Life in the Industrial Revolution Factories and Factory Acts

From Cottage industries to Factories Cottage industries are replaced by factories Machines were too big and production too fast and efficient to be contained in one home Need a large building (factory) for new machines and power sources (steam engines) Need lots of workers = city Move from rural cottage or farm to city/ factory is very dramatic/ shocking

The Factory Richard Artwright: designed very efficient factories Could have all the parts of one industry in one building: fibers to thread, spin thread, woven to cloth, cut/ sewn to product Workers homes could be attached to the factory, many rented from the factory owner and bought food (etc.) from a company store

The Factory Pay extremely low wages to limit cost (maximize profits) Resisted paying anything to improve working conditions (unnecessary cost) Take part of wages in food for lunch (poor quality) Forced to work long hours and overtime Physical punishment No help for injuries, no recourse if fired

Child Labour No Public education Wages so low children need to help to make ends meet Work in machinery (in looms to pull out caught threads, etc.) As chimney sweeps (crawl in and clean) Coal mining tunnels (open doors/ bring water) Exposed to industrial pollution (coal dust, soot, textile dust) result in physical deformities for many

Poverty Severe conditions for poor workers – crowded, filthy – one room per family Poor sanitation, lack of sewer systems/ running water Disease – scarlet fever, Tuberculosis, tetanus, cholera Church and rich women (social reformers) gave out charity Unregulated and inconsistent Government Workhouses: Last option Horrible conditions – very similar to prison Work menial jobs for basic shelter and little food No real chance to ever leave

Read Primary Source p. 148 Answer Questions # 1, 3, 4 The Chimney Sweep Read Primary Source p. 148 Answer Questions # 1, 3, 4

Irish Potato Famine Potato is main crop in Ireland Poverty stricken region/ potato is staple in diet 1845: potato is struck with disease and entire crop fails Millions of Irish are starving Irish are forced to abandon their farms and move to cities or emigrate to colonies to live

Scotland Clearances Enclosures come to Scotland Poor farmers (crofters) are forcibly removed from farms to use land for sheep grazing Forced to sell and land burned to prevent them from returning Result: many move to cities to work in Factories, or emigrate to colonies

Emigration to Colonies Why would anyone leave Britain? Why go to the colonies (Canada)? Increased population in Britain Enclosures take away land/ way of life poor conditions in Cities and Factories motivate people to look for another option Colonies (like Canadian wilderness) seem like an escape from poverty; an opportunity to own land and work hard to possibly improve their lives

Factory Acts Social reformers – try to improve working conditions and give charity Workers try to use old trade guild model to unite and look after each other Takes until 1824 for workers to legally be allowed to create workers associations = Labour Unions Government against reformer parliament controlled by businessmen who profit from lack of regulations Laws eventually change = factory acts 1802: Children can no work over 12 hours in cotton mills 1819: no child under age of 9 in textile industry Problem: no inspectors to enforce these rules