Children During The Victorian Era

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.

The way children grow up and are treated by their parents has changed immensely from the 18 and 1900s. Adult perspective of children has also changed. Children are no longer viewed as property, but an actual human being who has choices. New laws and organizations have outlawed and forbid certain acts against children. In the United States, if one is under the age of 18 years old they are considered a child. There is a vast difference between how children were treated in the 1800s and in today’s society; whether it’s child abuse or child labor, how children are raised has changed for the better.

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.

In the documentary “The Children Who Built Victorian Britain” by BBC, talks about the children of the industrial revolution, it shows the jobs they had, where these children came from, their motivation and the progression of laws against child labor. Before the industrial revolution people used to manufactures their goods in their homes using simple machines, but in the late 1700’s this shifted drastically in Britain. They started to implement new ideas of modernization using industries to manufacture goods at a larger scale. The steam engine, iron and textile industries were one of the many industries that played a key role to improve economy, transportation and living conditions in the late 1700’s. Without the industrial revolution we wouldn’t have the technology that we have nowadays, but the industrial revolution also brought a dark chapter for history, the exploitation of children.

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.

Neglect and abuse towards children still occurs in society today as it did in pre-industrial times. Adult control over children can take the extreme form of physical neglect, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Some may say due to figures from charities such as Child Line rising there is a ‘dark side’ to family life, where children are victims. This shows in some cases the status of children hasn’t changed over time.

Orphan Children living in the 1800s were living on overcrowded streets of cities. Over 30,000 abandoned kids were placed into new families throughout Canada and the United States using what were called ‘orphan trains’ . This movement was one of the first documented for foster care in America. The Orphan Train Movement was a supervised welfare program that operated between 1854 and 1929. These kids faced many obstacles, a rough childhood, and their family life could be torn apart or challenging for them.

In the early 1700s up until the 20th century, each year has had its own growth spurt. From advancements in technology, medical treatment, architecture, and even etiquette and manners. Overall, the world is a melting pot that contains, a mixture of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Whereas, the foundation for mannerism begins at home.

In the nineteenth century, although society became a bit harsher on those who abused or neglected children and child welfare organizations mushroomed, child abuse and neglect were still not considered crimes (Hirschy, & Wilkinson, 2012). However, all through the twentieth century, the social perceptions of child abuse and neglect have shifted a great deal from something that was totally unacceptable to a demeanor that can no longer be allowed both in legal and social circles. But the criminalization of child abuse and neglect was only one step towards overall child wellbeing. There is still much more to be done to ensure that child maltreatment has been eradicated.

Historically, children were viewed very differently than they are today. Adults thought of children as being seen and not heard. Children were expected to work in textile factories or as chimney sweeps in order to provide for their families. They did not have rights and in the family, children followed the rule “do as you’re told” so they would survive. It was not until 1875 when the thought of the rights of children came about. Rights of children “stemmed from their status – dependent, immature individuals who require care, protection, and guidance to survive and flourish,” (Downs, Moore & McFadden, 2009, p. 7). Politicians thought children deserved an education and protection, so they introduced “child saving” activities that advocated for the improving the lives of and conditions for children. Since this was enacted orphanages were developed for communities that experienced disasters and orphan trains helped in resettling over 100,000 children. In 1924 the League of Nations approved the Geneva Declaration of of the Rights of a Child which gave children rights such as receiving food, healthcare, protection, and shelter (Strohm, Powerpoint, September 3).

The Victorian Period was a great influence to the authors who composed novels at that time where distinctions between social classes as well as between men and women were strongly marked. During this period, it was precisely a woman who ruled. Alexandrina Victoria who was born on May 24, 1819 became Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837 until her death on January 22, 1901. Victoria’s reign was one of the longest of a female in history. At only the age of 18, after her uncle William Henry IV died, she began a span of 63 years of reign. In spite of her independence and power, Victoria fell into a deep depression when her husband died in 1861 and ever since she wore black every day for the rest of her

Victoria was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 to 1901. She was the only daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent. Her father died shortly after she was born and she became heir to the throne. The Victorian Age was characterised by rapid change and developments in almost everything. From advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge, to changes in population growth and location. Today, we associate the 19th century with the work ethic, family values, religious observation and institutional faith. In 1840, Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. At first, the British public did not particularly like the German prince, and he was excluded from holding any official political position. At times, their marriage was hectic because they both had

“The seriousness of emotional deprivation: It is not difficult to understand how children who have suffered from malnutrition or starvation need food and plenty of care in their bodies are to recover so they can go on to lead normal lives. If, however, the starvation is severe enough, the damage will be permanent and they will suffer physical impairments for the rest of their lives. Likewise, children who are deprived of emotional nurturing require care and love if their sense of security and self-confidence is to be restored. However, if love is minimal and abuse high, the damage will be permanent and the children will suffer emotional impairments for the rest of their lives,” said by Mark Z. Danielewski, April 11th, 2014. The issue of child abuse dates all the way back to colonial times in 1809 before organized child protection began. Back in this time child abuse wasn’t recognized by people as a serious issue so many people were able to kill children without harsh consequence. For example in 1810 a woman was arrested for killing a newborn child and admitted to several people that she killed the baby, even so, she was found not guilty most likely because the jury thought was psychotic. Many children went without protection and were killed, raped, kidnapped, and tortured during this time and still this wasn’t seen as a high priority issue in the United States. It wasn’t until 1875 that the world's first organization that was completely devoted to child protection came

The Victorian Age's morality also condemned any kind of sexual reference in literature. Victorian critics demanded from "serious" literature a didactic content and respect to the Victorian conventions which established that sex

great prosperity in Great Britain's literature. The Victorian Age produced a variety of changes. Political and social reform produced a variety of reading among all classes. The lower-class became more self-conscious, the middle class more powerful and the rich became more vulnerable. The novels of Charles Dickens, the poems of Alfred,