Families in the Industrial Revolution

Essential Question: How did the Industrial Revolution affect family life? How did the Industrial Revolutions affect on family life, shape us today?

What do we know? Before the industrial revolution, what do you recall about family life?

Pre-Industrialization Small rural communities, many people were farmers Income was meager and malnourishment and disease were common People produced the bulk of their own food, clothing, furniture and tools Most manufacturing was done in homes or small, rural shops, using hand tools or simple machines Because many people set their own schedule, it was difficult for merchants to regulate their own business and led to inefficiency

Industrialization Many machines were invented that made mass manufacturing possible and cheaper Transportation underwent a transformation Steamboat Railway steam locomotive Better roads (macadam) Rural – urban migration Previously people would transport goods using horse-drawn wagons and boats along canals and river. Steamboat: early 1800’s, Robert Fulton built the first commercially successful steamboat, and by the mid 19th century, steamships were carrying freight across the Atlantic. Around this time, the steam locomotive was coming into use. Richard Trevithick constructed the first railway steam locomotive and by 1850, Britain had more than 6,000 miles of railroad track. Around 1820 John McAdam developed a new process for road construction, this technique was called macadam and resulted in roads that were smoother, more durable, and less muddy.

Change in Classes Upper class and middle class Greater volume and variety of factory-produced good raised the standard of living People who owned the factories, supplies, transportation, or merchants typically grew very wealthy in these times Would get to spoil themselves and families Delicacies, fine fabrics

Change in Classes Lower class Shift from working as a family to a separation of work and home Wages for those who labored in factories were low and working conditions could be dangerous/monotonous Unskilled workers had little job security and were easily replaceable Child labor was high Crafts people were replaced by machines Before IR, people would work with their family and would be together most of the day, afterwards, there was a distinction between working and the home life. Child labor - In early 1860’s, an estimated 1/5 of workers in Britain's textile industry were younger than 15. Industries such as mines, would require people doing manual labor. Many of the workers would strip down until they were naked or only slightly covered due to the extreme heat. Water breaks were scarce so the workers would only get water when available. Their lunch breaks were not long, about 40 minutes or so a day when the shifts could be from 5am to 9pm at night. Some women even gave birth down in the mines while working. This was thought to be a scandalous job for women because it was thought that it was immoral for women and would hinder them from learning how to do womanly duties such as sewing and cooking. Restrictions were eventually put on women miners and other jobs were to be found.

Change in Classes Rural-urban migration Urban industrialized areas were unable to keep pace with the flow of arriving workers from countryside, resulting in inadequate, overcrowded housing and polluted, unsanitary living conditions in which disease was rampant This gradually improved by the later part of the 19th century due to labor reforms and workers gained the right to form trade unions

Spread of Industrialization British enacted legislation to prohibit the export of their technology and skilled workers which had little success Samuel Slater memorized the blueprints for the mills and travelled to the US By the mid-19th century, industrialization was well established throughout Europe and America’s northeastern region Early 20th century, U.S. became the world’s leading industrial nation

American Families Similar? Different? Women made less money – single women had dormitories/boardinghouses to allow them to have “surrogate” families Families worked separately America tried to not make the same mistakes as England did

Essential Question: How did the Industrial Revolutions affect on family life, shape us today?