Abuse Of Factory Workers In 18th And 19th Century England

The origins of the abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of children stems from the way children have been viewed throughout history. Dating back to the some of the earliest times in society, children have typically been viewed as property of their parents, with no real individual rights of their own.

In document 5 (Source: Edward ChadWick) it states that the lower class workers were underpaid and that the wages they received wasn't enough because they were getting under paid. That a lower class worker could not be able to live a long and healthy life span due to the lowe wages they were getting paid and with that in mind the workers wouldn't have enough money to afford a clean and sanitized house with essential utilities to live a clean, healthy life. The workers who worked in the factories would be succumbed to horrible and unjust treatment and unsafe, unsanitary conditions. In document 6 (Source: Joseph Hebergam-interview by Michael Sandler and his House of Commons Committee on 7th July, 1832), The Interview reveals on how bad the conditions for the workers were, and how they were beaten and how they overworked them each day. Joseph states that he started working in a factory at the age seven like most other children at the time would start to work, that he would have to work from five in the morning till eight at night and having only one, thirty minute lunch break at noon. Like most factories and mills at the time these workers would be worked all day long which would cause health issue giving them pain in the arms and legs due to them being over worked, and most of the times the workers wouldn’t

The working conditions of the new arrivals were hardly any better, as employees of factories were often overworked, underpaid, and penned up in dangerous conditions. Perhaps the horrors of these conditions can be highlighted by the devastating 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Tragically, over one hundred young women lost their lives in the fire, as there was no way to get out, and the doors were locked, trapping the women inside. Safety was not the only problem, as workers initially were not given the right to organize into unions, essentially doomed to the repetitive motions of factory operation. This meant that they had no way to protest against child labor, wage slavery, and unhealthily long working hours. Eventually, with their growing clout and ever-present industrial dependence on their labor, workers organized and demanded reform along all aspects of hazardous working conditions.

During the early 1900’s, the tsar government became progressively weaker and increasingly aware of its vulnerability in Europe. An average industrial employee worked twelve hours daily in Russia. Alongside this, factory conditions were extremely harsh and the workers felt like little concern was given to their safety and health. Even though attempts to lessen the harsh conditions were made by the workers, little was accomplished. Russian workers wanted to cutback on the hours

They spend 12 to 14 hours each day shut up in a low-ceiling rooms they are all sickly and emaciated, their bodies thin and frail, their limbs feeble, their complexions pale, their eyes dead. This is the horror that Flora Tristan witnessed; people were working more than half a day with no food, clothes, and the working conditions were full of toxic air and other harmful substances. Her standpoint in this statement can be said as being non-biased as she is a socialist and thus, she cares (Doc. 7). People reacted violently to these conditions, which forced the government to pass the Ten Hours Act, which limited the number of hours a worker could work to ten hours a day. This resulted in better condition of the workers. William Abram, a journalist and historian, noticed, the condition of the factory laborers has been vastly improved (Doc. 10). This shows the result of the reaction of the people. The point of view of William Abram is factual and accurate as he is a journalist and a historian, and his work is to provide people with the truth. As witnessed by Frances Kemble, actress, poet, and dramatist, people were [s]houting No Corn Laws when she arrived in Manchester during the inaugural of railway. This shows the reaction to the wages that workers got before some reforms in Manchester (Doc. 4). Document 10 also states that the [w]ages thanks

The years following the Civil War and Reconstruction era was a time period that was somewhat gilded. The Second Industrial Revolution came bearing new inventions, and revolutionized how factories and jobs were worked. In this time period, factory workers were faced with unpleasant working conditions, abuse, pay cuts and the reality of having little to no power. The mass immigration also did them no favor as they were found easy to replace. In order to fight against these unjust acts, laborers would join labor unions in order to protest; however during the time of 1875 and 1900, the labor unions were not that effective. Although they had their efforts, many did utilize the advantages in which were available to them. There were many reasons for the movements initial downfall; they suffered failed strikes resulting from rash violence, unbalanced power between employers and employees, and the absence of government.

During the industrial revolution in Britain, the usage of child labourers dramatically increased as it became a cheap and easy form of labour. This lead to the continued abuse of many children in textile factories. In 1833, the Factory Act of 1833 was put forth which dictated that no children under the age of nine would work. Children ages nine to thirteen wouldn’t work more than nine hours a day and children ages thirteen to eighteen wouldn’t work more than twelve hours a day. In addition it introduced the circulation of four factory inspectors who were to enforce the new legislation. They were to certify whether children had received their compulsory education of two hours each day and report conditions to the government. This act brought forth attention and sparked debates from the public which made stronger note of the working conditions for children.

In 1833, the Factory Act of 1833 was passed to improve the working conditions for children who labored in factories. A source reveals, “Young children were working very long hours in workplaces where conditions were often terrible,” (Document 10). As this came to the government’s attention, the act was produced by them in an attempt to lessen the abuse of working children, and to treat them more like children. First, the Factory Act limited the hours children could work in factories. The act states, “Children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a day; children of 13-18 years to work no more than 12 hours a day,” (Document 10). Children were also not allowed to work at night. By having working hours reduced, children were able to fit in time to play, sleep, and get an education. It also reduced fatigue, as the children weren’t on their feet as long, and they got in more time to sleep. Secondly, within the act, there was a rule limiting the age children must be to work in factories. No children under the age of nine were allowed to work in the factories,” (Document 10). Although this decreased the amount of money coming in for each family, it allowed the children to get educations, have more free time, and help their

From the years 1830-1870 the amount of factory reform passed by the government was revolutionary. Popular reform was mainly headed by prominent philanthropist mill owners and members of the Tory Party. This reform was partly motivated by public pressure, since the enfranchisement of men meant that they had more of a political voice. However, another factor that needs to be considered is the impact of changing ideals of politicians and other influential figures when instigating factory reform. Popular agitation also had a huge influence on factory reform.

A regular shift for any factory worker was 12-16 hours a day, six days a week. The poem “My Boy” written by a working mother during the Industrial Revolution says that her “labor drives [her] forth…” (Document 2) until “…night when [she is] free.” (Document 2) She is “a stranger… to [her] child and [her child] one to [her].” (Document 2). This was not unheard of during this time. Parents and their children being driven away from each other to provide for the family. However, the mother working at the factory provided better financial opportunities for her family and in turn a higher standard of living. Elizabeth Bentley, a woman who testified on the child labor in Britain, when asked “what time [she] began work at the factory” (Documents 7) responded “when I was six years old” (Document 7). She worked in the mill “for about a year” (Document 7). Long hours and separation of family weren’t the only problem when it came to the Industrial Revolution. The use of child labor was also a significant

Child labor was a cruel and unfair way of using children in unnecessary situations. It was debated for a countless number of years whether child labor was a social problem or a political problem. Children were responsible for completing very dangerous, rigorous, and demanding jobs. Most jobs for the children were completed in factories, farms, and coal mines. Subsequently, the working conditions for the children were not healthy, and it led to life threatening situations. Many would get seriously injured or killed. Some worked until exhaustion and fell asleep on the job, and would experience harsh consequences. Generally speaking, child labor drastically changed the way owners ran their businesses during the Industrial Revolution. The ruthless ways of child labor were never changed for the better until different Acts and Laws were put into place. People were concerned with the social and physical wellbeing of working children in Britain during the Industrial Revolution.

wealthy and were swindled into years of free labor in the freshly colonized America, by offering them “an all-expenses paid trip” to the New World.

-During this time factory workers faced harsh working conditions and had low paying wages. They weren't given basic rights as workers and they were certainly not protected. The conditions they had to work in were horrible having due that there weren't any reliable emergency exits and they were exposed to unsafe, dangerous equipment. In many cases workers lost limbs or were seriously

The Factory Act, 1833 was an attempt to set up a normal working day in

Despite efforts to reduce and prevent forced labour over many years, the ILO has estimated