MIXED BLESSINGS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION:
PROTESTING LABOR CONDITIONS IN London’s FACTORIES

 

 

 

 



Ms. Tabry
mstabry@yahoo.com

Global History III
Fall 2004

Jane Addams High School

 

INTRODUCTION:

Imagine that you are living in London, England in the late 18th century.  You are a factory worker, and you have just come home from a long day at work. Exhausted, you flop yourself down on your hard bed and try to think about your last good-night’s sleep.  It is now 11 pm, and you realize that you have just worked for 16 hours straight, since 7 in the morning!    You have been working non-stop for the past few months, and you have very little money to show for it. 

In mid-eighteenth century England, advances in production and manufacturing, inspired by the agricultural revolution, led to rapid and profound changes in Europe and eventually other parts of the world. New factories, machines, technology, and equipment had positive as well as negative effects on the populations that experienced these changes.  This prolific era is termed the Industrial Revolution. Some of these many changes included increased production, increased population, and rapid growth of urban centers.

Rapid growth of the cities was not an unmixed blessing. Much of the poor living conditions were due to the factory owners' tendency to regard laborers as commodities and not as a group of human beings.  Many factory workers attempted to fix this social problem by forming protest movements.  Some were effective and some were not.

You are a factory worker in England during the first decades of the Industrial Revolution.  You have begun to experience intolerable working conditions as a result of the increased demand for goods and products made in the factory where you, your family, and your friends work.  You have become distraught by your tiresome life, low pay, and your poor living conditions.

 

 

 

 

TASK:

Your job is to organize a movement among your fellow factory workers in protest of the poor working conditions that you can no longer tolerate.  You will produce a written, persuasive pamphlet that presents your qualms with working conditions for you, for your fellow workers, and for children and women.  You will argue against the low standard of living that you and your fellow workers are forced to accept. 

Your pamphlet will consist of a visually attractive piece of literature aimed at galvanizing a united workers’ effort against the injustice of labor during the Industrial Revolution.  You should include:

-photos/drawings, quotes from fellow workers or employers
-interviews, articles, charts, graphs, maps, and any other information that would be helpful in exposing the effects of modern industry on the working class. 
-You must include background, historical information about the Industrial Revolution, for example: statistics about wages and hours, information about new equipment, machines, and technology, and description of the Industrial era.
-You must include a list of suggestions for changes that you think should be made. These changes may be thing towards which you and your colleagues will strive. 

Remember, you want to convince your fellow workers to affect change in the workplace and create a just working environment. You are not against progress and industry, but you are against the working conditions you are forced to endure.

You will be graded on the quality, content, appearance, punctuality, and effectiveness of your pamphlet. 

 

PROCEDURE:

1. You will be working individually to gather information to create your persuasive pamphlet.  In order to make a clear argument and persuade your colleagues to join you in this campaign against factory owners and industry, you must have solid background knowledge about the Industrial Revolution and the social and economic factors involved. 

You will use a variety of resources to gather your information.  You will use the worksheets described in the Public Policy Analyst worksheets to record your research.  These worksheets can be found using the links below and are to be used to complete your project. 

 

Use the following guidelines to prepare your news article.

·        Research the websites

·        Gather your information from the websites, your textbook, class notes, and handouts given to you in class

·        Use the 5-step public policy approach

 

1.   Identify the problem.

2.   Gather your evidence for the problem.

3.   Determine the cause for the problem.

4.   Evaluate the policy.

5.    Do a comparative analysis.

 

These five worksheets will be an organizational tool in producing your final product, the pamphlet.  Complete these worksheets before beginning work on your pamphlet. You must turn in these worksheets along with your pamphlet as part of your total grade.  They must be typed and stapled once in the left corner, in order from #1 through #5.  Do not staple the pamphlet to the worksheets.

 

2. Use strong paper, such as construction paper, light cardboard, or resume paper, and fold it horizontally into three equal columns.  You must utilize both sides and all three columns.

 

3. On the front of the pamphlet, you must include a title and any other piece of information- visual or written.  Your name should appear somewhere on the front as well.

 

4. The inside panels will display the information as you see fit.  Remember to be creative, persuasive, and accurate.  You must use proper grammar structure, writing technique, and spelling.  The pamphlet should be well organized and clear.

 

5. On the back page, you must include (somewhere) a bibliography of the sources you used.  You may simply write out the web address of the page you used.

 

RESOURCES:

 

You may use your textbook, an encyclopedia and websites.

 

Please use only the web sources listed below. If you have found another website that you think is helpful and appropriate, please run it by me first for approval.  You might use such search engines as www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. 

 

(Click on the title to go to the webpage.)

The Life of an Industrial Worker in 19th century Britain

 

Industrial Revolution Main Page

 

Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution

 

Factory Life and Child Labor

 

Protest Movements of the Industrial Revolution

 

Regents Prep Overview of Industrial Revolution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


EVALUATION:

 

Industrial Revolution: Protest Pamphlet and Worksheets  

 

 

 

Not Acceptable


1

Needs Improvement

2

Good Work


3

Exemplary Work

4

Score

Content of Pamphlet: information & perspective, title and name, bibliography, creativity, visuals

Pamphlet lacks bibliography and/or title and name.  No visuals and little/inaccurate information. No perspective provided

Pamphlet contains bibliography but lacks other requirements.  Few visuals & basic info. Lacks perspective

Pamphlet contains all required content.  Information is accurate but basic. Visuals & perspective are adequate.

Pamphlet contains all requirements. Exceptional information and visuals.  Persuasive perspective & argument using sources

 

Worksheets:

Completing worksheets on time, accuracy of information, resources.

Worksheets are incomplete or some are skipped.  No sources used.  Information is inadequate.

Worksheets are complete but need more information and sources. Answers are adequate but weak.

Worksheets are complete and provide adequate information. 

Worksheets are answered in detail with use of a variety of appropriate resources

 

Grammar, Spelling, Organization

Pamphlet is poorly organized &/or contains numerous spelling/grammar errors.

Organization is weak.  Some spelling/grammar errors are careless.

Clear organization.  Few or minor grammar/spelling errors

Clear organization.  No/negligent spelling/grammar errors

 

Punctuality:

Submitting the Pamphlet on time

Pamphlet submitted more than 1 school day late

Pamphlet submitted 1 day late.

Pamphlet submitted after class, but before end of the day

Pamphlet submitted at beginning of class

 

 

 

 Written by Ms. Tabry. Last updated 08/27/04.

 

You can receive a maximum of 16 points. 
A   15-16 points                     D      10 points

B   13-14 points                      F        9 points or fewer

C   11-12 points

                                                                                      Total Score: __________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


CONCLUSION:

After examining the sources and completing the worksheets, you should be able to:

 

a)      Identify the major concerns of the factory workers during the Industrial Revolution

b)      Form a persuasive argument against the conditions of factory workers during the Industrial Revolution

c)      Organize and produce a coherent, well-written pamphlet according to the task, procedure, and learning standards outlined below.

d)     Use the internet and other resources to support your argument and gather useful information for the project

e)      Evaluate documents, articles, and other writings to use in your research and apply them to making your pamphlet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


CURRICULUM STANDARDS:

 

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS:

 

2: World History
5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS:

 

1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.