The Importance Of The Industrial Revolution

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century, many changes in Britain took place affecting the world forever. Many inventions radically changed the way of life. This movement became known as the Industrial Revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, people mainly produced their own furniture, clothing, food, and tools. Most manufacturing was done in homes or small shops using hand tools or simple machines. Most people lived in small, rural communities and the average person’s existence revolved around farming. The average person had a very small income. The Industrial Revolution began in Britain because of the political stability in Britain and because of the availability of natural resources. During the revolution, many inventions

Since women felt equal to men, being that they brought in money as well, they felt the need to be equal. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, women were not equal according to the law; they had no right to vote, file for divorce, keep their own wage, or have the same education as men. The fight for women’s rights was a revolution in itself- societies were created, newspapers spread feminist ideas, and petitions were created. The English Woman’s Journal, was a newspaper that raised several issues regarding inequality and women, and blamed the domestic ideology for causing social inequality. The newspaper promoted expansion of employment for women, encouraging women to enter into more specialized trades. In a pamphlet for the journal it stated it’s main purpose was to “present industrial employments of women, both manual and intellectual, the best mode of judiciously extending the sphere of such employments, and the laws affecting the property and conditions of the sex.” Despite the journal being short-lived, the effect the journal had, was important. Women began to realize that they could be equal to men, they could have the same jobs as men, and they could have the same education as men. Similar to the English Woman’s Journal, and their fight for women’s equality in the workforce, was the Society for the Employment of Women. Founded in 1859 by Jessie Boucherett

Child labor quickly became a problem during the Industrial Revolution. Poor families needed money, so they resolved to send their children to work in factories. However, the conditions in factories were deplorable. In response to this problem, many acts were passed. The Cotton Factories Regulation Act of 1819 regulated the minimum age of workers at 9 years old and they could only work a maximum of 12 hours per day. Following this act was the Regulation of Child Labor Law of 1833, which created government inspectors to oversee factories to ensure they were following child work guidelines. Then, the Ten Hour Bill of 1847 further limited the working day of women and children to 10 hours per day. Labor laws also progressed. In fact, in 1871, trade unions for skilled workers were made legal and they were given the right to strike. Two famous strikes exemplifying the new found ability of skilled workers was the Matchgirls Strike of 1888 and the Dockers’ Strike of 1889. These notable strikes represented the progression of the labor laws and how they benefitted the workers. In addition to the improvement of labor laws, many educational reforms also resulted from the Industrial Revolution. Since many children were working in factories from a young age, they were unable to receive a proper education. In order to solve this educational gap, many different laws were