The Dr. William Flint Slideshow Industrial Revolution in England

Dr. William Flint—a Biography As I have told you before, I am a proud graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio At Miami I had to take many social studies classes to obtain my degree; my favorite was a course called Social Problems (refrain from the easy joke) Dr. William Flint was my professor. He was the most controversial instructor I had at Miami. He was also my favorite professor Some of his ideas were simply crazy…but he was cagy about spreading his beliefs

Dr. William Flint—a Biography Dr. Flint taught a European belief system of sociology where he focused on the similarities between people instead of the differences For example, instead of focusing on the racial differences between whites and blacks, he would study the similarities of poor whites and poor blacks A lot of the emphasis I place on social class comes directly from his teachings His beliefs were wild so he dressed as conservative as you possibly could He was a shorter man, about 5’8” tall. He was in decent athletic shape and probably somewhere in his 40s Each day he would walk into class in a white button-down shirt and a plain patterned or solid color tie He intentionally looked boring and always closed the door when he taught “because you never knew who might be listening.” So, in honor, of Dr. William Flint, I give you a black-and-white (pun intended) presentation that looks extremely boring—but hopefully is not…

Wanna Make A Dollar? No Problem…Got a Finger to Spare? The Industrial Revolution started in England after the enclosure movement sped up movement from rural towns to the city and people didn’t die quick enough Today’s quick PowerPoint is focused only on England This process of urban-i-zation led to cities sprouting up around coal and iron mines For example, the city of Manchester, home of one of the famed soccer teams of the world, grew from 17,000 in the 1750s to 70,000 by 1801 There was a downside though—the town was described by a “cloud of coal vapor”, the noise of steam engines, and the filthy stench of the river—that probably made it hard to play a full 90 minutes on the pitch If Manchester’s population grows that much that quickly, people are going to need somewhere to live

Do We Really Have to Live Here Do We Really Have to Live Here?… (I cheated—these pictures are from New York…but they show the same stuff)

Do We Really Have to Live Here…

Do We Really Have to Live Here…

Do We Really Have to Live Here…

What You Saw Was a Tenement (more info/pictures at photos. tenement What You Saw Was a Tenement (more info/pictures at photos.tenement.org) The wealthy and middle class lived in pleasant neighborhoods—the others didn’t The poor lived in foul-smelling slums and were packed into tiny rooms in tenements What was lacking No running water (community pumps only) No sewage treatment facilities No sanitation (waste and garbage rotted in the streets) Diseases spread rapidly Reformers pushed for laws to improve conditions in slums

It’s a Hard-Knock Life for Us… Factory life was hard Unlike on farms, factory workers had a rigid schedule they couldn’t vary “While the engine runs, people must work—men, women, and children are yoked together with iron and steam.” –an observer of the factory Shifts were 12-16 hours Accidents were common as people got tired and careless from their mundane routines and a lack of safety devices Long-term damage was done too: coal dust destroyed miners’ lungs and lint-filled air filled textile workers’ lungs If workers were sick or injured, they were fired

It’s a Hard-Knock Life for Us… Women were often preferred because factory owners thought they could adapt more easily to machines and were easier to manage than men Most importantly, they could pay women less for the same work Family life suffered as women worked for 12 hours at a time then came home to feed and clothe their families

It’s a Hard-Knock Life for Us… Boys and girls were also often hired Nimble-fingers and quick movements of children were favored in textile mills and to push coal carts in narrow mine shafts Children worked because they used to work on the farm and families relied on the income to survive Orphaned kids were also hired so the local government wouldn’t have to deal with them Overseers in factories beat children who didn’t work hard or fast enough Eventually Parliament passed laws about child labor since some kids were dying, having their growth stunted, limbs twisted, or were uneducated