During the 1700s, the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. This led to major advancements in industry and technology, but these advancements came at a cost. The children of Britain held many jobs at this time, and a controversial topic is whether these jobs put the children in dangerous environments. Labor in the Industrial Revolution was dangerous for children because they were injured from harmful jobs, could have died at certain jobs, and held occupations that resemble slavery.
During the Industrial Revolution, children often held unsafe and sometimes deadly jobs. While these occupations could range from working on ships to carrying bricks, the positions these children held in society often put them in the path of danger and sometimes death. According to an interview with George Elson, some children had to crawl into nine-inch square chimneys, which could lead to children falling and hurting themselves. Furthermore, some children cleaned machines by crawling under them, and this sometimes led to machines crushing and killing children, as stated by Christopher Guffogg. Clearly, these children were in very dangerous environments that should not have been allowed at the time because they could have hurt or killed themselves at work.
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According to Michael Sadler, some children were lucky enough to acquire a job that only required them to open gates, and, if all the children at the time had jobs as harmless as this, the labor would be fine. However, when one looks at other jobs held at the time, the truth becomes apparent. As stated by Michael Sadler, some children were stripped half-naked and chained to carts filled with coal. These children would have to crawl on their hands and knees through narrow, hot, and dark tunnels. Undoubtedly, these work conditions were extremely dangerous for the kids during this