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Middle Class Family Research Paper

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The Cadburys were an ideal example of how a middle class family could succeed during the industrial revolution. In Western England, the Cadbury family owned a small cloth and dry goods store, which flourished because of the industrial revolution. The Cadbury retail store ran by Richard and Elizabeth Cadbury, benefited greatly from the new sources of supply and expanding demand for cloth. This demand was derived from the industrial revolution making materials readily available to the public. The industrial revolution also brought more people into cities, resulting in more people able to buy these cheaper-newer items. After years of expansion and growth, Richard and Elizabeth made enough money to move out to the suburbs and help their son John …show more content…

The Cadburys were not different; they too followed the characteristics of a middle class family early on. In the Cadbury family and many other middle class families it was normal for the man to be the respected economic provider. But, the wife of Richard Cadbury, Elizabeth, also helped out the family business by running it while Richard was gone. On top of her duties to help out at the store, Elizabeth also had to fulfill her responsibility of running the household. They had eight children, which was actually considered a high amount for middle class families during the industrial revolution. The Cadbury sons would be sent off to be apprentices in different cities while the daughters would stay and learn how to work at the shop, the house, and the garden. During this time it was also common for shopkeepers and their families to live above their own store, which is what the Cadburys did until they earned enough money to move to the suburbs. All of these actions were very common amongst the Cadburys and middle class during this time. Certain values were upheld from family to family because they fit the status quo of the

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