Child+Labor+during+the+Industrial+Revolution

__ Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution __
** Nineteenth Century ** The nineteenth century was one of the most important time periods in Europe. It led way way to new, controversial ideologies that were introduced by Darwin and the renovating of old cities, that soon became the great cities that we have today. One such example is Paris, designed by Haussmann. The Industrial Revolution is arguably the most important part of the nineteenth century. It allowed for the inventions of the steam engine, mass production of textiles, and even improvements to the submarine.

Before the Industrial Revolution occurred, many children worked for their parents on their farm in order to obtain more income for their family. After the Industrial Revolution began, the extensive use of child labor began in Britain. Much controversy has been generated, even today, about whether or not child labor was detrimental to the child.
 * Industrial Revolution Background **

A child began working as young as six years old and worked up to nineteen hours a day with only one hour set aside for breaks. This was extreme, many children only worked for around 14 hours. These long hours proved to be hazardous as the tired children worked in dangerous conditions, like mines and textile factories. This increased the chances of the child being maimed or killed. With these dangerous working conditions, the children should have received great wages for their work. This was not the case. Children were payed very little compared to that of an adult's wages. This was "justified" by giving the children food, shelter, and clothing that was not substantial enough to meet the child's needs. One child explained the wages that they received: "They [boys of eight years] used to get 3d [d is the abbreviation for pence] or 4d a day. Now a man's wages is divided into eight eighths; at eleven, two eighths; at thirteen, three eighths; at fifteen, four eighths; at twenty, a man's wagesÐ About 15s [shillings]."
 * Working Hours and Wages **

**Treatment of the Children** The treatment of children in factories and mines, was normally fairly harsh, and the child did not deserve it. Many children were verbally abused, beaten, and forced to perform dangerous jobs, sometimes resulting in injury or death. If a child was late to work, they would either be dragged out of bed, unclothed, and forced to get dressed in front of all the workers, or they were weighted. Weighting, or the hanging of a weight around a child's neck, was painful and normally resulted in deformation of the child's spine. Others were dumped headfirst into a bucket of water if they were falling asleep and potential runaways were branded with a hot iron. Factories, who employed orphaned children, were known to treat the children the worst. In some cases, the factory owners shackled the children's feet and whipped them into working. Ann Eggley, and 18 year old coal hurrier who started working at seven, explained in her testimony that she was made to move heavy wagons, or corves, from four in the morning, until five at night. Ann explained that she never learned to read or write and she didn't get enough food:

"We don't always get enough to eat and drink, but we get a good supper. I have known my father to go at two in the morning to work...and he didn't come out till four."

**Attempts to stop Child Labor** **Factory Act 1802** The Factory Act of 1802 was the first factory act instituted during the Industrial Revolution. This was passed by the British Parliament and stated that the factories must be cleaned at least twice a year, two sets of clothing are to be given to the apprentices, the apprentices can't work more than twelve hours a day, and all workers must be educated, on Sunday, of Christian beliefs. **Factory Act 1833** This factory act was the second act ever instituted and applied solely to the textile factories. This act allowed a child, aged thirteen to eighteen, to work only a max of twelve hours a day and a child, aged nine through twelve, to work only nine hours. The Factory Act of 1844 attempted to reduce the hours a child between the ages of eight and thirteen could work. The hours were reduced from nine hours to six and a half per day. Also included in this factory act was the involvement of surgeons in the factories. If a child or anyone received an injury, it was required for it to be reported to the surgeon. A list of all of the names, ages, and cleaning times, were also to be kept. **Factory Act 1847** This factory act, also called the Ten Hour Bill, limited the hours of work from sixty-three hours a week to fifty-eight hours per week. This was equal to ten hours of work per day. **Factory Act 1850** The Factory Act of 1850 was designed to clarify the vague reforms made in the Factory Act of 1844. It was clarified in this act that the hours of work should be from six in the morning to six in the evening in the summer and from seven in the morning to seven in the evening in the winter. **Factory Act 1867** This act, instituted by the Second Children's Employment Commission, was designed to limit the working hours of women and children, who worked in factories with fifty or more employees. The Factory Act of 1874, limited the working hours, in a textile factory, from ten to nine and a half hours a day. The Factory Act of 1891, raised the minimum working age of children from ten to eleven and forced the fencing machinery to have more stringent requirements. "The Workers' May-Pole", drawn by Walter Crane in 1894, depicts bare-foot workers,       dancing around a May-Pole. The May-Pole is actually depicted a motherly figure, hold a banner saying "Socialization, Solidarity, Humanity." The ribbons that extending from the May-Pole signify the perfect, socialist life. One of these ribbons states, "No starving children." The May-Pole, normally a child's game, is used in this case as a form of propaganda to gain socialist rights. One of these rights is no more child workers or starving children.
 * Factory Act 1844**
 * Factory Act 1874**
 * Factory Act 1891**
 * Child Labor and May Day**


 * Debate today: Was child labor bad?**    It has always been a controversial topic, even today, if child labor was totally a bad thing. Some have argued that the work was good for the child, providing experience and an improvement in character, that was useful later in life. They claimed that earning wages at such a young age, helped them in building self-worth and self-confidence, making sure they did not take life for granted. Others suggest that child labor would not have been bad, but only if it had been taken in moderation. For example, the child could have worked at home with his parents, allowing his family to gain more income and achieve a higher rank in society. If the child had worked at home, there would have been a lesser chance that they would be beaten or verbally abused. finally, some people argue that the children should not have been made to work. They think that the children should have been given the chance to delve into knowledge and go to school. These three views have been debated time and time again, even today, and still one question remains: "Would the Industrial Revolution have happened the way it did and accomplish as much as it did, if there would have not been child labor?"



__**Links:**__ 19th Century

http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tuttle.labor.child.britain http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRchild.main.htm http://www.victorianweb.org/history/hist8.html http://www.fff.org/freedom/0999f.asp http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/1361/Child-Abuse-History-ABUSE-DURING-INDUSTRIAL-REVOLUTION.html http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/victorianbritain/links/default.htm http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/sep/07/britishidentity.patrickbarkham http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/education/19th%20century/nineteenth_century.htm http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/illustratedword/craneCause/08-09crane.html
 * __Sources:__**