Factories and Workers Chapter 21 Section 2

Key Terms Labor union Strike Mass production Interchangeable parts Assembly line

Work in the Home Workers produced finished goods and dealt with the merchants Merchants delivered materials to the weavers cottage Next the weavers family processed the wool When finished the merchant picked it up

Work in the Home Home workers controlled their schedule Work faster when they needed money Work slow to make the highest quality cloth Could make their own adjustments

Problems of Cottage Industries Working at home had disadvantages Fires Floods Ruin a family in an instant Cloth making required a lot of skills Only adults had the physical strength for the job

Problems with Cottage Industries Typical loom was 6 feet wide and needed strength to operate Parents fell ill or dies children could not do it

Working in a Factory Divided work into several easy to learn tasks Each worker assigned one task Children could learn jobs Boys and girls as young as 6 worked Could pay children a lower wage

Working in a Factory Factory work was dangerous No safety protection from the machines Worked 12 hour days Noise, inadequate ventilation, inadequate food added to hardship Lasted the 1700’s into the 1800’a

Life in Factory Towns Whole towns grew up around factories Some companies provided housing Families in crowded shoddy, close packed dwelling Water power changed to steam factories near mines

Life in Factory Towns Thick soot from burning coal blanketed the town Smoke sent sulfur and other poisonous gases into the air. Smelting and refining factories sent smoky pollution into the air England emitted so much pollution it was called the black country

Life in Factory Towns American visitor called it black by day and red by night Smelting fires Some neighborhoods in Manchester only had two toilets for every 250 people Disease spread rapidly Six in ten children died before age of 5

Workers in a New Economy Three levels A wealthy businessman to invest and own the factory Midlevel employees to run the factory Low level employees to run the machines

Workers in a New Economy Employers who invested expected to make a profit Shared little of their profits with employees Factory workers had little incentive to improve performance Workers were plentiful

Workers in a New Economy Displaced by the enclosure movement United States, immigrant were happy to find any kind of work Preferred hiring women and children Men wanted more money Do not take orders easily

Workers in a New Economy Saw unskilled jobs as inappropriate for men Factory work was women’s work

Cottage Workers Unrest Weavers and other cottage workers trying to make a living Their items were more expensive 1811 masked workers attacked a mill Luddite movement- named after Gerald Ned Ludd

Cottage Workers Unrest Machines were hurtful to the economy Put people out of work Luddites burned factories Smashed machines 1812 movement spread to other cities Several Luddites were hanged

Changing Labor Conditions British government did not want to get involved in factory problems Regulating business not their job Citizens thought the government should get involved

Changing Labor conditions Labor unions- organizations that represent the workers interests Strikes-work stoppages to raise wages or improve conditions Parliament banned unions and strikes

Changing Labor Conditions Pressure from public brought unions back 1832 Sadler Report- describe factory abuses Britain passed laws Limit working hours for women and children Required children to be at least 9 years old 1871 legalized strikes

A New Class of Worker Growth of the middle class Between factory owners and poor factory workers Several groups essential to a factory Accountants and managers Engineers, mechanics Selling spread through the whole economy Middle class increased

Process of Mass Production Mass Production- the system of manufacturing large numbers of identical items Interchangeable parts- identical machine parts Makes production and repair more efficient

Process of Mass Production One worker would make one entire item Gun, clock Gather all the materials Assemble them Slow process all parts were man made Interchangeable parts One worker could put together many identical parts

Process of Mass Production Repairs easier Replacement parts did not have to custom fit Early workshops product stayed in one place Workers moved around it Assembly line-moved product from worker to worker

Effects of Mass Production Big advantage was an increase in production Businesses made many items quickly and could charge less More people could afford to buy mass produced goods Led to repetitious jobs Became the factory norm