1. FACTORIES AND WORKERS Chapter 21.2

2. Production before Factories Work in the Home  Cottage workings sold their finished products directly to merchants  Merchant would deliver the raw material, cottage work would make the textile and the merchant would pick up the product  Working at home you were your own boss, set your own hours, produced more textiles if you needed more money, or worked less if family obligations arose.  Cottage working for textiles was a family run business  The workers could focus on the quality of the product rather an quantity Problems for Cottage Industries  A fire or flood could destroy a whole business  Needed very skilled workers  Adults only had the physical strength to complete the work  Factories help make up for this disadvantages

3. Factories and Factory Towns  Factory work was divided into several steps, each worker had one job  Children could then do these jobs  Children as young as six worked, factory owners preferred children working because they could pay them less  Injuries were very common in factories, machine did not have safety mechanisms  Work days were 12 hours, there was a lot of noise, lack of ventilation, poor sanitation, and inadequate food.  It wasn’t until the 1830’s that the public called for a change in factory work

4. Factories and Factory Towns Life in Factory Towns  Whole towns grew around factories  Many companies provided homes for workers, but they were packed and not in good conditions  Coal towns were very dirty and bad for health  Northern England produced iron- emitted so much pollution it became known as black country  Manchester was the textile industry in England- the sanitation was so poor only 6 out of 10 children made it to the age of 5

5. The Factory System and Workers Workers in a New Economy  IR changed the nature or labor and the economy  The Factory system required a large amount of capital and this made three main participants in the system  Wealthy business people to invest in and own factories They expected to make a great deal of profit and did not share their wealth with employees  Mid-level employees to run the factories and supervise the day to day operations No one worker was responsible for the quality of the product  Low-level employees to run the machines Workers were plentiful, so they were not paid a lot. Women and Children were mainly hired because they were paid less Factory work was “Women’s Work”

6. The Factory System and Workers Cottage Workers’ Unrest  After industry took off many cottage workers still tried to make a living in the cottage textiles  Their products were more expensive  1811 masked worked attacked a textile factory in Nottingham England  This began the Luddite movement, they opposed machines bc they were hurtful to the worker  Luddite movement and violence spread to many other cities  Luddites if found were tried and hung

7. The Factory System and Workers Changing Labor Conditions  GB government did not want to do anything about the factory industry  They did not want to regulate business  Many ppl thought that if the government helped workers they would lose their incentive to work  Workers began to organize in labor unions- which are organizations representing workers interests  Unions would organize their members to go on strike to demand for higher pay and better working conditions  GB outlawed strikes and unions  From pressure and the Sadler report parliament passed laws limiting work hours and child labor and legalized labor unions  US workers also organized in unions

8. The Factory System and Workers A New Class of Workers  Result of the IR was the middle class- middle income workers the mid level workers  Managers, accounts, engineers, mechanics, transporters, sales Effects of the Factory System  Before the Factory System  Goods were produced in the home  Work required a wide range of skills  Children did chores at home with the family  Families worked directly with merchants  Few people were members of the middle class  After the Factory System  Goods were produced in factories  Work required a few easily learned skills  Children were employed in large numbers in factories  Workers dealt with managers and sometimes factory owners  More people joined the middle class

9. Factories and Mass Production Processes of Mass Productions  Mass Production developed in the US.  Mass Production- the system of manufacturing large numbers of identical items  Interchangeable parts- identical machine made parts to make up a product Before items (ie; clocks or guns) were hand made and a little different than one another  Made repairing and creating items easier  The Assembly Line- the product moved from worker to worker and each worker performed one step in the processes This division of labor allowed for items to be made faster

10. Factories of Mass Production Effects of Mass Productions  Advantage- increase in production, less expensive product, more people could afford items, producer made more money  Disadvantage- jobs were very monotonous, workers refused to work quickly but it back the way of industry and changed the work force.