How Did The Working Conditions Change From 1750 To 1850

Between 1750 to 1850, massive social, economic, and political factors had taken place. The industrial revolution wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the agricultural revolution, which freed people from working the land and established a surplus of food. They had to find more efficient changes to save society from collapsing before and even after the revolution. Machines were employed in the production of commodities throughout the industrial revolution. For example, in 1769 James Watt created the steam engine. This was one of the most efficient ideas that made a significant impact. The steam engine requires watts to fuel it with coal. Britain was built on coal, therefore making it easier to access it. (ScotClans, n.d.) Prior to this, there
Working conditions played a huge factor in improving the living conditions for the working class. Working conditions were harsh rather than good. When some children reached a certain age, they were required to work, depriving them of their childhood. Children were forced to work in abhorrent and brutal conditions. Source 1 agrees with this view as it tells us that “men work in a state of nakedness... these females being themselves quite naked from the waist down.” This highlights that the purpose of this was to show boys and girls shouldn’t be working together so closely whilst being naked. Source 1 is the primary source. This is useful because it came from the time when the industrial revolution and when children were forced into the work force. This is important because it gives us evidence of how children were truly impacted during the 19th century, and it also means it hasn’t been altered over time, so this should be the truth. Source 1 also tells us that “One of the most disgusting sights 1 has ever seen was that of young females, dressed like boys. and chains passing between their legs” (UK Parliamentary Papers,
Which stated it was illegal for children under the age of 10 to be working in the mines in Britain. (UK Parliament, n.d.) This report and the influence of Robert Owen was a catalyst to the factory acts. The workplace environment was incredibly unsafe for people during the 19th century. There is always a high risk of accidents due to the workplace machinery being unpredictable and hazardous. (History on the Net, 2000-2019) For example, John Brown agreed with this view when he found a memoir by Robert Blincoe, an insight to a gruesome accident. He said “her apron was caught by the shaft”. In an instant, the poor girl was drawn by an irresistible force. he heard the bones of her arms, legs, thighs, etc. successive snap...” (Brown, 1828) This highlights children shouldn’t be working in these conditions because of how easily they could get wounded, as shown by this horrifying accident Robert witnessed. This highlights the importance of the first factory act, as it stopped accidents like these from occurring, saving future children and people from experiencing this. Workplace wages weren’t the greatest for the poor during the industrial