Child Labor During The British Industrial Revolution

Child labor was very common and popular especially in the late 1800s and early the 1900s even though many people were not aware of the dangers. We can define child labor as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and cause to their physical and mental development. Children are the base of a country but in a developing country child labor is an issue that has yet to disappear. Most of the children remain illiterate because of their poor economic condition and parents do not have enough money to spend on the education of their children, rather they send their children for work so that they could earn some money during their poor economic condition. The objective of my research paper is to raise awareness

Throughout history, children have always worked, either as apprentices or servants. However, child labor reached a whole new scale during the time period of the Industrial Revolution. Throughout the time frame of late 1800s-early 1900s, children worked long hours in dangerous factory conditions for very little wages. They were considered useful as laborers because their small stature allowed them to be cramped into smaller spaces, and they could be paid less for their services. Many worked to help support their families, and by doing so, they forwent their education. Numerous nineteenth century reformers and labor groups sought to restrict child labor and to improve working conditions.

Conditions of factories were not safe for anyone, let alone a small child. Due to these conditions many children died before their prime. Many children “began work at age 5, and generally died before they were 25” (www.victorianweb.org), America was beginning to lose an entire generation due to these working conditions that so many had to endure. Children were hired at an alarming rate. “In 1870, the first time census reported child workers, there were 750,000 workers in the United States age 15 and under, not including those who worked on family farms or in other family businesses” (“Child Labor in America”), these numbers were not something that was looked over, it astonished many. “A cotton manufactory of 5 or 6000 spindles will employ those 200 children” (Bremner 232). The workforce would continuously grow, hiring more and more children each day. Factories were good for using children as a means of their productivity. “Textile factories, for the most part […] were in the forefront of this industrial revolution, and children formed an essential component of the new industrial workforce” (Bremner 232). Many times without these children working some of these factories would not have survived through the revolution.

Huge numbers of people suffered during the time of Industrialization. People could not be lazy and had to work extremely hard, and those who did not would eventually die or be left in the dust. This was a time when people were beginning to make new incredible inventions and advancements in technology. Also, factories were recently introduced and this created new job openings and opportunities. Unfortunately this all came with a price. People started hiring children to work because they were cheaper and also gave their employees poor, horrible working conditions. Also due to all the job openings, people would flock to the cities till they were overcrowded and this lead to small cramped living spaces. Children suffered immensely because they were paid less and worked just as hard as adults.

child could not earn much, but even a few pence would be enough to buy

To begin, people debated whether child labor during the Industrial Revolution was a social problem or a political problem. During the Industrial Revolution, the extent of child labor changed due to Britain becoming more industrialized. In the article “Child Labor during the British Industrial Revolution,” Wade Thatcher stated that the majority of scholars argued that since there was a plentiful supply

During the 18 and beginning of the 19th century in certain regions of the U.S child labor made up more than 40 percent of the population (Wolensky). That’s almost half of the working population. Since the beginning of time children have always been known to help their families with domestic tasks. Most of these kids worked in factories because they were easy to control and paid less than adults. Kids earned less than half of what adults made in the work force. In these factories they usually cleaned under and inside machines while functioning because of their small size.. That’s how these kids felt as it was described in a article in our history book. They were always in danger of getting hurt or even dying, which many did. Kids as young

A young boy of seven years old, whose occupation as scavenger, was to gather incessantly from the factory grounds , the debris of cotton that may limit the work. While the roaring machinery passed overhead , and when this is persis fully done, and the cranium , body, and the extremities carefully bound to the floor, the unfaltering movement, but intimidating mass, may pass over the dazed head and trembling body without come into contact with it.” To many of us this text belongs to in the past. This is true ,this was published in the 1800’s in eastern Europe, however it would come as more of a surprise that child labor is still active in our present day society . According to Krugman several thousand men, women and children reside on Smokey

Way back in the 19th century everyone who was physically capable worked. They worked in the feilds, in shops and markets, in homes serving, they worked wherever they could. When the industrial revolution brought about new macherinery for old work it was not so easy of an adjustment. The people went along well with the new technology, but the machines and general atmosphere in factories was dreadful. Deaths were extremely common. Child labor was a necessity for the time period, but has since been rightfull illegaliszed.

During the 19th century child labor was still an ongoing; huge impact in America, mostly because factories needed tiny hands to do the job. They had no option but to work nor resting, they were not able to attend going to school. Handling machines was all they knew how to do, their childhood was taken away from them at a very young age. Several of the machines need no adult strength only tiny hands so they could fit between motors and gears. The lower working class families had to rely on their kids for more income, but what they made was never enough. Child Labor first started in the early 1800’s, while all hand work was now being replaced by machines in huge factories making steel, glass, and chemicals. In fact, kids were breathing in chemicals

After the boom of the textile industry, to keep up with the demand, children were hired to tend the fields. At work they were exposed to many harsh fertilizers and chemicals, sharp tools, and dangerous equipment, which increased their injury risk greatly. Although it was and still is very common for children to help out around the family farm, it was considered child labour once their small jobs turn into a whole day of work and starts to interrupt their education, which was very common during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Although labour laws around agriculture have been placed, we still see children slaving to the land; this is a direct result of the fourteen percent of cotton field workers that were under the age of ten during the industrial

These children were mainly from orphanages that did not have anywhere to go other than to work for someone. Then there was a shift in family life and parents needed their children to start working; according to Tuttle, “The factory owners began to hire children from poor and working-class families to work in these factories preparing and spinning cotton, flax, wool and silk.” There was a greater demand for children in these factories because the economy was growing so there was a greater demand for labor. Tuttle also notes

Although children had been servants and apprentices throughout most of human history, child labor reached new extremes during the Industrial Revolution.There was a big impact on the daily life of a child labourer as poor children often worked full time jobs with minimal pay in order to help support their families. Young children worked long hours in factories under dangerous conditions. children were easier to manage and control than adults because their size was perfect as it allowed them to move in small spaces in factories or mines.The practice of child labor continued throughout much of the Industrial Revolution until laws were eventually passed that made child labor illegal.

One of the most important events in the creation of the new society - is The Industrial Revolution of England.So I would like to make attention to the editor about child labor that was during that Industrial revolution time.Since in that time was really big problems with economic in country it had an results with poverty and non educated people.The factory owners started employing children from the poor familys for very low salary, in sometimes a penny a day.Lots of children didn’t had care or right nutrition , these children were subjected to long hours,harmful working conditions, and harsh punishment and it was reasons why children had weak health and died at such an early age.In that cituation only factory owners see benefits from that

The time period known as the ‘Industrial Revolution’ ranged from c.1750-c.1850. It was an extremely important time period as it changed the type of jobs that children had to do. Children went from doing jobs around the house and helping their parents to make their lives easier to being sent off to a factory to do dangerous work for minimal wage or to a wealthy person’s home to be their servant. Children labour changed the industry then and it has changed how we work today with the laws being much stricter on the jobs, hours, conditions and age that children are allowed to work.