Factory Workers Dbq

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The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century led to the rapid industrialization of many cities in England and the rest of the United Kingdom. This rapid industrialization led to many new machines that increased efficiency and created a lesser need for workers. The workers of Leeds, England feared the repercussions of such a lesser need for workers, so they petitioned to their factory owners and managers, pleading them to lessen the use of machines. The factory owners replied claiming that everyone would benefit from their machines. Even though both of the two groups backed up their position with good reasoning and facts, the factory workers’ arguments were more solid in their defense, both presenting numbers and very real truths in their evidence …show more content…

They presented the numbers of people immediately unemployed due to machines, which already are extremely high, let alone the idea the children that will grow up without jobs. They estimated that each of the workers left without a job had a son who would have been placed into an apprenticeship for the same type of work as their father. With the lack of jobs, there would also be a lack of apprenticeships, drastically increasing the number of lost jobs. With their children locked out of prospective jobs, the factory worker fear that their children will not be able to learn a decent way to work, and, when left idle, resort to criminal activity. They also state that they cannot train for another skill set because they need to care for their families. In this effort, factory workers are pleading their former employers to limit the use of machines so that they can provide for their families and secure the future of their children. However, the business responded only with personal gain in mind. The claim that everyone would benefit from the use of machines was not true for the workers for a long time. The business owner's personal interest clouded their judgements with views of vast wealth, but they missed the idea that there was likely starving children paying for their greed. The factory workers argument was based mainly in fact, whereas the business owners argument was based on mere speculation on the success of their industry. The workers represented the greatest number of people, and if the greater of the two did not benefit from machinery, repercussions would have been greater if they began to suffer. Therefore, their argument is more important and supported than that of their former

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