Child Labor
Industrial Revolution By: Madison Cranford
Jobs Children Did in Factories
- They cleaned under and inside machines. Some of the children would get killed or seriously injured as machines would be working
- Some kids would go under machines while they were running. It was very dangerous at the time but they were used to it
- They used children in the woolen mills for cleaning out from under the big machines that spun the cloth. They never stopped the machines so children would get caught in them
- Doffers was another job for boys around the age of seven. They remove the spools filled by the spinning machine and replace them with empty ones
Hours, Food, and Working Conditions
- Children sometimes worked up to 19 hours with a 1 hour total break
- The observers would beat the children and verbally abuse them
- Children were punished for being late, taking a break or because they just simply fell
- The common food factory workers ate was oatcake. They ate this for breakfast and dinner. they also ate potato pie with bacon bits in it
Children waiting for their food
This picture shows children from the factories waiting to get their food
Women serving canned greens
In this image women are working in factories packaging canned plants and greens
Hot dog stand
This image shows a hot dog stand in the streets serving people
Accidents That Often Happen
- Unguarded machinery was very dangerous in factories. So many worker have had their arms and legs get stuck or ripped off in the machine
- Acids and chemicals would burn and eat off the skin on workers hands
- Lifting heavy objects repeatedly caused many health problems and injured many backs
- Fires, explosions, and electrical accidents have occurred throughout the factories
- Picture caption: This is a picture of a boy who cut his finger in a factory. This is a common thing that happens to people in the factories.
Punishments Faced
- Many times children became tired after working long hours so they were usually hit with a strap or whip to make them work faster
- Children were sometimes dipped head first into a water cistern if they became too tired
- If any children came to work late they would be beaten with a strap until they were black and blue
- Sometimes they would beat children in the head with sticks until it bleed if they weren't working fast enough
- Picture caption: This image shows a young boy hurting his back because he is having to carry heavy weights for punishment.
Efforts to Improve or Stop Child Labor
- The first step to stop child labor was in 1833 when the Factory Act was passed by Congress
- Children were to attend at least 2 hours of school a day and children between the ages of 9-13 could only work 8 hours a day and children from the ages of 14-18 could only work 12 hours a day
- Children under the age of 9 were not allowed to work at all
- The most important part of this act was that the government appointed officials to make sure this act was carried out
- Picture caption: This picture is showing the act that was passed to improve child labor.