Industrial Revolution: Child Labor, Death Rates

Martin Harris contrasted the idea that “with the Industrial Revolution and introduction of various industrial techniques, we have a situation in which what we are producing is not good ecologically”. Harris unfolds the idea that the Industrial Revolution brought new, better machinery, but that it’s not worth the destruction it is causing to nature. The effects of the Industrial Revolution changed the world by people moving from farms to slums, women and children becoming ill from harsh working environments, and prices dropping. The Industrial Revolution helped advance countries and their economies, however it also killed and hurt millions of people socially.

During the Industrial Revolution, people moved from farm life to towns and slums. Document four expresses how the working class in England lived in foul, disassembled slums. It portrays that the streets were unpaved, full of holes, filthy and “strewn with refuse”. In addition, the main river was filled with stinking filth and the cabins were one very small room. However, they had to move from their farms due to the work shift in the economy. Children and women were starting to be expected to work in the lower class, and the only place they could was at the factories. Lastly, the Industrial Revolution changed the world because people started focusing on mechanics rather than farming.

Children and women were forced into hard labor which not only hurt their bodies, but increased death rates. Evidence in document 15 proves that women and children were working in unsafe, unclean factories that put them in danger. Joseph Hebergan and millions of others suffered from life long damage in the lungs and weak bones. This is because of the excruciating long hours of work with little time to eat, causing them to have an “insignificant diet”. Also their lungs were defective since the air in the factories was dusty and contained toxic chemicals that were constantly being inhaled by the workers. Joseph Hebergan´s brother died because of a simple cut from a machine that got infected in the factory. From this, it is obvious that the factories were extremely unsanitary and hazardous. To sum up, the middle and lower classes that worked in these environments had a significantly low chance of living a healthy life.

Traveling, textile items, and domestic utensils all became cheaper during the Industrial Revolution. In document nine, it explains that the results of machinery made better houses, clothes immensely cheaper, and travel a lot less expensive. Additionally, travel became “ten times quicker” which made it more efficient and accessible. Due to the effects that the Industrial Revolution had in these “comforts and conveniences”, clothing and travel became within reach of almost all men. In conclusion, it changed the world by bringing new opportunities to more people because of the lower prices.

In the Industrial Revolution, the world was changed in three main ways, socially, economically, and politically. Countries changed socially because it was common for women and children to work. It changed economically because people stopped working in farming and started in machinery, also because of the decreasing prices in materialistic items. Finally, it changed politically due to the child labor laws after they realised the harm and discomfort it put into the childrens’ bodies. In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution changed the world by the economy switching from farms to factories, women and children becoming sick from hard labor, and materials and travel becoming inexpensive.