Child
Labor Abuses During
The
Industrial Revolution
A WebQuest for
Mr Zolar
Newsflash!
Sounds crazy? Impossible?
Well this is
exactly what life was like back in the 1800s during the Industrial Revolution.
As the Industrial Revolution
progressed and more factories were built, it was necessary to employ as many
workers as possible in order to keep the factories working, 24 hours a
day. Men, women, and children of all
ages were hired to work in the factories.
The men and women worked at jobs that utilized their skills to best
support the factory. Children were used
for various jobs including those jobs that adults could not do. Jobs that required a small person, with small
hands and fingers, were filled by children.
Jobs that required a person to fit into a small space or be able to
reach into small, tight places such as the space behind or inside a machine to
replace a worn part, were filled by a child.
“About a dozen children died during the two years
and a half that I was there. At the mill
where I worked last, a boy was caught in a machine and had both his thigh bones
broke and from his knee to his hip the flesh was ripped up the same as it had
been cut by a knife. The boy died.
Another time, a young girl had her hand bruised, her eyes were nearly
torn out, and her arms bruised. . I do not know if the girl is dead, but she
was not expected to live.”
This
was an actual account from a person who worked in a mill and told these stories
to a government investigation committee.
The hours
were long, the pay was low, and the conditions were dangerous and
unhealthy. Women and children were paid
less than men. Children did not go to
school. They worked 6 days a week.
Sometimes the work day could be as much as 16 hours long. By the time you got home, you had barely the
time to eat dinner and get some sleep before having to go back to work. The family spent very little time
together. Life was hard.
You are
living in
Your task is to write a newspaper article
about the
abuses of child labor in the factories
(or iron and coal mines) during the 19th century
in
The article
will be a part of your project package.
·
Your
newspaper article should be at least 300 words in
length.
·
You
may include pictures.
·
Your
article should describe the types of working conditions, the dangers, the long
hours, and any other conditions you can list.
·
You will “Interview”
some workers and include their comments in your article.
·
Suggest
some changes that you think should be made.
·
How
will these changes improve the conditions and the lives of the children?
I. The
Group Process:
Each member of your group must contribute to this
assignment. You are also responsible for
completing the five GHPPA worksheets for your group. You will also give a five minute presentation
to the rest of the class when you are finished explaining why you created your
timeline the way you did.
You will be assigned to a group of five.
Using a variety of resources (Internet websites, textbook, class notes,
handouts) your group will research the topic of the problem of child labor
during the industrial revolution You will record your findings for each section
on the worksheets provided, and then use the worksheets to develop your
timeline You will all have individual roles within the group but you will work
with the entire group to put together your timeline. Use the website resources listed below, as
well as your textbook and handouts to complete the GHPPA worksheets.
GROUP LEADER-You will make sure that all members of the group
complete their tasks and that the group task is completed. You will help guide the discussions as to the
final product. You will also make sure
that each member of the group contributes.
GHPPA-You will make sure that the worksheets are completed and that all of
the members of the group contribute to their completion.
PRESENTER-When the timeline is complete you will present for
your group your timeline with explanations for how it was designed.
TIMELINE CREATOR-You are responsible for making sure that the groups
work is represented in a creative timeline that is information, colorful and
engaging.
RESEARCH LEADER-You will lead the group through the various websites,
textbooks and anything else the group uses to do research for the timeline.
|
Step (click on these links to help you better understand
each step) |
GHPPA
Assignment
(Click
on the ‘worksheet’ links to bring up a word document, in which you will
record your answers.) |
|
include all answers
on your worksheet |
|
|
Gather evidence to
show/prove the problem existed & include all answers on your worksheet |
|
|
Identify the causes
of the problem by analyzing the websites and completing the worksheet |
|
|
Explain what
policies were used during the Industrial Revolution, including the
advantages, disadvantages, and your suggestions for an improved policy. Include your findings on the worksheet |
|
|
Compare the
policies dealing with child labor during the Industrial Revolution with
current child labor laws. Complete the worksheet |
Your newspaper articles should look like this:
·
Begin
with a front page with a heading of your topic, the names of you and your
group, and a maybe a picture related to your article.
·
Include
the newspaper name, London Daily News
·
You
may include pictures with your article.
·
Include
interviews
·
End
with a bibliography of the sources you used.
·
Include
your worksheets as part of your final project package.
II. Individual work
Begin preparing your contribution
to your group’s newspaper. Each group
member will contribute a one page paper of your discovery stating the facts of
your research and your analysis.
A.
In
your paper, be sure to include this information (from GHPPA worksheets)
1.
What is the problem?
2.
What is the evidence that the problem
existed in Ancient Rome?
3.
What were the causes of the problem?
4.
What
policies were enacted and what events took place in an effort
to solve this problem?
5.
What
happened as a result of these policies or events? (In the
analysis, you will
state your opinions)
III.
Presentation:
Finally, each group will make a
five-minute presentation to the entire class.
Each group member must contribute to the presentation either by speaking
or creating a visual piece for the presentation.
Websites related to the Industrial Revolution and Labor abuses
The Life of the
Industrial Worker in 19th century Britain
Excerpts from several primary
documents relating to working conditions in
Working
Conditions in 19th century Britain
Excerpts from several testimonies of working conditions in
Contains links to several sites about the lives of
workers as well as the social and political effects of the Industrial.
Revolution
Working Conditions during
the Industrial Revolution
Primary source documents related
to working conditions and legislation passed by the British government.
An Act to regulate Labor of Children in mills and factories
Information about the Factory Act of 1833 and
the Mines Act of 1842.
Protest Movements
of the Industrial Revolution
Several sites about protest groups such as the
Chartists and Luddites.
·
Websites
related to modern-day Labor abuses
Spotlight on
Indonesian 'sweat shops'
Child Labor abuse today – Sweat Shops in S.E. Asia
– Nike sponsors Tiger Woods.
Stop-traffic]
News/Asia: Asia's sex trade is 'slavery'
Children and women being used as part of a
“new slave trade”.
An Article in Mother Jones
magazine 1999
Between a
Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops ...
Links to a course at George Mason University
|
Category |
Not Acceptable |
Needs Improvement |
Satisfactory |
Good |
Excellent |
|
Completion
of the worksheets (understood the social problem, its causes, and public policy that arose from it) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Facts
Used (facts based on documents,
website links, other sources) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Completion
of News article (had correct format, stated and
analyzed the social problem, created and considered possible solutions, and
evaluated the historical solution) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Oral
Presentation (communicated the information
clearly and enhanced with pictures and illustrations) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Your
grade will be determined as follows:
Grade of A, you need a total of
17-20 points.
Grade of B, you need a total of
13-16 points.
Grade of C, you need a total of 9-12 points.
Grade of D, you need a total of 5-8 points.
Grade of F, is less than 5 points.
Social Studies -
World History
2:1 The
study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and
civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural
values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition
and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the
ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of
perspectives.
2:2
Establishing timeframes, exploring different periods, examining themes across
time and within cultures, and focusing on important turning points in world
history help organize the study of world cultures and civilizations.
2:3 Study of the major social, political, cultural, and
religious developments in world history involves learning about the important
roles and contributions of individuals and groups.
English
Language Arts
1
Listening & Reading to acquire information and understanding involves
collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and
generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic
sources.
By
completing this WebQuest, you identified some of the problems that faced
children during the era of the Industrialization. You have been able to present
the problem to your class and offer an analysis of the policies that were
followed during that time period. You should also have learned how to use the
Public Policy Analyst to help you understand the social problem, gather
evidence, determine the cause, evaluate the existing policy, and compare the
policies of the government during the Industrial Revolution with the laws and
policies we follow today. You should
have learned to work with a group to produce a group project with your
individual contribution included. You
should now have a better understanding of work during the Industrial Revolution
and the problems children faced during those times.