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Industrial revolution child labor working conditions
Impact of the industrial revolution on British society
Negative impact of the industrial revolution
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Imagine waking up at 4:30 in the morning and working until 9:00 at night starting at the age of 10 every single day until you die in your 20s from illness. This was the reality for thousands of children during the Industrial Revolution, which brought drastic negative changes in society, but also some positive. Benefits from the Industrial Revolution included new inventions and breakthroughs, which improved the economy. Although there were benefits, the countless costs outweighed them because it worsened the lives of many.
During the Industrial Revolution, children were forced to work in factories and in terrible working conditions, causing many to die from illnesses. They needed the money to support their families, as workers received very low wages that they couldn’t live off of. (Document 9). Factory owners did not consider the natural rights of their workers, and some children worked 16 hours a day with one 40 minute period to eat. (Document 7)
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Agricultural inventions made farming more efficient. (Document 1) This brought a surplus a food for the people which meant they were able to sell it and make a profit. Manufacturing inventions brought more clothes and money to society. (Document 2) Even though new technology was invented, it replaced many of the jobs of people. More factories were created, and as mentioned previously, emitted great amounts of pollution, going into the rivers and air causing diseases to spread. The Industrial Revolution brought drastic changes in society. Although some say that the technological advances improved society, they took away many jobs. People lived short and bitter lives, being overworked and dying from the terrible working conditions. Smoke from factories polluted the air and rivers, and people in industrial cities lived in filth. These are the reasons why the costs of the Industrial Revolution outweighed the
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.
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,
The kids under the age of fourteen were sent to go assist with the textile workers. They then would beat and verbally abuse the child. And if children would show up late, they would be weighted. Weighted means to put a very heavy weight on the child's back and have them walk up and down the factory aisles for hours, so other children can learn from it. This then resulted in back and neck injuries. (“Child Labor in Factories”) While this all seems really cruel, there were many positives that came out of child labor. Children were still able to contribute to their families. Money was a big struggle, and it had a major impact for poor families. Children were also getting a wide range of opportunities and work experiences for the future ahead. Although it might not be the best way to get experience, they were still helping out there families and showing respect towards them. This shows that during the Industrial Revolution, children were used harshly for labor, and the positives and negatives out of
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
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.
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
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.
Cotton production during the Industrial Revolution played an important role in English history. The revolution was brought on by the development of new technologies, which included the invention of machines capable of producing large amounts of cotton fabric. The resulting shift in cotton production from home to factory began in 1760 and was complete by about 1830. The industrialization of cotton production transformed England in many ways, including rapid urbanization and the introduction of children into the factory workforce. It can be argued the cotton industry would not have been so successful without the use of children; however the effects were detrimental to their well-being and eventually led to the passage of a series of laws to limit child labour.
Factory and mine owners exploited the situation by offering families a means to make more money, by putting their children to work. Industry profited from this arrangement by saving money, since child labor was more “cost effective”. According to one historian, Clark Nardinelli, “in 1835 56,000 children under the age of thirteen were working in textile factories alone. By 1874, the number of child laborers in the market hit its peak with over 122,000 children between the ages of 10 and thirteen working in textile factories (4).” ... ...
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.
As a part of the Industrial Revolution, one of the biggest negative costs was child labor among many nations, especially in Europe. Children were expected to help towards the family budget since the wages at factories were so sparse. They often worked many dangerous jobs and in difficult situations. And in some cases, many children did an assignment that an adult could not complete. No child should have had to work in harsh and dangerous working environments.
How did the concept of human rights get fully established? How did unions, child labor laws, and other workforce reforms get set up? During the industrial revolution, a large population developed due to advances in the medical field. With a larger set of hands, factories and production soared, yet the treatment of employees was terrible. The living conditions which included child labor, factory setups, and economic issues were sure setbacks for a growing society.
The modern world is extremely reliant on technology, whether it has to deal with smart phones, cars, or medicine. Without the Industrial Revolution, the present day would not be the same. The Industrial Revolution was a blessing for the middle class because production, healthcare, and transportation improved. Industrialization improved the lives for all groups of people in Europe because of the advancement of technology. Lifestyles began to improve due in part to the introduction of efficient machines rather than hand production. It was necessary for industrialization to occur in order for the large population to sustain.
All over Britain new factories were being built and with them, the demand for workers increased. Even though the pay was low for adults, it was still too much for the factory owners to afford. They also needed workers who were small enough to fit into the tight spaces in the new machines. Child labour was the only option. There were many more dangerous jobs which children had to perform, some included crawling under the wool and cotton machines to fix threads. These children had to work for the majority of the day with little or no breaks. Some of them were as young as four. Children were made to work in mines as rushers and harriers. These jobs as well as many other jobs often meant very young children had to work long hours. “I am a harrier. I am fourteen years old and I have been employed ever since I was six. I come to work at seven o’clock, and sometimes leave at four, five or six in the evening in summer, and in the winter near seven.” (Speed and Speed, 1985). As stated in that quote, children had a hard life working in mines and other work places. The pay was also much lower than adult workers in the same factory. Injury was common in work places for kids; they ranged from broken bones to death. The factories had very poor sanitation, which led to...
During the industrial revolution it was very common for a child to work 12-14 hour, but sometimes they would work as many as 19 hours each day. Also in the industrial revolution child were paid little to no money for their labor. Conditions inside the factories during the industrial revolution were dirty, crowded, and as it got later at night the inside would get darker and the laborers only had the light of a candle to work. That is how, many incidents happen where children, are often injured and in some cases killed. Today children 12 hour days or less, and are still paid very little. In cases a shirt sold for $60 in the U.S. would only pay a child labour 20 cents for making it. Inside the factories the conditions are still harsh but as society advanced new technology such as the electric light bulb invented in 1879 it provided more light for the workers when it got darker outside, which decreased the amount of