WebQuest: The Industrial Revolution

Sharon Shearer

Global History 3

Introduction:

“There were about a dozen died during the two years and a half that I was there. At the L___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. His hand was bruised, his eyes were nearly torn out and his arms bruised. The boy died. I do not know if the girl is dead, but she was not expected to live.”

The above quote is an excerpt from the testimony of Joseph Hebergam, a factory worker, before the Sadler Committee investigating conditions in England’s factories during the 1830s. Hebergam’s account describes the dangers associated with factory work during this period. In addition to unsafe working conditions, the working class toiled 12 to 16 hours a day, six days a week, for very little pay. They had no wage protection if the factories closed. Their children did not go to school or have time to play because they too had to work in the mines and factories. Children were paid less than adults and were given difficult and dangerous work to do.

Some people began to agitate for reform and protection for workers. Consequently, the British government passed legislation to improve conditions in the factories, reduce working hours and end child labor.

You are newspaper reporters living in England during the first half of the nineteenth century (1800s). You have been given an assignment to research and document: (1) the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution on the lives of the working class, (2) the action (for example, protests and appeals) taken by workers and reformers to bring about change, and (3) the social, political and economic reform measures adopted by the British government.

Task:

Write a three to five-page newspaper article describing the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the lives of the working class and the steps taken by reform groups and the British government to ameliorate conditions in the factories and make life more tolerable for the workers. For this project, you must use the five-step public policy analysis:

Process:

Step 1: You will be divided into groups of five.

Step 2: Each group will select a leader.

Step 3: Each group will Define the Problem and write a brief summary in your notebook.

Step 4: The leader will assign members to work on a specific aspect of the project. For example, one or two persons could research the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution on the lives of workers. Another person might examine the actions taken by workers to improve conditions in the factories and so on.

Step 5: Group members will begin their Internet research by using the websites listed in “Resources.” You may also refer to your textbook and handouts for additional information. Be sure to refer to primary source documents (firsthand accounts, for example, the testimony of factory workers) as well as secondary sources. Both primary and secondary sources can be found on the Internet

Step 6: Once the research has been completed, fill out the five-step public policy worksheets:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet1gh.doc

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet2gh.doc

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet3gh.doc

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet4gh.doc

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet5gh.doc

Step 7: The group, working collaboratively, will discuss their research findings and do an outline for writing the newspaper article.

Step 8: Your group will begin working on a draft of your paper.

Step 9: Write your article. This should be typed and double-spaced.

Step 10: Group presentations

Resources:

The Life of the Industrial Worker in Nineteenth Century England

http://65.107.211.206/history/workers2.html

Many records of testimony by workers at various Parliamentary

investigations.

The Life of the Industrial Worker in 19^th century Britain

http://www.geocities.com/couple_colour/Worker/

Excerpts from several primary documents relating to working conditions in Britain in the first half of the 19^th century

Industrial Revolution

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook14.html

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

http://www.geocities.com/bthistory/work.html

Primary source documents related to working conditions and legislation passed by the British government

Women in the Industrial Revolution

http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson7.html

The life of women during the Industrial Revolution.

The Victorian Web: Child Labor

http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/history/hist8.html

A small site with images and text

An Act to regulate Labor of Children in mills and factories

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob67.html

Information about the Factory Act of 1833 and the Mines Act of 1842

Sadler Commission "Testimony: Child Labor in England"

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~benjamin/316kfall/316kunit2/studentprojectsspring/group1/sadtext.html

Testimony from the time

Protest Movements of the Industrial Revolution

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/protestmovements.htm

Several sites about protest groups such as the Chartists and Luddites

Evaluation:

The following rubric will be used to judge your project.

	Exceeds Expectations	Meets Expectations	Does Not Meet Expectations	Score
Points Earned	3	2	1 or 0
Factual Information	All information correct	Most information correct	Little or no information correct
Variety of Sources	Excellent variety of sources; excellent use of relevant materials	Adequate number of sources; adequate use of relevant materials	Inadequate number of sources; inadequate use of relevant materials
Discussion/Detail	Excellent discussion/detail	Adequate discussion/detail	Vague/shallow discussion/detail
Depth of Insight/Analysis	Impressive depth of insight/analysis	Adequate depth of insight/analysis	Unexceptional insight/analysis
Form and Style	Effective introduction	Adequate introduction	Weak or missing introduction
Conclusion	Effective conclusion	Adequate conclusion	Weak or missing conclusion
Organization	Clear organization	Adequate organization	Confusing or weak organization
Transitions	Smooth transitions	Adequate transitions	Awkward or missing transitions
Spelling and Grammar		Correct grammar; no spelling mistakes	Incorrect grammar; many spelling mistakes
References in Footnotes and Bibliography		Correctly credits references	Incorrectly credits references or credits missing
			TOTAL SCORE

This webquest focuses on the following Social Studies and English Language Arts Performance standards:

Social Studies

Standard 2

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the in world history from a variety of perspectives.

ELA Standards

1. Students will read and write for information and understanding

2. Students will read and write for literary response and expression

3. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation

4. Students will speak and listen for social interaction

Conclusion:

By working on this project, students will be able to: (1) evaluate the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the lives of the working class in nineteenth-century Britain, (2) describe the role played by the workers and reform groups in pressuring the government to enact laws to improve conditions in the factories, and (3) assess the effectiveness of various government legislation in bringing about change.