Addressing the Evils of The Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

The evils of the Industrial Revolution in england were addressed in many ways in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Industrial revolution changed the lives of many people. Most people believe the Industrial Revolution was bad for both the people and environment of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Some believe that one of the worst parts of the Industrial Revolution was child labor. Children were very small and easy to order around without being stood up to. Children were also being paid very low wages. Most children worked 16 hour days with only a 40 minute break which most were unable to eat because they were so unwealthy. This all changed when the " Health and Morals Act" came into effect in 1802 which declared that "The minimum age of employment shall be 9 years." and "The working day for children under fourteen shall be limited to twelve hours. Another act which helped the work conditions of children was the "Factory Act of 1833" which declared "No person under 18 years of age shall be allowed to work in the night in or about any cotton, woolen, linen, or silk mill or factory where steam, water, or any other mechanical power is used to work the machinery." Another way that the evils of the Industrial Revolution were addressed were Unions. Unions are an organization of workers who work to get advance of wages or lessen hours along with many other work related luxuries. One thing that hindered the growth of many unions was the "Combination act of 1800" this said that "Any workman who shall enter into any Union to obtain an advance of wages or to lessen or alter the hours or who shall, for the purpose of obtaining an advance in wages persuade,solicit,intimidate,or influence any workman to quit or lave his work shall be committed to jail.". This act made Unions illegal. Ralph Chaplin author of "Solidarity Forever" felt differently. In his book he wrote " When the union's inspiration through the workers blood shall run, there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun. Yet what force on earth is weaker the feeble strength of one? Bur the union makes us strong. This basically says that as a single laborer you are powerless but as a un ion you are strong. As you can see the life of the working class was not very good in the 1700's and 1800's.