Life in the Industrial Revolution

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. 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