Child Labor: The Role Of Children During The Industrial Revolution

1083 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Child labor at the beginning of the industrial revolution

There is little hesitation that the Industrial Revolution had both positive and negative impacts, short-term and long-term effects on the world we live in today. The Industrial Revolution was a period in time where everything went from being handmade to mechanically produce. During the Industrial Revolution children were used as workers, it was more common to find children in factories, as young kids were able to fit into places that adults couldn’t go, also; children were used to make money for their family. The impact that the Industrial Revolution has left on our world is very necessary to how we live now.
As depicted in source eight, child labour was a horrible use of children because it damaged, spoiled and destroyed the future of the children. The conditions that they had to work in were horrifying. Children as young as six were sent to work for sixteen hours. As …show more content…

In the mills the children were expected to sweep beneath the machines for waste cotton, and in the event of the breakage of a thread, they ducked under the stationary machine and tie up the loose ends. Note that any stoppage of the machine meant lost productivity, and workers were penalized for this. So the child had to duck under, refasten the broken thread, and duck back out in seconds as the loom was restarted to avoid penalty to themselves and the operator. As the operator was typically one of their parents, the penalty to the child could also include a beating by the annoyed mum or dad once they got home. With this job there are horrible incidents that occur such as; their arms and hands getting caught in the machinery and in many

Show More
Related

  • Dbq Industrial Revolution

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    The factory whistle blows right in the middle of your favorite dream. You wake up in a startle as you glance at the clock. 5:30 am. You rush to get out of bed, seeing that you have to get to work in 30 minutes. You splash some water on your face, brush your teeth, put on some fine factory clothes, pull your hair back, grab an apple and run as fast as a gazelle. The Industrial Revolution had both positive and negatives on the lives of adults and children during that time period.

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution DBQ

    448 Words  | 1 Pages

    The impact of the Industrial Revolution was a positive experience for some, but it was a great difficulty for others. Because of the demands for reform and protection for workers arose, government and unions began to take place. That was how the evils of the Industrial Revolution addressed in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

    Read More

  • Ap Euro Dbq Industrial Revolution

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    The industrial revolution had mainly negative effects. The industrial revolution was a time in world history that has technically never ended. It is the time when society started to mass produce goods in order to provide enough goods for the booming population. People started to move from villages to cities where factories were looking for workers. New medical advances were made and people began to live longer. While some might argue that industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of the increased amount of new and cheaper products, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were the dangerous and sometimes lethal work areas, poor living conditions and cramped housing,

    Read More

  • Dbq Child Labor During The Industrial Revolution

    339 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the Industrial Revolution, children were used for labor to do the more dangerous activities in the factories. For example, children were often used to squeeze into tight places, because they were much smaller than men. (Labor) Most children worked in the mills to support their families, but had to give up their education in return. (“Modern World History”) In document four, Hebergram’s brother died by being cut from a machine, and later dying from infection. This shows that the factories did not have protection of covering the machines, causing many workers to die. Also, in document four it says, “...A boy was caught in a machine and had both his thigh bones broke and from his knee to his hip the flesh was ripped up the same as it had been cut by a knife.” This shows how unsafe the machines were because the shaft was not covered.

    Read More

  • Government Corruption In The Progressive Era

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many businesses and factories hired children because they were easier to exploit; they could be paid less for more work in dangerous conditions. Plus, their small size made many children idea for working with small parts or fitting into small spaces. Children as young as four could be found working in factories, though most were between eight and twelve. Despite the economic gains made by the business that employed them, many children suffered in the workplace. The industrial setting caused many health problems for the children that, if they lived long enough, they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Children were also more likely to face accidents in the workplace, often caused by fatigue, and many were seriously injured or killed. Despite efforts by reformers to regulate child labor, it wasn’t until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that children under 14 were prohibited from

    Read More

  • Child Labor In The Late 1800's

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children as young as young as five or seven years old worked in dangerous factories. Many times if the children fell asleep while on the job, they would slip and get stuck in the machines, resulting in death. Child labor in the late 1800’s was very unsafe and put the lives of young children in danger. The children worked in very dangerous conditions, most of the time it was factories. The conditions were very poor, the factories were dirty and unsafe for children. The children would work for up to sixteen hours with little to no pay.

    Read More

  • Child Labor In The 1800s Essay

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the article “A History of Child Labor” reviewed by Milton Fried, a child could work as long as six days a week for up to 18 hours a day, and only make a dollar a week. Child labor was nothing but cheap labor. The big companies loved cheap labor because then they could make an item for not very much money, and make a huge profit margin. Fried continues to state how cheap the labor was, “One glass factory in Massachusetts was fenced with barbed wire ‘to keep the young imps inside.’ These were boys under 12 who carried loads of hot glass all night for a wage of 40 cents to $1.10 per night.” Unlike, children today who are in bed sleeping by 8 pm each night, these children had to stay up all night working to make just enough income for their families. Sadly, the children had no choice but to work for very little pay. Their mothers and fathers made so little money in the factory system that they couldn’t afford to let their children enjoy their childhood: “Other working children were indentured—their parents sold their labor to the mill owner for a period of years. Others lived with their families and worked for wages as adults did, for long hours and under hard conditions” (Cleland). The child had no other choice, but to work for these big

    Read More

  • How Did Child Labor Change In The Industrial Revolution

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Young children were exploited and quick pace but an unnecessary burden on the children. In the early 1800’s, it was common to put children on dangerous machinery because of their small quick fingers, such as tying broken threads on the machine, while the machine was running. Child workers were separated from parents and placed under the supervision of strangers. Parents extremely disliked the unorthodox method of having their child work under someone outside the family. The improvement in machinery, humanitarian concerns, and parents convinced Britain to pass child labor laws in 1833. Not having children in the workforce created a new belief that childhood was for education, not for work. Labor discipline was one of the major reasons why child labor laws came into

    Read More

  • Turning Points in History

    424 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by sole means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population. However, this increase in population would greatly impact the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelmingly crowded and there was an increase in disease as well as harsh child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both it’s positive and negative results.

    Read More

  • Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    The cotton industry brought unprecedented growth to many towns and cities in the Lancashire area. The economic prosperity of the cotton industry laid heavily on the shoulders of the many children who worked in the mills, often to their detriment. Eventually a small group of people fought for the well being of child labourers and a number of labour laws were passed which aimed removed children from factories all together.

    Read More

  • Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution in nineteenth-century England brought about many changes in British society. It was the advent of faster means of production, growing wealth for the Nation and a surplus of new jobs for thousands of people living in poverty. Cities were growing too fast to adequately house the numerous people pouring in, thus leading to squalid living conditions, increased filth and disease, and the families reliance upon their children to survive.

    Read More

  • Child Labor History Essay

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    For instance, a boy might end up tending to the field for an ill parent, or a young girl might be forced to take care for her younger siblings after her mother dies. Often, while this work was somewhat taxing for children, it was expected of them and it was considered a family responsibility for them to assist their parents in difficult situations. This was considered chores, and it was necessary for the survival of these families. However, this attitude that it was a child’s duty to assist their parents did contribute to the development of child labor. As Edith Abbott wrote, “The introduction of child labor into our early factories was a natural consequence of the colonial attitude toward child labor.” While child labor was necessary during these times, it paved way for a harsher form of child

    Read More

  • Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine waking up at five in the morning to walk over a mile to a factory where you work until noon where you get a half hour break for lunch, then it’s back to work until nine or ten at night, when you are finally allowed to go home and you are only eight years old. Today that seems unimaginable, but during the early 19th century it was the everyday life of thousands of children whose ages range from as young as five until you died. During the Industrial Revolution many children were required to work dangerous jobs to help their families.

    Read More

  • Child Labor In The 1800s

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Child labor is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school.” Back then in the U.S., children were working between ages 5 to 17. Between the 1800s and 1900s, many children worked in agricultural fields, fishing, mining, manufacturing, and even drug trade and prostitution. Even though child labor laws are still avoided around the world, the effects on child labor in the US, before, was unbelieveable. Children were suffering from health issues, reform movements grew and other countries followed enforced child labor too.

    Read More

  • Child Labour During The Industrial Revolution Essay

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    Did you know that children became the best individuals to be in the workforce in the Industrial Revolution since they were young and they learned new tasks faster while being aware and friendly to the authority? Child Labor is the use of children in industry or business, especially when illegal or considered inhumane. The Children were about 5-18 years old working in factories, mines, or mills. Children made up a very large portion of workers in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Child Labor during the industrial revolution was horrible because of the terrible working conditions, getting low wages, and the loss of education.

    Read More

More about Child Labor: The Role Of Children During The Industrial Revolution

Open Document