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Questions and Answers
What technological advancements revolutionized textile production during the Industrial Revolution?
The spinning Jenny and the power loom.
Why was workplace safety not a concern during the Industrial Revolution?
Workers had to risk their lives to ensure steam generation and factory production.
How often did the average factory experience a steam boiler explosion during the Industrial Revolution?
Every four days.
How were workers often treated in terms of accountability for workplace accidents?
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How did the term 'American Dream' contrast with the reality of many rural families during the 19th century?
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How did news reach rural areas during the 19th century, before the full development of the newspaper industry?
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What challenges did parents face during the industrial era?
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Why were children as young as three years old forced to work in factories?
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Who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and what did she raise awareness about?
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What actions did Lewis Hine and Grace Abbott take in the early 20th century?
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What did the British aristocracy do to suppress worker protests?
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Why did Luddites protest against the industrial revolution?
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Study Notes
- During the Industrial Revolution, inventions like the spinning Jenny and the power loom revolutionized textile production, leading to a revolution at the end of the 18th century.
- Technology advancements led to the replacement of human labor in producing goods.
- The Industrial Revolution was a bloody period, causing the death of cottage industries and the loss of moral values, with many practical issues arising.
- Workplace safety was not a concern during the Industrial Revolution.
- In factories, workers had to risk their lives to ensure steam was generated and factories could continue production.
- The average factory experienced a steam boiler explosion every four days, resulting in approximately 50,000 deaths per year.
- The lack of accountability for workplace accidents and fatalities meant that workers were often blamed for their own deaths, with their families left without compensation.
- The term "American Dream" was coined during the 19th century, but the reality was that millions of rural families uprooted themselves to seek a better living in the cities.
- The newspaper industry had not yet fully developed, so news still reached rural areas through word of mouth instead of radio, telegrams, or the internet.
- By the time rural families reached the city with their entire families, the opportunity had often already passed.
- New factories emerged, but there was never enough work to accommodate all jobless migrant workers.
- Workers were willing to work under minimum wage because of a lack of better alternatives.
- Skilled laborers were treated as disposable, with talents such as creativity, uniqueness, and craftsmanship being replaced by machines.
- Workers were forced to work long hours, low wages, in dangerous and dark factories.
- Despite modern labor rights and safety regulations in the US, workers still face competition from cheaper labor from South and Southeast Asian countries.
- Industrialization led to a decline in mortality rates and an increase in life expectancy, despite the machines causing approximately 30,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries per year.
- The challenge for parents during the industrial era was to feed and raise large families with low wages.
- Child labor became a new challenge for the industrial era, with children as young as three years old working in factories because their parents forced them to do so.
- Children worked up to 10 to 14 hours a day with minimal breaks, and factories did not make things easy for them as they were forced to operate dangerous machines.
- Toxic fumes filled the air, and children were often forced to work in dangerous areas to clean up debris and dust.
- Child laborers had no chance to attend school because of their long working hours.
- Jane Addams, the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, was one of the first to raise awareness about child labor after witnessing the deplorable conditions in a candy factory and the exploitation of young girls.
- Activists such as Lewis Hine and Grace Abbott fought to improve the system in the early 20th century.
- Governments initially took a harsh stance on labor issues in factories, viewing workers' demands for better treatment as a dangerous trend.
- Fearing for their valuable tea and cakes, the British aristocracy passed the Combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 to suppress worker protests.- Die Wette was made illegally to dissolve unions and clubs for the purpose of "political reform." In simpler terms, they effectively abolished the labor union for workers.
- The only demand of workers for a wage was equal to their living expenses, which hindered the workers and widened the gap between workers and employers, leaving the working class further behind.
- Luddites, a group of British weavers, were visibly irritated due to the invention of machinery. They attempted to gain government recognition of their plight by organizing and, when the government turned a blind eye, they protested against the industrial revolution through vandalism at nearby factories.
- The destruction of heavy machinery brought attention, but not in a positive way.
- In 1812, the government passed a law making the destruction of industrial machinery capital punishment!
- This was not a empty threat - 14 Luddites were hanged for "rioting."
- This marked the end of the Luddite movement, along with weaving as a professional craft.
- Share in the comments if you'd like to know more about the harsh realities of colonial life.
- Thank you for watching Nutty History.
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Description
Explore the harsh realities faced by workers during the Industrial Revolution, including dangerous working conditions, child labor, lack of labor rights, and the emergence of labor movements. Learn about key events, figures, and challenges of the era.
