Industrial Revolution: The Realities Of Child Labor

Mr. Payne’s testimony contrasted all the points that Ann Eggley and Patience Kershaw made in their testimonies. Payne first said that children started work at age 8, yet Eggley began work at age 7. Payne said that the children worked for 6-7 hours per day, yet Eggley worked 12 hours constantly, starting at 4am; except on Saturdays. Kershaw worked 12 hours also, starting at 5am. Payne believed that “‘[the children were] not ill-used or worked beyond their strength’”, yet Eggley said “‘the work is far too hard for me; the sweat runs off me all over sometimes’”. Patience “‘[hurried 11] corves a mile and more under ground and back; they weigh 300 cwt,’” which is

The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in history that took place between 1760 and the mid 1800’s. During this time frame, a variety of different machines were invented and put in factories to make workers and everyday people’s lives easier. These machines had to be run by people such as women and even children because the men were mostly in coal mines. Some of the many negative consequences about these new jobs and new machines being invented were; child labor, physical abuse on the job, and unsafe working conditions. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because more jobs became available, it was actually a negative thing.

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.

Throughout the 1700’s and the early 1800’s child labor was a major issue in American society. Children have always worked for family businesses whether it was an agricultural farming situation or working out of a family business in some type of workplace. This was usually seen in families of middle or lower class because extra help was needed to support the family. Child labor dramatically changed when America went through the Industrial Revolution. When America’s industrial revolution came into play, it opened a new world to child labor. Children were now needed to work in factories, mills, and mines. These were not ordinary jobs for young children, these jobs required much time, effort, and hard work. “American

The other large part of English child labor was inside of textile factories. Michael Sadler, chairman of the UK parliamentary committee looking to pass a bill to limit child labor in Britain, interviewed factory workers to showcase what happened inside the factories to the British Parliament, in hopes of laws being passed to stop this. In The Sadler Report, he interviews Mr. Matthew Crabtree. Crabtree describes the brutality of his working environment where he was a blanket maker. According the interview, he started working in the factory at age eight, and at that point he would work from “ six in the morning to eight at night,” with one break for lunch at noon. When the factory was busier, he would work sixteen hours. Due to the extreme hours, Crabtree reports extreme exhaustion, and loss of appetite. On top of being kept extremely unhealthy, punishments were doled out often. Crabtree reports that a regular occurrence at the end of the day would be the factory administrators would beat the fatigued children who were too tired to keep up with production. He himself describes being beaten with at piece of the machinery called a “billy,” saying, “I had been struck[...] so much so as to knock me down.” Sometimes, he saw other children 's head’s be opened

Kelley begins her persuasion by reiterating the idea of children working “while we sleep” as a way to reveal the horrendous situation the public refuses to correct. Thousands of youths, with ages ranging from six to ten, begin to work as soon as they are tall enough to reach the bobbins, laboring away in unsafe conditions when they should have been in school getting a much-needed education. A regular occurrence for a working youngster would consist of a twelve to fourteen hour day with a one-hour total break for little or no pay. Occasionally, they toiled nineteen hard hours a day and were given the same minimal breaks; though this was a little bit extreme, it was not uncommon for the children who worked in factories. While operating in these unsanitary and hazardous conditions, the young children were more than likely to suffer injuries and illnesses. They

The Industrial Revolution had many long-lasting effects on the English economy and society in the 1800s; the effects being both positive and negative. England’s industrialization resulted in urbanization, improved production, and better transportation, but also in poor living and working conditions for the working class, including many children. Industrialization in England made production of goods much more convenient, creating a greater demand for unskilled labor and a rapidly growing population. The population increase meant that more food was needed in order to feed everyone. In Document 5, Michael Mandelbaum explains that some rural labor was made “redundant,” causing many people to move to urban cities where they could find work in the new factories.

This was a little bit on the extreme, children who operated in factories work 12-14 hours with 1 hour break. Not only were these children subject to long hours, but also, they were in horrible conditions. Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near. Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. Not until Florence Kelly helped win the passage of the Illinois Factory Act in 1893. The law prohibited child labor and limited women’s working hours. The law became a model for other

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

During the industrial revolution there was new technology being created such as the flying shuttle which allowed you to weave faster but was also very dangerous if it got loose, possibly and injury to the head. People were making more money then usually which was great but the working hours and conditions were not so good especially for children. Children were not making as much money as adults. Children's jobs were

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

“The Cry of the Children” and stories, poems and other works were a direct response to the lack of standardized child labor laws and, or the enforcement of existing laws and regulations related to this issue to protect the safety and welfare of child laborers. Although the English Parliament passed the Chimney Sweepers Act in 1788, it wasn’t until the Factories Regulation Act of 1833 that finally sparked a significant point in taking this issue seriously. From the late eighteenth century the employment of children in mines and factories neglected child workers safety and the conditions of employment would be strongly debated for many years after. In 1833, the Report on the Employment of Children in Factories had led to the Factory Act of 1833

The Industrial Revolution is improving the economy in many different aspects, but it is holding our community back in numerous ways such as child labor, inhumane working conditions, and low wages. From working 12-14 hour days in factories that are covered head to toe in dirt to families spending little or no time together, the new ways of production is greatly hurting our economy. Not just adults but children are also forced to work in buildings that are over 80 degrees, and if they slack on their job then they could get fired or injured to an extent of no recovery. Men, women, and children are spending their days in brick yards, coal mines, and textile factories that are contaminated and dangerous. They can inhale poisonous gases

The roles available required long hours and supplied little pay. The poverty level became very excessive and each capable member of the family was required to work in order keep the family above deprivation. Families migrated from the rural farm areas to the newly industrialized, crowded towns on the lookout for work opportunities. in the course of this revolution, children became one of the groups that had been extensively affected due to the fact they were referred to as to workers within the factories. A family could no longer be capable of earning enough itself if the children weren 't employed. This caused the excessive rise of child labour in factories. Children worked long hours on their family’s farms when they were living in the rural areas but in the cities the children worked extensively hard for very long hours for larger companies

Early childhood labor during the Victorian Era was not an uncommon sight, most children started working by the age of 12. Often they worked hazardous jobs such as mining small coal shaft and cleaning under heavy machinery equipment, where likely an adult-size male couldn't fit. And most likely were not given the same wages as the adult male would receive. Children often stop attending school when they began to work, especially the children that grew up in poverty. The reason they don't finish is because of the long unregulated hours they would work, it's because of this the child labor law