Michel Sadler And The Factory Act Of 1800

On one particular summer day, July 15th, 1805, just like any other day, the clacking of machines in massive factories grinding out your eardrums, the unavoidable bumping into people trying to complete your job. The smell of oil and grease permeated the air. The heat was unbearable. Sweat dripped down your face as you worked tirelessly for hours on end. You might have even been one of many children who went to work as early as the age of seven. However, Despite the challenges posed by resistance to legislative change driven by classical liberalism's support for big factory owners, the Factory Act of 1833 exposed and addressed harsh working conditions, especially for children, through subsequent activist movements that established minimum age

Michel Sadler, recognized social reformer, due to his efforts to improve the quality of life and ensure good working conditions. In 1829, during the industrial revolution, he was elected to parliament, enabling him to make significant changes, particularly in relation to the plight of working-class individuals, with a primary focus on children. A few years later, Sadler led investigations, including the Report on Child Labor, which involved "public hearings during which eighty-nine child factory workers were interviewed." This endeavor famously documented the horrific conditions endured by young children, as revealed in 1832. As one interviewee, William Cooper, testified, the children worked grueling labor from “five o'clock in the morning until nine at night,” leading to “common fatigue and frequent sickness” that affected their appetite. Sadler's astute use of his position in the British Parliament allowed him to expose the truths about these terrible working conditions, particularly the long and grueling work hours. Furthermore, he revealed the abusive practices that were unfortunately common, such as the use of a “roller to beat the children, resulting in some suffering head injuries”. Armed with this information, Sadler

The ideology of classical liberalism throughout the industrial revolution, brought by philosophers such as Adam Smith and Samuel Smiles, rooted ideals of economic interests over social well-being as they promoted arduous and monotonous work, induing for children. However, through the factory act of 1833, efforts of social reformers such as Michel Sadler and Lord Ashley to expose and shed light on the harsh working conditions of child labor to the public and stirring public outcry for the change and embetterment of the working class proved effective and demanded change. Many reforms were made for the child labor as there were age minimum requirements, limiting work hours, and even requiring education for children. Now, although this goal of actually seeing change an improvement for the working class due to limited government intervention, in 1833, the Factory act’s impact was far-reaching, paving the way for more effective labor reforms in the