Children During The Industrial Revolution

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Industrial Revolution Comparison Project The majority of the children that lived during the Industrial Revolution had it bad due to the immense quantity of work that was put upon them. They were thought of the ideal workers because they were easily intimidated and factory owners didn’t have to pay much to children. They suffered and strained through poverty and poor economics sentenced them to a harsh life of work in terrible conditions. They also dealt with abuse as a daily conduct and their working areas were incredibly dangerous and suffered greatly due to the pollution in the air that they breathe. Although the lives of children were unquestionably horrific, they were eventually given rights and laws to assist lighten the load on their…show more content…
But most of the workers, hired into the factories were not adults, but children who were orphaned or forced into labour due to poverty. The poor children really had no choice to work in factories or coal mines because their families needed money and have everyone work at the earliest ages, also most children couldn’t go to school and get an education because their families didn’t have enough money to support them. They also didn’t make as much money as adults either; usually 10-20% of a normal mans earnings per day. So they were considered “cheap labour” by the factory owners. There was an alternate way of making a living in London for children, as in Oliver, children stole from others and made quite a decent living, but for most the reality of their lives were found in the factories and…show more content…
They were usually beaten by their masters if they weren’t working hard enough or had a problem with what they were doing. Adults did this to children because kids back then were easy to push around and didn’t stand up for themselves and even if they did, owners of the factories could get rid of the child and hire another since there were so many orphans out for a job. The owners of the factories weren’t as pleasant either; they used violent means to drive children. In England the Factory Act of 1802 stopped this pauper-apprentice work system, but the law did not apply to children who had parents. Children still worked in the mills for twelve hours a day at the mercy of often tyrannical supervisors. In the novel Great Expectation, the character Pip is sent to live with and be abused by his sister. An example of this is when he didn’t answer a question with enough detail and was bumped on the behind and forced against the wall. Also Oliver from Oliver Twist also experienced a great amount of abuse. For example, while suffering from hunger for a long period of time, Oliver was chosen by the other boys at the workhouse to request more food at dinner one night. After making this simple request, "the master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the

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