Rise and Fall of King Cotton, The (6 Parts)

Synopsis

Series discussing the technical, scientific, economic and political issues in the rise and fall of the cotton industry. Great Britain, India and the United States of America are the three countries featured.
1: Cotton is now produced in over seventy countries but it arrived in Britain almost by accident. In the 17th century the British went to India to trade for spices and saw the beautiful coloured cotton cloths produced there. Europe welcomed them as imports for the aristocracy. Britain began home production thereby undermining the woollen industry.
2: The British response to the Indian imports led to the establishment of factories using the improved flying-shuttle loom, the spinning jenny, Arkwright’s water frame and Crompton’s spinning mule. The original mill buildings and the first cotton town, Cromford, survive. The spread of the factory and its social implications are seen at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal.
3: In the English colony of Charles Towne Landing in South Carolina, experimental crop planting established the South as very suitable for growing cotton. From a small beginning the plantations and the slave society grew. Eli Whitney’s gin revolutionised cotton production. The river steamboats carried the cotton to the coast. Savannah, Georgia was one of the busiest ports exporting to Britain. In spite of much criticism, slavery continued and Liverpool, Manchester and the Southern States prospered.
4: The demand for more cloth produced the power loom in Britain, and the idea was taken to America by Francis Lowell. Composite mills powered by water from canals reached their high point at Lowell, Massachusetts. In Britain, a new source of power, steam, led to new locations for mills, and a great change in productivity and working conditions followed. Lancashire continued to prosper but the harsh conditions imposed by some employers caused riots.
5: Progress and prosperity in the South and in Britain were halted by the American Civil War. The export of cotton to Britain was stopped and a cotton famine hit Lancashire. The businessmen turned again to India. Planting began again and a major railway building programme was started. India built her own mills, at first with British help, and the industry prospered once more.
6: In the American South cotton-growing areas have changed. Sometimes new crops have taken the place of cotton and have been very successful. Mills have moved nearer the plantations, and picking is completely mechanised. In Britain the old cotton empires have declined. India is still expanding her industry and exports raw cotton and finished cloth. The spinning wheel has become India’s national symbol. The series concludes with a look at the state of the industry today.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 6 x 30 min.

Year of production

1984

Availability

Sale

Documentation

Accompanying book, ‘The Rise and Fall of King Cotton’, by Anthony Burton (London: Andre Deutsch/BBC Publications).

Subjects

History

Keywords

American civil war; colonial history; cotton industry; industrialisation; slavery; textile industries

Credits

Director

Michael Garrod

Producer

Michael Garrod

Cast

Anthony Burton

Sections

Title

Ladies in carpets

Synopsis

1: Cotton is now produced in over seventy countries but it arrived in Britain almost by accident. In the 17th century the British went to India to trade for spices and saw the beautiful coloured cotton cloths produced there. Europe welcomed them as import

Title

Women and children first

Synopsis

2: The British response to the Indian imports led to the establishment of factories using the improved flying-shuttle loom, the spinning jenny, Arkwright's water frame and Crompton's spinning mule. The original mill buildings and the first cotton town, Cr

Title

Masters and slaves

Synopsis

3: In the English colony of Charles Towne Landing in South Carolina, experimental crop planting established the South as very suitable for growing cotton. From a small beginning the plantations and the slave society grew. Eli Whitney's gin revolutionised

Title

Ruthless king

Synopsis

4: The demand for more cloth produced the power loom in Britain, and the idea was taken to America by Francis Lowell. Composite mills powered by water from canals reached their high point at Lowell, Massachusetts. In Britain, a new source of power, steam,

Title

War and famine

Synopsis

5: Progress and prosperity in the South and in Britain were halted by the American Civil War. The export of cotton to Britain was stopped and a cotton famine hit Lancashire. The businessmen turned again to India. Planting began again and a major railway b

Title

Full circle

Synopsis

6: In the American South cotton-growing areas have changed. Sometimes new crops have taken the place of cotton and have been very successful. Mills have moved nearer the plantations, and picking is completely mechanised. In Britain the old cotton empires

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’