Child Labor In The Industrial Revolution

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In August 1799, Robert Blincoe, at the age of seven, worked as a scavenger in the Gonalston Mill. He was one of the eighty seven-year-old children sold by the St. Pancras as parish apprentices. Although these children worked for fourteen hours a day, six days a week, their food consisted of only black bread and porridge. Robert Blincoe’s first job was to pick up loose cotton that fell on the floor. As easy as this job was, he was scared of the whirling motion and the noises the machine made. The amount of dust in the air also half suffocated him. Since he was constantly hunched over, his back ached. Unfortunately, he did not know that sitting down was strictly forbidden in the cotton mills. He soon found out when his onlooker, Mr. Smith, told him he must stand straight which he did for six and a half hours without a break (Trueman). This was not uncommon for the children during that time. Due to increased demand of for labor during the Industrial Revolution in England, children worked under terrible conditions which led to legislations being made that regulated the lives of children. “Child labor” generally refers to children who work to produce a good or service which can be sold for money in a marketplace regardless of whether or not they are paid for the work. A “child” is a person who is dependent upon other individuals for livelihood. (Keys). Child labor existed before the Industrial Revolution in forms of domestic servants, apprentices, assistants, and farmers. In Britain, boys usually worked in fields and tended to drought animals. While girls did light tasks outside such as milking cows, they mainly did household work inside. Working was deemed as necessary as training for children for when they start their own business... ... middle of paper ... ...al upheaval caused by the Industrial Revolution eased, living conditions improved, death rates declined and birth rates increased. Innovations in health care were made which allowed common diseases and plagues to be eradicated with preventative medicine. As availability of good quality food increased, people consumed more healthy food allowing them to live easier lifestyles stablizing the population.Urban populations provided people with more opportunities to marry younger and have children earlier. As more children were born, a more youthful workforce emerged. Gender roles changed de due to employment in factories. Separation between home and work became more clear. As men were paid higher wages than women, women were encouraged to stay home. Urban populations increased as rural workers moved to the cities in the hope of gaining better employment and pay (Skiwirk).

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