[jennzie]

hi,
do you know any good sites or information about the conditions and lifestyle of children in the industrial revolution? -
you know how they worked in factories and all (and maybe some background info would be good)

thanks a lot

[MrJohnDClare]

Actually, Jennzie, for such an interesting topic, there's very little on the internet.

First, why not try a search of the forum for:
+children +factories

And then I'd try a google search for:
child labour in the Industrial Revolution
and
child labour in Victorian times

and follow the likely-looking links.

[glitterglitter]

Hi Jennzie,

Hope your study is going well. Are you doing a project? If so, do you need help with headings to organise it?

Child labour was used for many reasons during the industrial revolution. Factory owners used them because they were cheap and useful because they could fit into the small spaces between the machines (look up 'scavengers' and 'piecers'). Parents allowed them to work because most families were so poor they had no choice . The 1833 Factory Act was the first to try to improve conditions, e.g. no children under 9 could work in a mill. However, only 4 inspectors were appointed to check on the Act, and the Government at the time didn't like to interfere with business, so things didn't take effect quickly.

You could try this site here spartacus - factory children which gives information and pictures about the various jobs that children did and how bad their conditions were. It's also got some written primary sources you could use.

If you are doing a project, may I suggest you also mention people like Robert Owen at New Lanark in Scotland. Robert Owen was a pioneer of improving conditions for workers, particularly children. You can google him or find info here: http://www.newlanark...ids/index2.html

Please ask if you are still unsure about anything

[jennzie]

wow thanks both of you- and glitterglitter you really helped too thanks..
no i am not doing a project, its like a report essay- and i need to do good if u know what i mean !
can i just ask when in the industrial revolution were factories built and children started working in them ?
and also when was the law set place that children could not work in factories?

thank you sooo much both of you ! x you have really helped me x

[MrJohnDClare]

jennzie, on Jun 13 2009, 12:12 PM, said:

can i just ask when in the industrial revolution were factories built and children started working in them ?

the 'first' factory of the Industrial Revolution (though there had always been workplaces which acted like factories, since Roman times and probably earlier) - the first factory which is usually acknowledged as the first factory of the Industrial Revolution was Arkwright's factory at Cromford in Derbyshire.
Children worked in thefactories from almost the very beginning - owners quickly learned that they could do the work as well as adults and that they were much cheaper to employ, but, again, children had ALWAYS worked for their parents in the home under the Domestic System.

Quote

and also when was the law set place that children could not work in factories?

Again, there had been a number of acts of parliament trying to stop the working of children in the factories - see this webpage for a few of them), but the first one that worked (because it also appointed Inspectors to make sure that factory-owners were obeying the law) was the 1833 Factory Act.

[glitterglitter]

Good point made above. When you're researching this remember that children in history (particularly poor children) were not viewed as precious little darlings with lots of rights. Any Dickens novel will show you this. This can be hard to get your head round when you're thinking how disgraceful things were.

Obviously I don't know much about your report, but a nice wee touch might be to look up the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly article 32, and open with a quote from it. Or anything that lays out current children's right, even your local council's policy on children. This would be a nice contrast with the rest of your report, and might just make it that wee bit different from the rest and really stand out. Remember - the past explains the present!

There's some info on the convention here : UNICEF A 'child' is under 18.

Good luck!

[MrJohnDClare]

glitterglitter, on Jun 13 2009, 03:04 PM, said:

Obviously I don't know much about your report, but a nice wee touch might be to look up the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly article 32, and open with a quote from it...

Thank you glitterglitter for your posts, which are very interesting anf helpful, but remember, Jennzie, to STAY RELEVANT to the questions.
Only include external stuff if it absolutely relvant t your argument/assignment.

[jennzie]

thanks so much really u two have more than helped-
i got all the information i need and i am already making practise reports at home because i really want to do good- hopefully it turns out good though i am not good at reports/essays

thanks so much x