How Far Was the Period 1750 to 1900 an Age of Progress?

Changes began in the late of the 1700’s when power-driven machines began to replace the work people did. It took off in Great Britain. It began to influence other countries such as Europe and the United States. The Industrial Revolution could have only meant several things were coming to change human kid. Not only that, but it was going to leave the people in these countries affected in a negative and positive way. Britain enjoyed a significant economic and technological advantages during the early years of the Industrial Revolution. Not to mention, that there were several major modern political traditions untimely emerging out of the Industrial Revolution.

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

From around 1750 to 1900 Britain went through major changes or transformation in industry, agriculture and transportation that affected everybody’s lives. For some it generally improved their lives, however not all were so lucky. The industrial revolution brought with it many changes good for some and bad for others.

From the ashes of the American Civil War period, the Gilded Age movement emerged into rapid economic growth. From the end of reconstruction in 1877 to the panic of 1893, the American economy nearly doubled in size. The expansion of Industrialization led to growing wages and the urge to work. As new machinery developed, so did the urgency for rapid production of manufactured goods. In this period, new ideas of time being money emerged. Big business men controlled the Gildan age instead of political leaders. Out of the rapid need to gain money and work harder, negative effects such as child labor, women labor, and unfair working conditions appear. In response, the progressivism era emerged. The Progressive movement arose as a response to negative effects of industrialization such as child labor and unemployment. Reformers longed to regulate private and large industries to strengthen working conditions for both employers and consumers Progressivism was an important political and social reformation from 1890-1920 that aimed to make major political and social reforms in effort to progress society after the negative outcomes of industrialization.

“People were forced to work in harsh, dangerous conditions in order to be able to provide for their families” (Document 8). Although most people were grateful to have a job, the conditions that they were forced to work for in order to provide for their families were unfair to them, and their families. Just because they obtained a job one day, doesn’t mean they would have it the next day, for example, if an employee was sick, or injured and had to miss a day of work the employee wasn’t guaranteed to continually have the job after they finally recovered. “I am at work in a spinning room tending four sides of warp which is one girl’s work” (Document 1) working conditions such as these are very harsh for the employees, not only do they have to keep up with the work of four people. Not only do the employees have to keep up with the sea of work, they also have to attempt not to get injured with the very harsh conditions lots of employees did in fact end up with serious injuries. “5 in the morning till 9 at night…” (Document 7) Those were the harsh working hours according to twenty-three year old Elizabeth Bentley. Long hours such as those were very common for factory workers, which made life hard for employees. Not only was harsh working conditions bad, but also the worst consequence that came about through the Industrial Revolution was child

In Document B, which was explained by David A. Wells, an engineer and economist, was informative on how working condition were analogous to a military organization, “in which the individual no longer works as independently as formerly, but as a private in the ranks, obeying orders, keeping step, as it were, to the tap of the drum, and having nothing to say as to the plan of his work, of its final completion, or of its ultimate use and distribution. In short, the people who work in the modern factory are, as a rule, taught to do one thing—to perform one and generally a simple operation; and when there is no more of that kind of work to do, they are in a measure helpless.” (Document B) Which meant that workers at the factory basically don’t hold responsibility to themselves, as workers mainly are only trained to one job, relating to David A. Well theory. Document F sourced by Samuel Gompers, also portrays how the conditions were explaining that there was too many workers trying to fit in one factory place, and poor conditions. This was how union were created, to regain benefits, as well for better working

Wages--thanks mainly to accelerated machinery and improved working conditions--have largely increased. The lavish provision of public parks, baths, and free libraries promotes the health, happiness and culture of the industrial orders. Far seldomer than before do we hear the murmur of popular discontent. Sickness and mortality have been reduced to an extent that is almost incredible” (doc 10 – Abram’s, a journalist and historian, published journal account of the improvements to industrial Manchester.)

Throughout the eighteenth century, British landlords transitioned from the open field system to enclosures because many agricultural innovations were incompatible with the former and so that they could farm more effectively. Enclosures put more land under cultivation and thus, more food was produced. Furthermore, as Document 6 shows, enclosures were easier to cultivate and improve than the open-field system because they required less labor to do so. Less labor was required because, unlike with the open-field system, products on enclosures did not grow past their restricted land and animals could not roam into different enclosures. Throughout Document 6, Thomas Brown, the author, declares that those who neglect enclosures have done so on a superficial basis because he believes that enclosures, in fact, ignite the development of agriculture and increase the availability of jobs.

In Great Britain, the discovery of new land system such as the Four Field Systems leads to an Agricultural Revolution. Once people figured out how to make their land last longer an enclosure movement occurred. Shifting land ownership from everyone being able to have access to land to only certain people having ownership of land. The events that occurred in each of these countries impacted their

Since the beginning of man, the human race has gone through many changes throughout history. One of the most significant and critical changes was the Industrial Revolution of Great Britain. Characterized by the development of new manufacturing processes, the Industrial Revolution was a period between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that spurred extensive changes in almost every aspect of society. These changes stimulated a major transformation in the way of life and created a modern urban society based on industrial manufacturing and not agricultural production. The Industrial Revolution debuted in England because of changes in the textile industry and agriculture leading to a more stable economic platform, an ever-increasing demand for coal, and international success in the trading market, resulting in the development and improvement of daily

During the early 18th century Britain, Britain was in the middle of Industrialization. Factory workers were also paid low wages and had to endure harsh workers conditions. Accidents were common since machinery was very new at this point and were not safe. The factory workers during this time were forced to put up with being exploited because the owners of the factories and the workers themselves knew that there would always be someone else willing to take their job if they quit. To these factory workers, low wages was better than having no income at all. Factory wokers in Britain during the early 18th century were paid low wages such as how cotton textile workers were also paid low wages during the mechanization of the cotton industy in Japan and

work for landowners in exchange for food and shelter. Another economic change was the discovery of

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.

Around when the Industrial Revolution began, agriculture began to take a turn in it’s way of harvesting crops. New techniques of growing and tending crops spread across Europe in the 1700s. “The improved yield of the agricultural sector can be attributed to the enclosure movement and to improved techniques and practices developed during this

The Industrial Revolution changed the ways by how the world produced its goods. It was the era when the use of power-driven machines was developed. It also changed our societies from a mainly agricultural society to one in which industry and manufacturing was in control. This had many effects on people’s lives.