reform of the industrial revolution
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Reform of the Industrial Revolution. World History - Libertyville HS. Birth of the Labor Movement. The Industrial Revolution concentrated labor into mills, factories & mines Individually, workers had little power to stand up to employers Together, they could influence employers; how? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Reform of the Industrial Revolution
World History - Libertyville HS
Birth of the Labor Movement• The Industrial
Revolution concentrated labor into mills, factories & mines– Individually, workers had
little power to stand up to employers
– Together, they could influence employers; how?• Withdraw their labor
(strike)• Slow down their production
Birth of the Labor Movement• Employers had a decision to
make …– Give in to union demands for
better wages, work conditions, etc
– Suffer the cost of lost production
• First workers to organize were skilled labor– Harder to replace– Formed trade unions,
organized around a particular skill set
Birth of the Labor Movement• Employer reaction to unions
– Got laws passed to make unions illegal
– Hired security forces to fight against unions
– Fired union organizers• By late 1800s, unskilled
labor organized, too– Painful process: many strikes,
violence– Socialist politicians drew much
of their support from union workers
Working Conditions
• Factory work day went from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM– Break at 7:30 AM for
breakfast– Break at noon, for lunch– Eat dinner at home
• Factories– Few / no windows
• Low light led to accidents• Little to no ventilation
– No heat during the winter
Working Conditions• No safety devices, on
machines– Arms, hands crushed– If injured, worker fired
• Textile (and mine) workers developed lung conditions
• Steel workers risked injury / death
• Cave-ins buried miners alive
Working Conditions• Children as young
as 6 years worked in factories– 14-16 hour
workdays– Beatings were
frequent – Pay was sparse
• Child laborers were actually preferred (why?)
• Result of unregulated industry
Child Labor Reform• Factory Act of 1833
– Illegal to hire children under age of 9
– Children from 9-12 could not work more than 8 hours / day
– Children from 13-17 could not work more than 12 hours / day
Child Labor Reform• Mines Act of 1842
– Prevented women, children from working underground
• Ten Hours Act of 1847– Women, children
working in factories limited to 10 hours / day
Living Conditions in the 1800s• Poorest lived in oldest,
most central part of city– Lived in tenements
(apartment buildings)• Few windows, poor
ventilation• No indoor plumbing / toilet
– Extended family lived in the same space
– Disease was common (overcrowding)
– Infant mortality rate (50%)– No sewers = garbage in
the street
Living Conditions in the 1800s• Middle class lived on
outer edge of city– Row house or
apartment building– Homes often had patch
of lawn– Many middle class
belonged to clubs / teams / organizations (sense of community)
Living Conditions in the 1800s• Rich lived in the best
areas– Millionaires built
mansions with large lawns, maintained by staff of servants
– Lived like royalty (artwork)
– Threw lavish parties for their contacts, friends