Child Labour During The British Industrial Revolution

There were now many openings for jobs as well, as employers needed many workers during this time to work in these factories and mines, to make sure that they produced great results. However with all these positives there comes negatives and these all begin with child labour. The Industrial Revolution introduced child labour as a cheap-effective way to get work done, and since then it has left a print on our world. This is evident as children would often work approximately 12-14 hours a day for a very minimal wage with little to no breaks.

Children as young as six years old during the industrial revolution worked hard hours for little or no pay. Children sometimes worked up to 19 hours a day, with a one-hour total break. This was a little bit on the extreme, but it was not common for children who worked in factories to work 12-14 hours with the same minimal breaks. Not only were these children subject to long hours, but also, they were in horrible conditions. There’s large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near.

Child labour has been happening since the beginning of the industrial revolution when factories were first introduced. The working conditions unfitting for children with large and dangerous machinery, long work days and very little break time. It is said that child labour was crucial during the Industrial Revolution for it to succeed. By the early 1800s, England had employed over a million child workers. " Factory owners were looking for cheap, malleable and fast-learning work forces – and found them ready-made among the children of the urban workhouses," states Professor Jane Humphries from Oxford.

Children went to work in harsh and dangerous conditions, leaving their education behind so they and their families can be able to survive. The Industrial Revolution created urbanization because it replaced hand labor for making most manufactured goods. The textile industries, mining industries, and manufacturing industries began to spring up and flourish all over the country. Most poor families moved to the urbanized areas due to the jobs that the factories provided.

Child laborers often work for long hours and little paid due to the fact that they are easy to either manage or control by adults. They had to work in factories with poor conditions and especially dangerous for children. Due to these historical examples, moral obligation of a society may not fail to

They slaved for hours and hours over large machines, working for long hours each week. Workers suffered constantly, weaving and sewing until closing time. Many people perceive that mills were run by greedy owners and in most cases, they weren’t wrong. Mill owners gave workers little pay and little time to eat. Workers were only paid enough to support their homes and they could barely support their family.

Children were also beaten in the event that they weren't

Regarding politics, the Industrial Revolution greatly impacted the world by establishing child labor laws and supporting imperialism. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, children as young as six years old were working in factories. Conditions were exceedingly harsh; they worked very long hours around extremely dangerous machinery at a premature age (Doc 4b, Byerly). Do to the lack of child labor laws, children were put at high risks of growth defects and their fingers being dismembered by machines. Because of these conditions, the first child labor law was enacted in 1819.

It was not unusual that death rates went up for the working class, due to all the hazards. Labor unions thought that having hazardous working conditions was unfair, and for what? “Women filling the

Everyone, unless you were richer, had to work approximately 14 to 16 hours per day, six days per week. Child labor was a big problem, most of them worked as often as their parents did. It was better for the factory owners to hire children. They, for one, were easier to control than the adult. THey could also fit in the machines to get things out because of how small they were.

Industrial child labor was first developed when different forms of government were being created to help run the countries more efficient and make the most money. These new types of government made it so factories were booming and more and more worker were needed, until the factories soon turned to child labor, which was a con of this new way of running things but might have been the best way to do things in this time of desperate need. Germany’s child workers in the industrial revolution were very similar to Britain 's in the way of how they treated their workers and the harsh/abusive working conditions. They were also very different in the way that Germany had not as packed factories and were paid more for their work, even though the pay wasnt much more than England 's (Approximately 1 shilling more), they still paid them more contrary to Britain 's system of pay. This source is reliable because the information found was similar to other sources written by authors who have published this information before.

During the years 1880-1920 there were many issues because of urbanization and industrialization. The industrial revolution brought many new job opportunities with low wages making companies focus on women and children. These opportunities were available but at a cost, they were paid less and they were forced to work up to ten hours. The industrial giants made labor a tough and unfair lifestyle. They wanted more riches, but they were making people suffer in order to obtain the money.

They had to find a way to meet the needs of society and not just what the country wanted. The country around Europe wanted to make as much money as possible but it was at a big cost. William Alexander Abram, “ The Hours of Labor in Factories Act, passed in 1844… the excessive hours of labor have legally reduced to ten hours per day. Wages— thanks mainly to accelerated machinery and improved working conditions— have largely increased.”

The work environment was unsanitary and many people were getting sick and or dying. Although, the Industrial Revolution was sad, in the end the western civilization was able to extend their power and become more well

Without the Knights of Labor overseeing that changes be made, labor workers would have no one representing them with issues like child labor or a graduated income tax. The Knights called for the government to step in as protector of safety and fairness in the workplace(America Firsthand, 49).     This labor union primarily worked for the 8 hour day for workers, child labor laws and better wages. This was important as factory workers, including children, were often working more than 10 hours a day. These long hours led to workplace accidents and illnesses.