Essay on The Industrial Revolution

Submitted By marellax3
Words: 547
Pages: 3

The evils of the Industrial Revolution were addressed by new government involvement that addressed child labor and factory safety. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the government wanted a better society. They had some laws passed in order to have this done, and the “evils” of the industrial revolution were improved. The new safety regulations and laws hindered the growth of different factories and industries. The Combination Act of 1800, the Health and Morals Act of 1802, and the Factory Act of 1833 were the three laws that were passed to remove the “evils” of the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, the evils were first addressed by the Combination Act of 1800. This document hindered the growth of unions, which were bands of workers who joined together to demand for different things, like more pay or better working conditions. In this document, the government was basically threatening the workers because they wanted advanced wages or lesser work hours. This part of the document states, “...enter into any combination [union] to obtain an advance of wages, or to lessen or alter the hours...or who shall, for the purpose of obtaining an advance in wages...persuade, solicit, intimidate, or influence...any workman...to quit or leave his work...shall be committed to...jail.” It meant that anyone who persuaded any of the workers to do any of these things, then they will be arrested and thrown into jail. The Health and Morals Act of 1802 addressed the problems of child labor. It stated that the minimum age of employment is nine years old, and working hours for children under the age of fourteen will be limited to twelve hours. Child labor during the Industrial Revolution was very common because children are very easy to boss around. There were not a lot of safety regulations for the children because there were so many of them working in different factories and mills. They limited the age of children workers because really young children would get injured, or even die from the machinery or poisonous air. The working hours were reduced because the child population decreased dramatically. The Health