1. Life in the Industrial Revolution
Factories and Factory Acts

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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