Child Labor during the Industrial Revolution Essay Justin Drain

The Industrial Revolution is what made America what it is today, this change
started in the 1
th
century! "e#ore that most $eo$le lived on the countryside with #arms,
and then the change was when a huge amount o# $eo$le moved into cities due to new
inventions that made their %obs on the #arm useless! The growth o# the cities made a huge
growth o# industry which created many %obs, but was it #or the better, or worse o#
humanity& 'any com$anies and #actories started hiring children to wor(! This was not a
good thing because the children were as young as twelve and thirteen years old, the
wor(ing conditions weren)t always sa#e #or young children but $eo$le were also #ighting
to sto$ child labor!
To start o##, some o# the children wor(ing were as young as twelve and thirteen
years old! Children o#ten had to hel$ with #amily agricultural, cra#t or domestic duties!
These children were most li(ely to not be getting an education because they were #orced
to wor( in #actories to hel$ out their #amilies #inancially! *ithout an education these
children had no #uture and could never go anywhere in li#e because they didn)t (now
much o# any math, reading or writing which they would need later in li#e! Also, child
labor within te+tile #actories came to symboli,e the evils o# the industrial revolution
because o# the strenuous wor( and hardshi$ $ut on the children)s lives! They didn)t get to
be at school and learn with their #riends, they %ust did their boring wor( all day, everyday,
#or a very little salary! During the Industrial Revolution most nations used child labor to
increase economic success, the younger they are, the less they get $aid #or the same
amount o# wor(!
-econdly, the wor(ing conditions were not always suitable to young children! The
children in te+tile #actories were wor(ing under the same de$lorable conditions as adults
were so it could be bad #or their health! A child should not have to su##er %ust wor(ing to
hel$ their #amilies) day in and day out! The #actories were e+tremely crowded, $eo$le
always touching each other and sweating! They were also very dimly lit and very $oorly
ventilated! The children also wor(ed $ossibly more than twelve hours in a day every day,
in these de$lorable conditions, this could not be sa#e #or the children)s mind or body!
.obody can wor( well over twelve hours in those terrible conditions!
Lastly, $eo$le all over the world were trying to get countries to sto$ child labor!
The /nited 0ingdom started investigating child labor in 1112 they were trying to see
how bad this $roblem actually was! It was %ust an investigation, nothing actually changed
until the wor(sho$ regulation act o# 134 e+tended child labor laws to ma(e them
stricter! "ut u$on research I did mysel# I #ound that many #actories did not #ollow these
laws at all, so the child labor issues were still going on! .othing was changed until the
#actory act o# 1511 was $ut into $lace, which made the conditions and hours much better
#or children!
To sum u$, child labor was a huge $roblem all over the world #or many years,
many children wor(ing in the Industrial Revolution were as young as twelve years old,
the wor(ing conditions were terrible #or the young children and $eo$le were #ighting to
sto$ child labor but it didn)t change until 1511!