Introduction
What is labour? Labour is a social class comprising those who do manual labour or wages. In the industrial revolution, labour played a big part in how people lived their lives. Many machines were built in this time to make life easier and more productive. This affected not only Britain's lifestyle, child labour, payments and conditions, but it affected the world with it.
The Lives of The Children
The Children
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During the early stages of the industrialization, children suffered the terrible conditions of the Industrial Revolution. Education wasn't necessary, so there was barely any working-class children that can read or write.Poor children were part of the labour because they don't have any choice. Poor families needed every person to work at the earliest age in order to survive. The wage that parents get are low, that they couldn't make ends meet. Children were very useful workers because they were small in size. This advantage is mostly in textile factories and mine shafts. Many children were employed to go into and out of power looms because of their small hands can go into the workings of the machines to pick out any loose threads or tangles.
Lifestyle
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The children during the Industrial Revolution developed lung cancer or other diseases. They commonly died before the age of 25. Lots of workers were orphans and were not paid. Some of the children had shackles to prevent them from escaping. Factory dangers were lost limbs, death, blinded, burned and scarred. Children were also abused. Female worker take care of children for long hours. Some factories provide education, but most children were pretty much a slave. Workers ate oatcakes which was very thick and coarse. Dinner was potato pie with bacon and had cheese and brown bread once a year. Some kids ate while working, causing the food to become dusty and dirty. Multiple families lived in one room. They had poor hygiene and some were lucky to be able to have basic needs. Workers got sick very easily and they had no right to vote. Then riot broke out in 1764 when parliament decides the destruction of certain machines should be punishable by death. In 1811, a group of workers called Luddites, began attacking factories and machines which was led by Ned Ludd. The movement lasted until 1816.
The Three Acts
The British parliament passed three acts that helped regulate child labour.
1. Cotton Factories Regulation Act 1819
- Set the minimum working age to 9
- Set the maximum working hours to 12 per day
2. Regulation of Child Labor Law 1833
- Established paid inspectors to inspect factories on child labor regulations and enforce the law
3. Ten Hours Bill 1847
- Limited working hours to 10 per day for women and children
1. Cotton Factories Regulation Act 1819
- Set the minimum working age to 9
- Set the maximum working hours to 12 per day
2. Regulation of Child Labor Law 1833
- Established paid inspectors to inspect factories on child labor regulations and enforce the law
3. Ten Hours Bill 1847
- Limited working hours to 10 per day for women and children
General Labour
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The conditions of factories during the Industrial Revolution could be summed up in one word: brutal. The factories had no lighting; the building relied on sunlight which was limited. Textile factories were very dangerous because the machines were unprotected and close together. Fluff and dust filled the air going deep inside lungs leading to respiratory problems. Children 10-13 worked no more than 48 hour weeks while children nine and under were banned. They were chosen because they were small enough to fit in between the small spaces around the machines. Children suffered from stunted growth, bone development problems, lack of sunlight and ear problems. Wages for unskilled men were $1.25/ day and $3/day for skilled men. Women and children received one third that. Adults worked 14-16 hours a day with much overtime.