English Textile Factories During The Industrial Revolution

489 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Working conditions in factories during the industrial revolution

When the Industrial Revolution hit England, everything changed. Textile factories sprang up, people flocked to the cities, the population boomed, and the standard of living went up. However, not everything changed for the better. English textile factories were bad for the health or working class families because of the long hours, child endangerment, and occasions of abuse. At this time, employees were forced to work for an absurd amount of time. This includes children, who need their sleep to grow and develop. “... In many mills they [children] are forced to work thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen hours per day, and that they have not time either for play or for education” (Edward Baines, 1835). Even while opposing legislation regulating factories, Baines admits how much the employees must work. These long hours can be very detrimental to their health especially when one takes into account the work conditions. …show more content…

Heavy machinery and a lack of real safety protocols put employees at risk, especially children. “Last summer I visited Lever Street School. The number of children at that time in the school, who were employed in factories, was 106. The number of children who had received injuries from the machinery amounted to very nearly one half. There were forty-seven injured this way” (Ward, 1819). This data shows just how high the risk of injury was in the factories. In more the severe injuries, they risked being handicapped for the rest of their lives, which would affect their ability to find more work. In addition, Ward said, “...we could not remain ten minutes in the factory without gasping for breath… if we take into account the heated temperature of the air, and the contamination of the air, it is a matter of astonishment to my mind, how the work people can hear the confinement for so great a length of time” (Ward, 1819). This shows the awful conditions the children were in six days a week, fifteen hours a

Show More
Related

  • Ap World History Dbq Research Paper

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of us complain about the tough hours we work or the amount of chores we have to complete, but think about the truly harsh conditions that young girls and women had to work in the textile industry with very little pay and no accolades. Back in the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution struck, it made it hard for female mill workers to enjoy being employed. Due to the terrible working conditions, the amount of hours worked, and the low wages were a few of the similarities that the female mill workers in England and Japan shared.

    Read More

  • Comparing The English Textile Factories With Dr. Ward

    313 Words  | 1 Pages

    English textile factories were very bad for the health of the working class families. As Dr. Ward stated, “Last summer I visited three cotton factories with Dr. Clough of Preston and Mr. Barker of Manchester, and we could not remain ten minutes in the factory without gasping for breath...¨ This shows that the conditions were so bad that they had trouble breathing because how bad the air was. Dr. Ward also says, ¨Cotton factories are highly unfavourable, both to the health and morals of those employed in them. They are really nurseries of disease and vice. These factories were very unsafe and you could get many diseases and injuries, especially if you were a kid as a lot were. The kids were in many accidents in the factories, as Dr. Ward states,

    Read More

  • How Did John Birley Use Textile Factories In The 1800s

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine being forced to work in conditions that might cause you to lose a limb, to be beaten daily, or to be left with long term respiratory conditions. These terrible conditions were realities to families who worked in textile factories in the 1700’s. England was the first to adopt textile factories which would benefit with mass production of cotton material. According to the power point, “Industrial Revolution; Life in English Factories”, low and unskilled workers, often children, ran the machines and moved material, this helped lower the cost of goods. During this time, commissions investigated the working conditions of the factories.

    Read More

  • Mexican Revolution Dbq

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    Factory workers worked twelve to fifteen hours a day in hazardous condition. There were no protective rules for women and children and no insurances for job-related accidents or industrial illness. The workers were obliged to trade at company store

    Read More

  • Life in Southern Mill Villages, 1900s

    2654 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution in America began to develop in the mid-eighteen hundreds after the Civil War. Prior to this industrial growth the work force was mainly based in agriculture, especially in the South (“Industrial Revolution”). The advancement in machinery and manufacturing on a large scale changed the structure of the work force. Families began to leave the farm and relocate to larger settings to work in the ever-growing industries. One area that saw a major change in the work force was textile manufacturing. Towns in the early nineteen hundreds were established around mills, and workers were subjected to strenuous working conditions. It would take decades before these issues were addressed. Until then, people worked and struggled for a life for themselves and their families. While conditions were harsh in the textile industry, it was the sense of community that sustained life in the mill villages.

    Read More

  • 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 Essay

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    Young girls were not allowed to open the windows and had to breathe in the dust, deal with the nerve-racking noises of the machines all day, and were expected to continue work even if they 're suffering from a violent headache or toothache (Doc 2). The author of this report is in favor of employing young women since he claimed they seemed happy and they loved their machines so they polished them and tied ribbons on them, but he didn 't consider that they were implemented to make their awful situations more bearable. A woman who worked in both factory and field also stated she preferred working in the field rather than the factory because it was hard work but it never hurt her health (Doc 1), showing how dangerous it was to work in a factory with poor living conditions. Poor living conditions were common for nearly all workers, and similar to what the journalist saw, may have been overlooked due to everyone seeming

    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

  • The Conditions For Factory Workers In Nineteenth Century Britain

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children who worked indoors were often exposed to toxic fumes, extreme heat, and dangerous machinery. Those who worked in glass factories often cut or burned themselves on broken or hot glass. Children in textile mills were forced to breathe in dust and cotton fibers. Many suffered permanent lung damage. Small and nimble children were assigned to equipment that required quick motions. Those who operated machinery designed for adults often lost fingers. Working long days meant they sometimes fell asleep on the job, putting them at risk for serious injury. A Manchester spinner explains that they are "locked up in factories eight stories high, (the worker) has no relaxation till the ponderous engine stops, and then they go home to get refreshed for the next day; no time for sweet association with their families; they are all alike fatigued and exhausted."

    Read More

  • Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    Before considering the reasons for and impact of child labour, it is necessary to provide a brief overview of the Industrial Revolution in England. The 14th century saw England shift from an exporter of raw wool to manufacturer of quality woollen textiles. The two main events that took place, which allowed this to happen were: the Hundred Years’ War and Bubonic plague. The Hundred Years’ War was a battle between the English and French, which, began in 1337. During the war, King Edward III of England created a wool monopoly in an attempt to raise funds to help support the war effort. This was achieved by taxing the export of wool to Flanders and the Low Countries. As a result, the production of woollen textiles decreased, and provided England the opportunity to capitalize on the shortage. It was also during this time the Bubonic plague struck Europe killing somewhere between a third to a half of the population. The effects of the plague were devastating for the most part, but...

    Read More

  • Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. The exploitation of children hit an all time peak in Britain when generations of its youth were sacrificed to child labor and the “Coffers” of England.

    Read More

  • Essay On Working Conditions During The Industrial Revolution

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, factory workers were expected to work 14-16 hour days, six days a week. The dusty, dirty, unlit mills along with few break times made working there a living hell. “Breaker boys suffered from chronic throat trouble and respiratory illnesses that were caused by inhaling coal dust. Above ground machinery, particularly coal crushers, were dangerously loud. If a breaker boy worked long hours around the coal crusher he often suffered from hearing loss (Wagner). Due to the fact that there were no safety laws in place, ear plugs and masks were not used. In fact, no safety equipment was. The dangerous machines with unprotected parts made children susceptible to injury and death. If someone were to get injured, they were immediately fired and not paid compensation for their health care. “If a boy was caught wearing gloves, the boss would beat him. A skin condition that miners termed “Red tips” was brought about by prolonged contact with sulfur from the coal. Breaker boys’ fingers often became cracked, bloody, and swollen from sorting (Wagner)....

    Read More

  • Essay On Child Labour In The Industrial Revolution

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether their family could not afford to let their hands rest, or those who were bound to the chains of being an orphan, child labor was widely implemented during the Industrial Revolution. “Yoke up the children” cried William Pitt, in order to use their resources in order for the greater good of the factories. Children were subjected to immense abuse, yet those in control of power maintained the firm view to the public that they were given proper treatment, and those that sometimes were hit were never beaten severely, and only when correction was needful. This implementation of normalizing the forced labor of children, as well as steps taken to rationalize the abuse of children, speaks volume to the immense darkness which is less portrayed in the Industrial Revolution. Children were at times forced to work nineteen hour days with minimal breaks for breakfast and dinner, less than four hours of sleep, and no payment if injured. This on top of the fact that children were often injured within their last two hours of the workday due to lack of concentration led to a recipe for disaster. These hours were immensely devastating, especially compared to those of other factory owners such as Mr. Wood, who attempted to only make children work ten hours a day, provide classrooms, as well as a doctor for their use. But even as he began a new position, his replacement led to the abuse and exploitation of the

    Read More

  • Letter From The Little Girl By Mary Paul: An Analysis

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the inside of the factories, by a hard glance of the photos, the machinery looked unsafe for use as well. With this in mind, several of the children have a chance of injuring themselves on the equipment which could, evidently, lead them to death. Children should not be placed into labor factories, for they are

    Read More

More about English Textile Factories During The Industrial Revolution

Open Document