Child Labour During The Industrial Revolution

The age of the Industrial Revolution was a significant period in Western History. During the period from 1760-1850, profound economic change took place in Great Britain, as a result of a flood of technical innovations, increases in manufacturing production, a resurgence of world trade and rapid population growth in urban areas. The use of child labor was the crucial ingredient, which allowed Britain’s Industrial Revolution to succeed. Although children had been helping around the house or farm as well as in family businesses prior to this period, the young ages and long hours required of young children were never before seen. Edward Thompson alleged, “That the exploitation of little children, on this scale and with this intensity, was one

Although there was a strong moral condemnation of the use of children in factories, reformers called for regulation as opposed to abolishment of child labor because they recognized the need for the additional wages to sustain the families. The legislation was known as The Factory Acts. “First effective Factory Act passed in 1833 prohibited the employment of children under nine years of age in all textile mills (except silk) powered by steam or water….limited children aged 9 to 12 to nine hours per day or 48 hours per week, and required them to attend schools”(Nardinelli, 741). The Factory Act of 1844 acknowledged the need for education. It established that children would work a half-day and then go to school for half a day. Situations changed once these Factory Laws were introduced and inspectors forced the factory owners to obey these laws. A tax was levied upon the factory for employment of children and additionally the factory owners were required to ensure the children had a school to attend. “Between 1835 and 1838 the factory inspectors began to enforce the 1833 act and the number of children employed in textile factories fell from 56,000 to 33,000” (Nardinelli, 743). The decline in child labor although attributed to both the Factory Laws and the enforcement of the implicit tax, may not have been the only reason for the

The incredible technological advances caused a major shift in the workforce. The single most affected group at this time was the children. Regardless of age, children as young as six years old found themselves forced to work in the factories. Although, reasons varied by family for allowing their children to endure the long, exhausting hours, the reason for their use by the factory owners was clear, overwhelming need for workers to fill the ever increasing demand for goods. With the introduction of such legislation as the Factory Acts, eventually the number of children working in the factories began to decrease. With further improvement in equipment and the subsequent arrival of steam-powered factories, adults eventually replaced the roles of the children, as the factories became both more streamlined and conveniently located in populous