The impact of cotton.

No one knows exactly how old cotton is, scientist exploring caves in Mexico discovered cotton bolls and pieces of cotton cloth believed to be at least 7,000 years old. It is also know that cotton was being grown in the Indus River Valley in Pakistan 3,000 years BC around about the same time the Egyptians were making and wearing cotton clothing. Cotton was introduced to Europe by Arab Merchants about 800 AD but it wasn't till the 1500's that cotton was generally know throughout the world. Cotton is extremely versatile and has hundred of uses from clothing to house hold items. Today cotton is a big part of our daily lives.

During the height of the British Empire in the 1700's, it was against the law to import or manufacture cotton in England, this was to protect the wool industry at the time, these restrictions also kept the American colonist from producing cotton. However, in 1607 cotton had been planted in North America by colonist along the James River in Virgina but it wasn't until the introduction of slavery that the cotton industry dramatically changed forever.  The rise of slave plantations across America made cotton available to other continents.

During this time wool dominated the European market but the middle classes wanted easily washable and more colourful fabric. It was the East India Company that introduced cotton prints to Britain. These imports found a mass market amongst the poor whilst at the same time put a strain on British manufacturing. In 1721 Parliament passed the calico act but this was revoked by 1774 with the invention of new machines that allowed Britain to compete with eastern fabrics. The Industrial Revolution catapulted Britain enormously in the cotton industry and between 1815 to 1859 Britain imported nearly 77% of American cotton to turn into cloth which it exported world wide.

Cotton was a revolutionary product for the people of Britain in the 1700's and it changed the lives of millions. One of the biggest changes was the demise of the small rural cottage industry as steam power swept through the North East of Britain huge mills where built in an urban locations.  This also had an inevitable affect on society with massive population growth as well as challenging the social order as cotton was now affordable to even the lower classes. It also transformed personal hygiene, it was easy to wash and dry as opposed to the more traditional clothes and bedding that were made from wool or linen. It was also a lot cheaper in price which enabled people to buy several changes of clothing.