Daily Life

When the Industrial Revolution started there was no legislation about working conditions in mills, factories or other industrial plants. Factories spread very quickly, the owners of these working places needed lots of workers and they were being cheap with their pay. They wanted to pay them less instead of giving them the money they worked hard for and earned. Children were the ones that were taken advantage of because they didn't know any better. The children weren't educated enough to argue or complain. They were used to squeeze into small spaces that the adults couldn't get between. Children ended up working in all types of industries. Children weren’t attending school because education in the early 19th century was not mandatory and school was expensive. Parents let their children work in mills and factories because it brought money to their family. Now children have Saturday jobs or part time jobs after school. They have jobs to help their family out or to save money for themselves or for college. These jobs are carefully controlled and the government has made laws saying how long children can work and what types of jobs they can and cannot have and what the minimum age for working is.

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/IndustrialRevolution/womenandchildren.htm

Industrial Revolution Effecting Farmers

Before the Industrial Revolution almost 75% of British people lived in the country and they farmed. Some people were skilled craftsman. They did all their work by hand. When the Industrial Revolution came about machines were being created. Many farm families went broke because they weren't use to the new machines and they did everything by hand. They didn’t have any money for food or to support their families. Families had to move to from the farms to factory cities. When they moved the whole entire family moved together and they worked in the factories. Even the children worked in the factories. Kids had to work and they weren't going to school even though their education was very important. The people that worked weren’t under good working conditions and weren't healthy. The people working in factories became sick because of the working conditions in the factories. Their bosses couldn’t care less; they just wanted the job done so they can make their money. They had to work about 18 hours a day. The machines did all the work and humans just controlled the machine, telling it what to do. Machines were replacing humans and this was something new when the industrial revolution started. 

http://colquitt.k12.ga.us/wjwpg2/indrev/indrev.htm

Working Conditions in Canada

The 1900’s were a depressing time and a time that was very hard and difficult for people who were working. Average wage earners would be stuck working at the same place, doing the same job for the rest of their lives. Living conditions were bad and poor, things were even worse for the immigrants who were coming to Canada. Only the rich could have the expensive accommodations for those long journeys. Many jobs were available to most people but people were under constantly checked up on while working and they would have to be willing to do anything the boss wanted. The rich maintained their wealth mostly because of the low taxes. In the 1900's horses were parts of everyday life. People during this time used them for many things. Hearse was pulled by horses to the cemetery when somebody died. Farmers used horses to help on their farms. They pulled the farmers ploughs and town dwellers also used them to move around the towns. Horses pulled delivery wagons for businesses. They also pulled fire engines through the streets in case of a fire emergency. The bicycle was accepted by Canadians because it was easier to get around and it was compared to a horse. The bike was an alternative for transportation. The bicycle also showed that people were willing to learn about new things/inventions.

http://www.studyworld.com/life%20in%20early%201900's.htm

Factory Workers in U.S. History- an Intro

In today’s world there are laws that were made by the government that prevent workers to be treated unfairly and have them working in unsafe conditions but during the Industrial Revolution none of these laws existed. During the Revolution everything changed. Families were forced to make their children and others work. It wasn’t fair to them because they had no choice. Since they were forced to work it was required for them to move to towns and cities so that they could be close to their new jobs. Young children had harsh working conditions. They were being taken advantage of and controlled easily because they were young and naive. Children were often employed to move between machines since they were small enough. Women and children were also injured by the dangerous machinery. Children would work long hours and have little pay. Children worked 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week and earned only a dollar. Many became sick; some had lung disease because of the lack of ventilation and there was a lot of dust in the factories. Some female workers were fired because they were not educated enough to fight back. During that time, women were considered to be less than men.

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/IndustrialRevolution/workingconditions.htm

http://industrialrevolution.sea.ca/impact.html