In the mid-1700s, industrialization gave birth and made Europe grow quicker than it ever had before. With the increase in industrialization and technology, life expectancy and quality of life are expected to go up. The industrial revolution assisted America with expanding its population and creating groundbreaking technological advancements such as coal, the internal-combustion engine, and oil, which allowed for steam engines, automobiles, and lighting. This eventually led to an increase in life and made things easier but with these came poor factory conditions and harsh labor. Factory manufacturers tried to hide and cling to poor labor conditions that workers were forced to work in. Documents 4, 2, and 1 share the idea that the labor conditions …show more content…
An excerpt from The Philosophy of Manufactures published in 1835, by Andrew Ure, a Scottish physician, scholar, and chemist discusses his interactions with kids working in factories. He says he’s never seen chastisement among the children and that they were all cheerful without any signs of fatigue (Doc 2). Document 4 mentions that because of these labors, they are surrounded by many comforts and conveniences such as better-built houses, cheaper clothes, and cheap travel with access to machinery that can take you anywhere, which is true, however, It's important to keep in mind that the sources behind these documents are …show more content…
In an excerpt from Joseph Hebergam’s interview with the Sadler Commission in 1832, they interview a mill worker who speaks up about the harsh conditions that workers are forced to face. The worker had lost his brother to an infection he received when he was cut by a machine, he also said that there were a dozen who had died during the two and half years he was working there (Doc 3). The names of the mills were blanked out due to testimony, but it goes to show how far factories will go to keep these truths under wrap. In a speech made by Lord Ashley to Parliament in June of 1842 following the testimonies of the commission, they investigate a coal mine and interviewed workers. Robert North says they would be beaten if they said anything and the women from ages seven to twenty-one were poorly dressed—almost naked—in only trousers (Doc