Industrial Work Dbq Essay

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The 1800’s, when people were moving from the countryside to the city. Now, families were in search of new jobs, but machines created a new problem because they were replacing people’s jobs. Owners of businesses and lands noticed the issue and realized that families needed more income in the household, so they were going to need every member in the family to work, including the young ones. Children were taken advantage of because they didn't have much power; therefore, we think industrial work was perilous for working-class children due to the lack of attention that was given towards the safety of the children. Also, the fact that children could die under the conditions they were put under, was not taken into consideration. First of all, children were often injured by the various machines in the factories. Dr. Ward tells us, “...accidents were very often admitted to the infirmary, through the children’s hands and arms having been caught in …show more content…

For example, John Birley experience was the following, “But before we were examined we were washed and cleaned up and ordered to tell them we liked working at the mill and were well treated… we answered as we had been told, not daring to do any other, knowing what would happen if we told them the truth.” (Doc C). Children were threatened to lie to the officials, so factory, mill, etc. owners wouldn’t be stripped of their cheap labor: children. Not only were they being threatened, but they were full of so much fear to what would happen if they were to tell the truth. They were aware of the punishments they could receive, meaning they had seen the punishments take place before and frequently. Another mistreatment children faced, according to “Children Who Built Victorian Britain: Part 2”, was sexual abuse. Children seemed vulnerable to the people that were in charge of them; therefore, they were taken advantage of and didn’t have a source of

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