Women and Children in the Industrial Revolution

Steam Engine

Jan 1, 1690

Thomas Newcomen built the first model of the steam engine in 1690. Mining was one of the most dangerous jobs in the Industrial Revolution. If the miners dug far down enough, they would run into water. This caused flooding, which was the cause of many deaths. The steam engine could pump out the water from the mines. This made mining (although still a dangerous job) much safer for workers.

Spinning Jenny

Jan 1, 1764

Before the Spinning Jenny, there was the "putting out" system. People got raw cotton and processed it into bales of cloth from their cottage homes (showed in the picture). The Spinning Jenny was made by James Hargreaves in 1764 and patented in 1770. It was able to work 30 spindles at once, which increased production by a lot. This basically was the starter for the ideas that would show up later in factories where women and children would be working under harsh conditions.

1819 Factory Act

Jan 1, 1819

This was the first set of laws that restricted labor in factories. Children under 9 years old were no longer allowed to work. Children ages 9-16 could work a maximum of 72 hours per week. They were also required by the government to be allowed a half hour each day for meals. This set of laws barely made labor less extensive and cruel. Some women had to work at 9 months pregnant and, in some cases, give birth at work.

1833 Althorp's Factory Act

Jan 1, 1833

This act appointed 4 full-time inspectors to enforce laws. Nightwork was not forbidden for children before. This act changed that for anyone under 18 years old. It made all working children go to school for three hours a day, which, while it made conditions less cruel, it didn't help families that needed to bring money in. These children became known as "half-timers."

Lowell Mill Girls- Wage Slash

Jan 1, 1834

The Lowell Mills started to get a decrease in profit in 1834. They punished their workers by cutting wages 15-20%. The Lowell Mill girls met in secret and organized protests for harsh treatment. But the owners of the mills fired the girls that were in these secret meetings (just showing how cruel bosses were in these times). The fired girls retaliated by going on strike outside the mills.

Mines and Colleries Act

Jan 1, 1842

Women and children under 10 were no longer allowed to work underground. No one under 15 years old could work winding gear in mines. The picture here is a representation of the hard work in coal mines, and if grown women had a hard time, children definitely did too. The work was not only hard, but dangerous as well. They would face poison gas, cave-ins, explosions, etc.

1844 Graham's Factory Act

Jan 1, 1844

The minimum age for factory work was reduced to 8 years old. 8 to 13 year olds could work only 6 and a half hours per day maximum. 13 to 18 year olds and all women could work 10 and a half hours a day maximum. Safety guards had to be fitted to all machines. This act gave children more time to be able to attend school and made working conditions much better than they used to be.

Sewing Machine

May 1, 1845

Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in May 1945 in order to help his wife sew to pay the bills. This invention became huge for the textile industry because production increased and time spent decreased dramatically. This not only effected the textile industry, though. Companies that could make parts, like metal companies, thrived. Women and children were given jobs in factories everywhere.

Fielder's Factoy Act

Jan 1, 1847

The 10 hour work day was introduced for children under 19 and women. Factory inspectors were required to enforce laws. However, since they were not paid well, they were often bribed to let some cases slide. Working parents that were desperate for money often lied about the age of their children and sent them to work in factories for longer hours. It's easy to understand how this law was hard to enforce.

Dishwasher

May 14, 1850

The dishwasher was made by Joel Houghton and patented May 14, 1850. It was a wooden machine with a hand-turned wheel that splashed water onto the dishes. In 1866, Josephine Cochrane invented a more "practical" design of Houghton's invention. It was more like today's dishwashers. It helped women during the Industrial Revolution, especially those that had to work and didn't have time to do so much work at home like handwashing dishes.

ILGWU Formation

Jan 19, 1900

Because of cases like the Lowell Mills girls, women grew tired of being treated with inequality. They formed the International Ladies' Garmet Workers' Union in 1900. In 1909 and 1910, they lead two successful strikes. As a result, the wages were increased, working hours reduced, and the union was recognized by clothing manufacturers. It enabled a "protocol of peace" between the women's clothing industry and labor.

March of 100 Children

Jul 7, 1903

Mother Jones lead a children's march of 100 children to protest on July 7, 1903. They went all the way to President Theodore Roosevelt's Long Island home. They demanded that their workweek be cut from 60 to 55 hours (which really didn't change much for them. Going from nearly 9 hours per day to 8 hours.) Mother Jones wanted to completely outlaw child labor. By marching, she revealed to the public how evil it was.

Uprising of 20,000

Nov 22, 1909

At the Triangle Shirtwaist (blouse) Factory, about 1/5 of the female workers went on strike. Almost all of these women were Eastern European Jewish or Italian. They were protesting about the horrible working conditions. But the strike didn't work as planned, since the owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, locked the women out. They then hired prostitutes to take their places.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Mar 25, 1911

At the same factory that underwent the uprising in 1909, a fire broke out on the 8th floor. Because of all the fabric in the building, the fire spread quickly and engulfed 3 floors. The fire exit collapsed while people were escaping. With no other options, many young women (most of them teenagers) jumped out the windows to their deaths. 146 died. This just shows how bad working conditions could be (with no reliable safety exits).

Assembly Line

Jan 1, 1913

Henry Ford put the assembly line into action at his Ford Motor Company. With this idea, production levels increased at not only his company, but many others. The concept was for one person to work on a part of the project and pass it to the next person, who works on the next step. The process repeats until the work is done. It helped workers to make more money at factories by getting more work done efficiently.

Video

Mar 19, 2015

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