchester and Leeds grew dramatically over the course of a few short decades. In 1800, about 20 percent of the British population lived in urban areas. By the middle of the nineteenth century, that proportion had risen to 50 percent.