DBQ: The Industrial Revolution

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Industrial Revolution DBQ Project The Industrial Revolution began in England during the late 1700s, and by the end of its era, had created an enormous amount of both positive and negative effects on the world in social, economic, and even political ways. The revolution began to spread across the world, raising the standard of life for the populations in both Europe and North America throughout the 1800s. However, even with all of its obvious benefits, its downsides are nonnegotiable, forcing workers into horrendous living and working conditions, all inside of unkempt cities. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of the railroad system, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s …show more content…

Twenty-three year old Elizabeth Bentley is one of the thousands of children who worked for agonizingly long hours, and became physically deformed as a result of her labor. During an investigation of the conditions of child laborers, she testified these statements as to her years at a flax mill under the authority of a Mr. Burk. In reference to her hours of work, she responded that she worked “from five in the morning till nine at night, when they were thronged” (Document 7). Bentley, along with the rest of the child workers, worked for sixteen long hours a day. That only leaves them approximately eight hours for sleeping, hobbies, and eating. They were only allowed “forty minutes at noon” (Document 7) for meals, with no regard to breakfast or drinking breaks. On top of working inhumane hours of labor, they clearly were not allowed to eat their full, which is a detrimental factor to their health. Deformities and injuries were, unfortunately, very common. She states that it is “very common indeed” (Document 7) to have such disabilities that Bentley herself developed “as a consequence of this labor”

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