Industrialization Dbq Essay

Industrialization DBQ As the Industrial Revolution spread throughout countries around the world, products were soon being quickly distributed throughout the world. What the world didn’t realize, however, was the production put into them. Many products were mass produced in the revolution, but the methods and work conditions were not safe or sanitary. In addition to this and because of the low pay of the workers, many who could get a job were still tight on money and could not live in luxury. While some may argue that the Industrial Revolution had a primarily positive effect on society because of the job increase and large advancements in technology, it actually had more of a negative effect. Some of the negative effects of industrialization

An excerpt from a testimony dialogue from the early 1800’s states that “a factory worker named Elizabeth Bentley had work hours beginning at 5 in the morning to 9 at night” (Document 7). This remains to be a clear point of child labor and employment that was supported during the revolution because of the need for workers in textile and other factories. The hours given to children were the same as adult men and women, and required the same amount of effort and efficiency. An everyday shift was the example stated above, a total of 16 hours, which is far longer than the average job today in North America. The same testimony dialogue also showed evidence in which “Bentley’s labor caused deformation in her legs, in which she had ‘weak ankles and crooked knees’ from working in the factory’s harsh conditions” (Document 7). This shows that, while work hours were also irrational,

“The poem, written roughly in the 1800’s, shows an example of how families were often separated because of long, harsh working hours, in which mothers could not spend time with their children” (Document 2). As stated in the previous paragraph, the work hours were long and irrational, and could last up to 16 hours or more. Families, even with several children, were often separated, and required to work as individuals starting at a young age in order to provide for themselves and their family. To add to this, “the testimony dialogue shows an example of how working in a factory caused deformation in Bentley’s legs as a result of poor working conditions” (Document 7). With the standard working conditions of the revolution, physical injuries were not uncommon. In fact, it was quite expected that workers would be injured on the job, but it was on the worker to take the job, in lieu of the dangerous physical risks. The risk was often taken, as jobs were precious and money was hard to come by, with barely enough to feed oneself. As another example, “the photograph by Lewis Hines provides evidence in which children were exposed to and working in dangerous machinery” (Document 8). Children and adults, who worked side by side, were commonly exposed to dangerous machinery, as stated above. Factory owners, who observed the consequences of working within these hazards, could not