The Second Industrial Revolution
Running Head: After reviewing the several links discussing labor conditions and the use of child labor, write a two to three page paper answering the following questions:
1. Why was there such widespread use of children in the mines and factories?
2. What affect did investigations of child labor have on industry?
3. What labor reforms came out of these investigations?
The Second Industrial Revolution (1840-1900)
James Hager
Touro University International
HIS# 101
Professor Dr. Amarjit Gill
Module 1 (Case Assignment)
During the industrial revolution many factories and mines did everything they could to exploit women and children by having them work in less than desirable conditions. Women and child labor was used for many years in many different industrial positions that would normally only be worked by men. The reason for this use was due to the fact of the companies could find more women and children that they could basically force into working the jobs that no one else would want to work, for little if not no money at all. Another reason was because of the abundance of women and children available to be used to fill the positions. Women and children were sometimes sold into “slavery” if you will, and forced to live in the factories or very close to them, possibly even in compounds that surrounded the factories and mines, and were not allowed to leave the confines of their work areas until their time was worked off. Many of these people were sold by their parents at an early age, even at 6 years of age these kids were being sold off for couple of dollars for a six year contract basically… so at the age of 6 these kids were basically being sold into slavery by their parents for a few dollars, and then by the time that they completed the 6 years or more that they were enslaved for they were basically released, but as many of them only knew the life of working in the mils and mines many of them remained.
Some of the
1. Why was there such widespread use of children in the mines and factories?
2. What affect did investigations of child labor have on industry?
3. What labor reforms came out of these investigations?
The Second Industrial Revolution (1840-1900)
James Hager
Touro University International
HIS# 101
Professor Dr. Amarjit Gill
Module 1 (Case Assignment)
During the industrial revolution many factories and mines did everything they could to exploit women and children by having them work in less than desirable conditions. Women and child labor was used for many years in many different industrial positions that would normally only be worked by men. The reason for this use was due to the fact of the companies could find more women and children that they could basically force into working the jobs that no one else would want to work, for little if not no money at all. Another reason was because of the abundance of women and children available to be used to fill the positions. Women and children were sometimes sold into “slavery” if you will, and forced to live in the factories or very close to them, possibly even in compounds that surrounded the factories and mines, and were not allowed to leave the confines of their work areas until their time was worked off. Many of these people were sold by their parents at an early age, even at 6 years of age these kids were being sold off for couple of dollars for a six year contract basically… so at the age of 6 these kids were basically being sold into slavery by their parents for a few dollars, and then by the time that they completed the 6 years or more that they were enslaved for they were basically released, but as many of them only knew the life of working in the mils and mines many of them remained.
Some of the
References: 1. Tuttle, Carolyn. "Child Labor during the British Industrial Revolution", EH.Net Encyclopedia, edited by Robert Whaples. August 15, 2001 http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tuttle.labor.child.britain 2. Life in Great Britain During the Industrial Revolution, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, last edited 16 December 2008 www.wikipedia.org/Life in Great Britain During the Industrial Revolution 3. Child Labour, Spartacus Educational, Author: John Simkin, Many sections referenced from this material. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRchild.htm