B: Victorian Life
By: Mikayla, Madison, and Walker
The Victorian Era (1837-1901)
This was the time period between June 1837, and January 1901. During Victoria's reign over Britain, the rulers were on a quest to expand Britain's empire. During this period, Britain became the most powerful empire in the world. A number of battles were fought over this quest for new land. This resulted in many different improvements within the field of medicine but not quite enough. One in four patients died after surgery. Children were forced to work to support their families, rather than going to school due to a new found poverty. Child labor was an issue that was taken care of near the end of this period, but all they did was cap the hours that children could work a week. This number was 69 hours a week, and that is a huge number for children to work. At this time, more people were in poverty than those who were well off, but this fact was soon to change. It is suggested that this poverty was occurring due to costs from the rapid expansion of this empire. This led to different forms of entertainment for the different social classes. For entertainment some people played cricket, croquet, and cycled, but upper classes participated in horseback riding and water sports. As the era moved on, living conditions were improved, and overall people were healthier. This led to increased fertility rates, and the population nearly tripled. Middle class grew, but a majority of Victorian society remained working class. Transportation began to grow, and Britain's first underground railway opened in 1862. We have decided that we would not want to live in this era due to the rough conditions.
Citations:
Evans, E. (2011, March 29). Overview: Victorian Britain, 1837 - 1901. Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/overview_victorians_01.shtml
What was life like for children in Victorian London? (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pocket-histories/what-was-life-children-victorian-london/
The Victorian Era - 1837-1901. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-era-1837-1901.asp