The British Industrial Revolution was the era where a series of technological discoveries increased the production rate of manufacturing, thus increasing the demand for products. This left the leading companies at the time looking for a way to quicken their production rate. The solution came in very small packages… children. They were a fundamental part of the human workforce that powered the Industrial Revolution. However, they were often treated in the most brutal ways possible. Therefore, we can state that child labour during the British Industrial Revolution brought benefits to the country’s economy. However, the physical and psychological impacts it had on them out-weighed the economical benefits. Children often suffered physically from working long hours during the Industrial Revolution. Children working in factories were forced to go through long shifts of arduous work, ranging from 10 to 14 hours a day with very brief breaks in between. Infants had to go through a backbreaking schedule on a daily basis which one could infer that it caused permanent damage to their bodies as they developed deformities from long …show more content…
Child labour was definitely a violation of children’s rights. However, Oxford 's Professor Jane Humphries research shows that The British Industrial Revolution could not have occurred without Child labour, for children in factories provided "free labour". This meant that they worked all day and in exchange received as little as food and shelter. Consequently, production costs of businesses were lowered which in the long run, helped them to prosper and succeed in the industry, building Britain’s strong economy. Therefore, in order for Britain to be where it is today, as one of the biggest economic powers in the world, the childhood of hundreds of children had to be
The ideology of classical liberalism throughout the industrial revolution, brought by philosophers such as Adam Smith and Samuel Smiles, rooted ideals of economic interests over social well-being as they promoted arduous and monotonous work, induing for children. However, through the factory act of 1833, efforts of social reformers such as Michel Sadler and Lord Ashley to expose and shed light on the harsh working conditions of child labor to the public and stirring public outcry for the change and embetterment of the working class proved effective and demanded change. Many reforms were made for the child labor as there were age minimum requirements, limiting work hours, and even requiring education for children. Now, although this goal of actually seeing change an improvement for the working class due to limited government intervention, in 1833, the Factory act’s impact was far-reaching, paving the way for more effective labor reforms in the
In the industrial age many laws were enacted as of late, because of the rise and fall of companies taking power from government and state, many laws common place in the modern world, at that time were slowly gaining weight and of the time were detritus to the human society. As of what Elizabeth Bentley was questioned on, “C: You are considerably deformed in person as a consequence of this labor? B: Yes I am" (doc. 7). Kids working in the factories, one by one, suffered the consequences, and melancholy atmosphere that had personified the liabilities upon their human nature, burning through the skin, the bones, and the muscle that worked long hours, for the minimal sum. That minimal sum would only be a small fraction of the amount needed to feed and pay the expenses of the family.
While some might argue that industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of new machines, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were child labor, disgusting living conditions, and hard, dangerous, filthy jobs for little pay. One of the negative effects of Industrialization was child labor. Many children worked during the Industrial Revolution because they needed to support their families. Lots of them started working very young.
Children were simple to put to work because they could not fight back against their treatment and were vulnerable, into the bargain that their size was valuable for the jobs required to be filled. This advancement in history
In the 1800’s, a girl named Elizabeth Bentley testified before a parliamentary committee investigating conditions among child laborers in Britain’s textile industry. One of the questions stated: “What time did you begin work at the factory?” Elizabeth responded with this: “When I was six years old” (Document 7). This affected her education in years to come. Her health and well-being was affected as well, in which, by the end of her work, she lived in a poorhouse.
During the Progressive time, the main goal was to expand the government to a social setting instead of a political environment. African Americans were considered inferior to the white culture. Child labor was seen in all factories, they would work in the cruelest conditions for little to no pay. During this time, it was Congress’ decision whether or not child labor was legal or not. In present day, African American have a lot more freedom than written in history.
Unsafe working conditions plagued next to, if not, all factories during industrialization. Thousands of workers grew ill or suffered injuries as a consequence of their labor, and would yield their jobs, surrendering their source of income. Taken in the early 1900s, “Lewis Hine’s picture depicts two children working on a very dangerous machine” (Document 8). The matter that children were allowed to manage these machines is awful enough, ignoring just how dangerous the machines were. In addition to this, the children did not appear to be well supervised, which made it all too easy for a disastrous injury to occur.
They also employed them because they were small and could go under and fix the machines easily. As children were expected to work at a young age in the Industrial Revolution time, they employed loads of children so than they didn’t have to do as much work and they could get more done at once. The jobs they done caused injuries frequently such as crushed fingers, broken arms, and even legs been pulled off. The factory owners did not force the workers to work they had a choice, either be homeless, or get underpaid and mistreated. The children had to fix broken machines and fix the broken threads, when they were still going.
The Industrial Revolution was a horrific time in the 1700s by the fact that it caused bad pollution and children would be worn out at the end of their work day. The greatest aspect of industrialization was that the kids and adults had good surroundings. “Of these there are 500 children who are entirely fed, clothed, and educated by Mr.Dale” (Document 6). The quote is evidence that shows the kids were well cared for.
Child labor during the 18th and 19th century did not only rapidly develop an industrial revolution, but it also created a situation of difficulty and abuse by depriving children of edjucation, good physical health, and the proper emotional wellness and stability. In the late 1700 's and early 1800 's, power-driven machines replaced hand labor for making most manufactured items. Many of America 's factories needed a numerous amount of workers for a cheap salary. Because of this, the amount of child laborers have been growing rapidly over the early 1800s.
The Victorian Era was a period of meaningful change and development in British history, marked by great strides in industry, technology, and economics. However, with these advancements came numerous social issues, such as child labor and poverty, which plagued Victorian society. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Victorian Era on child labor and poverty and how these issues were addressed. Nelson Mandela once stated, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” By this, he means that societies keep their treatment of children hidden deep down in their souls.
Child labor was a great concern in the Industrial revolution but very few people did something to stop it. Women and Children were forced to work more than 10 hours a day with only forty minutes to have lunch. Elizabeth Bentley once said that they didn’t have any time to have breakfast or drink anything during the day. They worked standing up and if they didn’t do their work on time they were strapped (whipped). Children were treating like they were not important, like they didn’t deserve a better life.
The Industrial Revolution not only transformed the everyday life of people in a positive way but had an overall negative affect to the people who lived and worked in Britain. Young children were made to work long, tiring hours in very unsafe work environments for little to no benefits. This was also a time period for new inventions, overcrowded cities, diseases, and social change. During the time period of 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840, the era known as the Industrial Revolution occured. This was a time period in which underlying changes began to happen in agriculture, textile, metal manufacturing, economic policies, social structure, and transportation (Dickens 1).
People in support of child labor claims that it is beneficial for developing countries and the economic growth. without having in mind that children are people who are dependent upon their families or government officials. During the revolution time, children became young workers to help in the growth of their countries as well as supporting their parents at home. Weather changes or family events has never been seen as obstacles for children no to work the designated number of hours per month, which makes
Children are deprived of their right of getting education and contributing to their human capital accumulation. In addition to being an economic issue, child labor has important psychological and