Gke1 Task 4

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Science, Technology, and Economic Systems GKE 1 Task 4 Western Governor's University Science, Technology, and Economic Systems. A. The First Industrial Revolution took place between 1780-1850 (Soomo, 2013). It was a time when new sources of energy, such as coal and steam, were used to power machines designed to decrease human labor and increase production. The technological advancements led to the emergence of factories and an exploding population surrounding them. Many advantages were gained during the Industrial Revolution, but it also had profound consequences on society. Two major social consequences included urbanization and child labor. During the Industrial Revolution there was an immense demand for cheap, unskilled labor. Families moved from rural areas to the newly industrialized cities to find work. Once there, things were not as great as they dreamed they would be. In order to survive, families had to have everyone in the household working. This led to the epidemic of child labor with children, as young as six years old, working in harsh conditions for long hours in factories or coal mines (Dunlop, 1912). Young children could be hired to do the same jobs as adults for much less pay and could often fit into places adults couldn't. Parish apprentices were the most exploited type of child worker (Dunlop, 1912). These were children, who were either orphans or abandoned by their parents, that were under the care of local parishes. Mill owners bought the children from the parishes for the purpose of labor. The mill owners housed and fed the children in lieu of pay. From the employer's point of view, there were many benefits in using parish apprentices for labor. First, with the lack of parental interference there were no restrictions on the control or abuse of these children. As a result they were subject to slave like
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