Working Conditions In The 1800's

In society, many make a living by working for others to get the necessities they need. Workers face many struggles such as wage cuts, horrendous work conditions, an increase in hours, due to these conditions they are labeled ‘wage slaves.’ These individuals have no choice but to work in these conditions. The growth of industry in the United States made corruption easier and made employers richer while the poor stayed poor. The employers justify their actions by arguing that the employees have a choice to go and work for someone else. However, workers do not have the choice to work for others since most employers were using the same method to make a profit. Workers are treated unfairly, but they use many effective techniques such as strikes

Being an industrial worker in the late 19th-century in America was not a simple life. Even at the best times the pay was small and the time spent at work was long in dangerous conditions. Most of the money derived in America went to the actual workforce. Women and children suffered the most however, making up the majority of the workers and only receiving a small percentage of what a man could make. Different periods of economic crises tokk the nation by storm, also breaking down the amount of wages from industrial work and increasing the total population of the unemployed.

There were several problems that the laborers faced. There were unsafe working conditions, unequal pay, discrimination, and so many other things. Some places even had children as young as four working in factories. Women in the workplace were treated unfairly compared to the men. Unsafe working conditions led to many injuries and deaths in men, women, and children.

The working conditions of the new arrivals were hardly any better, as employees of factories were often overworked, underpaid, and penned up in dangerous conditions. Perhaps the horrors of these conditions can be highlighted by the devastating 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Tragically, over one hundred young women lost their lives in the fire, as there was no way to get out, and the doors were locked, trapping the women inside. Safety was not the only problem, as workers initially were not given the right to organize into unions, essentially doomed to the repetitive motions of factory operation. This meant that they had no way to protest against child labor, wage slavery, and unhealthily long working hours. Eventually, with their growing clout and ever-present industrial dependence on their labor, workers organized and demanded reform along all aspects of hazardous working conditions.

What are two ways women’s domestic duties are affected by those jobs performed outside the home? “Throughout history, women have made major economic contributions to their societies and families through their labor” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 273). However, there is old rumors that state women clearly were declined the opportunities to bound in any form of clamorous work of any kind. Though, that is no longer the case today, for many women join the men in the fields, to help process the crops in order to provide much needed nutrients for their families; than ever before. “To explain the world of work for women, sociologists focus on four major types of production in which women have traditionally engaged: producing goods or services for consumption

In the mid-1800s lots of things were being made by machine. For example: clothing, shoes, watches, guns, and farming machines were made. In 1840 the workday was 11 ½ hours. The workers were very tired and they most likely would have accidents. Workers and even children were hurt a lot by the machines. In the summer they were hot and in the winter they were cold, because there was not air conditioning or a heater in the factories. There were no laws to help the working conditions, and even to protect them. The owners didn't care about the workers, they cared about the money. Children would work six days a week and 12 hours or more a day. In the factories it was really hard and dangerous. Children would work the machines

During the industrial revolution in Britain, the usage of child labourers dramatically increased as it became a cheap and easy form of labour. This lead to the continued abuse of many children in textile factories. In 1833, the Factory Act of 1833 was put forth which dictated that no children under the age of nine would work. Children ages nine to thirteen wouldn’t work more than nine hours a day and children ages thirteen to eighteen wouldn’t work more than twelve hours a day. In addition it introduced the circulation of four factory inspectors who were to enforce the new legislation. They were to certify whether children had received their compulsory education of two hours each day and report conditions to the government. This act brought forth attention and sparked debates from the public which made stronger note of the working conditions for children.

Many people working had very poor living conditions. Friedrich Engels describes the England streets, the slums, ¨...unpaved, full of holes, filthy and strewn with refuse.”and their rivers as ¨...coal-black and full of stinking filth and rubbish…(Document 9)¨ It wasn't just bad at their homes it was also bad at their work. Joseph Hebergam was a man who had been working at one of the many mills that had horrible working conditions. Working in these horrible conditions Joseph was told he would die within the year of 1832 because he had a severe illness. When asked how he got the illness he responded with, ¨He (the doctor) told me it was caused by the dust in the factories and from overwork and insufficient diet...¨ People just did not die because of an illness they also died from infections. These mills were working their workers to

Dangerous factory conditions also had a negative effect on society. Although the factory system positively helped to advance technology, its environments were horrendous. Firstly, these horrible conditions brought on multiple types of health risks (Document 3). Due to epidemics spread from factories, workers could be subdued to respiratory problems and could gain permanent deformities on their body. Secondly, when workers

The factories caused much damage, especially in the environment. Lush green trees were replaced with towering smokestacks spewing black filth into the air (Document 7). The conditions inside the factories were not much better. Factories were buildings designed for production and not much else, so the working conditions were unhealthy and dangerous (Document 10). Because of the mistreatment of young workers and the unhealthy conditions, labor laws were put in place that limited the time that children could spend working in factories (Document 4).

In the 1800’s, before the establishment of factories, laborers worked from home and received a “piece-rate wage” based on the output and quality of products produced. Cottage industries included spinning, weaving, lacing, and branding, which provided job opportunities and a source of income for women. This “piece-rate wage” system disappeared during the Industrial Revolution, when steam-powered factories became laborers’ workplace. As women started to get older, the gender wage gap widened; by the age of 30, women factory workers only earned approximately one-third of a man’s wage. Women organized into labor unions, which utilized strikes to negotiate labor rights and fair pay. The strikes were not always successful, but started to catch the

In the means of health affected by the Industrial Revolution the negatives outweighed the positives. In document 4, Excerpt from the testimony of Joseph Hebergam to the Sadler Committee, is about a man who tells his story of working in a dangerous job in a factory. His health was impacted vigorously for the worse of things. From being overworked day after day his lungs were damaged so badly he was told he would die within a year. His leg muscles did not function right because of being overworked. Hebergam’s legs could not even support the weight of himself. The reason why he would die within a year was because of the dusts in the factory and having an insufficient diet. Others had died because of factory incidents. Hembergam’s brother died because he was cut by a machine and died of infection. The machines were not properly protected to the point of being the cause of many child deaths. Hembergam tells of a story from the last factory he worked at and how two siblings died because they both were severely injured. In document 1, an excerpt from William Cooper’s testimony before the Sadler Committee, tells about a man who had to work from seven in the morning to eleven at night with a very small amount of time to eat whatever he had brought that would spoil. The consequences of the small lunch period with what they had brought from their home where the health of the workers. Ice packs were not yet

In the 1800s almost everything was created in a factories. You need people to work in there so it created more jobs for people to work at. A lot of the times it was kids working in there because they are small and can get in the small parts of the machines so it made the adults jobs easier but put a lot of kids in danger of the machines. The conditions in the factories were always bad. If it was in the summer the workers would get very hot and in the winter they would mostly freeze and it would be hard for them to work. They would have to work very long periods at a time and would have to work 12 hours or more a day. This would make the workers very tired and not have almost any free time and live some workers to work at night for most of their

“Attacks of epidemic disease are as fatal in periods of commercial and manufacturing prosperity as in any others.”(Chadwick’s Report). Factories in the 19th century were brutal. People working there had low wages and many working hours. For laughing and taking breaks they get fined. If you get tired, you were whipped back to work. Working in the Payatas, a trash pile wasn’t as stressful but if another collapse occurs, it could take your life away. People working there had to scavenge through to find something that they could recycle out of and sell to get money and support their family. Working conditions were hard when it rained and the government did only so much to protect the people working in the Payatas but never helped them find another job.

George S.- “Due to scorching hot conditions in the factories, factory workers would leave the factory into frosty conditions during the night which led to phenomena. The hot conditions were also caused by the cotton thread as it must be spun in moist conditions up to 21.11 degrees Celsius. Other illnesses such as chest and lung infections and loss of hearing occurred as the atmosphere was dusty and the noise from the machines affected the workers hearing.”