DBQQuestion

:
WastheIndustrialRevolutionprimarilyatimeof
progressoratimeofproblems?

AnalyzethepositiveandnegativeeffectsoftheIndustrialRevolution,takingintoaccounttheeffectsondifferent
socialgroups(rural,urban,rich,poor,children,womenetc.).Usedocumentsandyourknowledgeoftheperiod
from17001880toconstructyourresponse.

Youneedtoincludeatleastonepieceof
outside
informationinyouressaytoextend
yourargument.Highlightyouroutsideinformationin
green.
OutsideinformationcancomefromActivelyLearnReadings,ManchesterCase
StudyDocuments,andorClasswikispaces.
Analysis
=Explaintheevidenceandwhyweshouldtrustthesource
Commentary
=Explainhowtheevidenceprovesyourargument

ThesisStatement
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OutsideEvidence
HighlightGreen
EvidenceFromIndustrialRevolutionDocuments
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Analysis
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Commentary
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TheIndustrialRevolutionisatimeperiodofchangeintechnologyandorganizationofproductionin
agriculture,manufacturing,transportation,etc.Thesechangeshadhugeeffectsonthesocial,economic,
political,environmentalandculturalconditionsofthecountry.However,notallofthesechangesweregood
foreveryone.Inthiscontext,problemisdefinedasamatterinvolvingconfusion,difficulty,andothernegative
aspects.
TheIndustrialRevolutionwasprimarilyatimeofproblemsfortheworkingclass,children,andthe
poor.
First,theIndustrialRevolutionhadmanyproblemsfortheworkingclass.
AccordingtoElizabeth
Gaskell,inanexcerptfromhernovelMaryBarton,whichwaspublishedin1848,thelivingconditionsofthe
workingclasscouldbedescribedas,ItwasverydarkinsideThesmellwassofoulthatitalmostknocked
thetwomendown.Theybegantopenetratethethickdarknessoftheplaceandtoseethreeorfourlittle
childrenrollingonthedampbrickfloor,whichoozedwiththefilthymoistureofthestreet.

ElizabethGaskell,
anauthorwhowrotemanuscriptsthatsupportedtheworkingclass,wrotethis.Thisisatrustworthysource
becauseshelivedandwrotethisduringtheIndustrialRevolutionandsympathizedtheworkingclass.Her
purposeinwritingthiswastobringtolightabouttheterribleconditionsthepeopleworkedin.Gaskell
describestheaveragelivingquartersasoneswithnolightinganddampconditions.Shewritesthatmany
rancidandrottensmellspermeatedtheairofthehome.Notonlythat,butthefloorsandwallswereverydirty
andmoist.Dirtandmoisturecanoftenleadtomoldandotherinfestationswhichcanimpactpeopleshealth.
Thisisobviouslynotasafeplacetoraisechildrenortogrowold.Theworkingclasshadterribleand
problematiclivingconditionsduringtheIndustrialRevolution.Accordingtothisdocument,theIndustrial
Revolutionwasatimeofproblemsfortheworkingclassbecauseoftheiratrociouslivingconditions.
Additionally,in1842,FloraTristan,Frenchsocialistandwomen'srightsadvocate,wroteinherpublished
journal,Mostworkerslackclothing,bed,furniture,fuelwholesomefoodTheyspendfromtwelveto
fourteenhourseachdayshutupinlowceilingedroomswherewitheverybreathoffoulairtheyabsorbfibers
ofcotton,woolorflax,orparticlesofcopper,leadorironIfyouvisitafactory,itiseasytoseethatthe
comfortandwelfareoftheworkershaveneverenteredthebuilder'shead(Manchester&I.R.Documents).
FloraTristanwasawomanwhosympathizedwithmanyoftheunderprivilegedgroups,includingwomenand

theworkingclass.Sheobservedfirsthandedlytheexperiencesoftheworkersandwrotedownher
observationsandthoughtsinthissourceduringtheIndustrialRevolution.Workerslackedadequatesupplies,
food,andshelter.Theyworkedlonghoursforlittlepayinharshconditionsthatcouldinfecttheirlungsand
harmotherbodyparts.However,manyoftheworkersdidnotevenrealizethattheyworkedinsuchbad
conditions.

NotonlydidmanyworkersfromtheIndustrialRevolutionnotrealizethattheirworkersrights
werebeingtakenaway,theyalsoworkedandlivedandinconditionswithmanyproblems,suchas
inadequatematerials,uncleanair,nonnutritionalfood,etc.Workershadmanyproblemswithlivingand
workingconditionsduringtheIndustrialRevolution.
Secondly,theIndustrialRevolutionledtoproblemsintheaspectofchildlabor.
Accordingtoan
interviewfromMarch25,1819withMichaelWard,adoctorwhotreatedchildrenwhoworkedinManchester
factoriesonthehealthoftextilefactoryworkers,Manychildren'shandsandarmshadbeencaughtinthe
machinery.Inmanyinstancesthemusclesandtheskinisstrippeddowntothebone.Insomecasesafinger
ortwomightbelostThenumberofchildrenatthattimeintheschoolwhowereemployedinfactorieswas
106.Thenumberofchildrenwhohadreceivedinjuriesfromthemachineryamountedtoverynearlyhalf.
ThisisaprimarysourceMichaelWard,adoctorsawtheseeventshappenpersonallyandrecountedthem
inaninterviewduringtheIndustrialRevolution.Manychildrenalsoworkedwhileinschool,andthisledto
manyproblems.Forexample,manyoftheirhandsgotcaughtinthemachineryused.Theycouldlosetheir
usageoffingersoreventheirwholehandsfortherestoftheirlife.Nearly50%ofthestudentsthatworked
sufferedthroughthesesortsofinjuries.

Becauseofthat,manychildrencouldhavelostschooling,job,and
otheropportunitiesfortherestoftheirlife.Thiscouldhaveleadtohealthandotherproblems.Accordingto
thisdocument,theIndustrialRevolutionwasatimeofproblemsforthechildrenworkinginfactoriesbecause
manyofthemwereinjured.

Also,lookingatthephotographsfromclassandotheroutsidesourcesfromprior
knowledge,therearemanydepictionsofyoungchildrenworkingnexttodangerous,sharp,machinestwice
theirsizeordeepundergroundinthemineshafts.Therearealsonewspaperclippingsthatrecordwhat
happenedwhenmanychildrenwerelosttofactoryorminingaccidents.

Theseprimarysourcesshowpast
eventsandpeopleastheyhappenedandexistedandprovideascreenshotintolifeduringtheIndustrial
Revolution.Manyofthesenewspaperclippingsboastheadlinessuchas,LadFellToDeathInBigCoal
Chute,andsubheaderslike,DennisMcKeeDeadandArthurAllbeckerHadLegBurnedIntheLee
Mines,whichshowsusthatmanychildrenwereofteninjuredwhilemining.Thesechildrenwereall
employedatayoungage,andmostoftheworkersdonotevenlookmorethan1015yearsold.

Many
childrendevelopedhealthproblemswhileworkingintheminesorfactoriessomeevendied.Obviously,the
IndustrialRevolutioncausedmanyproblemsforchildrenintheformofinjuriesandunacceptableworking
conditions.
Finally,theIndustrialRevolutioncausedmanyproblemsforthepoor.
AccordingtoFriedrichEngels,in
hisbook
TheConditionsoftheWorkingClassinEngland
says,Nobodytroublesaboutthepoorasthey
strugglehelplesslyinthewhirlpoolofmodernindustriallifeMaybeluckyenoughtofindemployment,ifby
hislaborhecanenrichsomememberofthemiddleclasses.Buthiswagesaresolowthattheyhardlykeep
bodyandsoultogether.Ifhecannotfindwork,hecansteal,orhecangohungryandthenthepolicewillsee
toitthathewilldieofhungerinsuchawaythatdoesnotdisturbthelifeofthemiddleclasses.

Friedrich
EngelswasaradicalthinkerfromGermanyauthoredthisdocumentduringtheIndustrialRevolution,sothis
isaprimarysource.Hedescribestheconditionsandsocialstructuresastheywereduringthetimethe
passagewaswritten.EngelssaysthattheIndustrialRevolutionbroughttroublestothepoorbecause
employmentwasscarceandwageswerelow.Nooneeventhoughtaboutthem.Ifapoorpersoncouldeven
findwork,itwouldntdothemmuchgoodbecausetheywouldprobablydevelopproblemsanddieanyways
fromthelongworkinghoursandtoolowwages.Eventhepoliceandgovernmentdidntcareandsimplylet
themdiesothattheydontbotherthemiddleclasses.

Theytreatedtheirlivesasasimpleannoyanceand
easilydisposedofthem.Theytreatedthepoorliketheywereaproblemandnotahumanwithrights.The
IndustrialRevolutionwasatimeofproblemsforthepoorbecausetheyhadlittletonowork,verylowwages,
andwerenottreatedashuman.

Furthermore,AlexisdeTocqueville,in
ImpressionsofManchester
(published1838),saidaboutManchester,aleadingexampleofindustrialcitiesduringthetimehewrotethis,
Asortofblacksmokecoversthecity.Underthishalfdaylight300,000humanbeingsareceaselesslyat
work.Thehomesofthepoorarescatteredhaphazardaroundthefactories.Fromthisfilthysewer,thewealth

ofEnglandflows.Herecivilizedmanisturnedbackalmostintoasavage.InthisHelluponEarth,everything
whichcauseshorrorandangerbelongstotheindustrialera.

DeTocquevillewasaFrencharistocratwho
visitedManchesterin1835,duringtheIndustrialRevolution.Hereherecordedhisobservations.Hesays
thatManchesterwasheavilypollutedandthepeoplehadterribleconditionstoworkin.Thewealthof
Englandcameattheexpenseofthelivesofthepoor.Theirhomeswereuprootedfromtheminordertobuild
morefactoriesandurbanizethecity.

There,humanswerenottreatedashumans.Accordingtothis
document,theIndustrialRevolutionwasatimeofproblemsforthepoorbecausetheyworkedandlivedin
badenvironments,thecitywasverydisorganizedfromtryingtourbanize,andthepollutionwaseverywhere.
TheIndustrialRevolutioncausedmanyproblemsforthepoor,includingdehumanizingthem.

TheIndustrialRevolutionwasatimeofproblemsformanypeopleoftheworld,suchastheworking
class,thechildren,andthepoor.
Nowadays,whenwethinkabouttheterribleconditionspeopleworkedinor
theharmfuleffectswehaveontheenvironment,itinstantlyraisesmoralconcerns.WithouttheIndustrial
Revolution,thesetechnologiesthatcausedthemmayneverhaveexisted.TheIndustrialRevolutionbrought
awarenessthetherightsthateveryonehas.Forexample,newlawsprotectingtherightsofchildworkers
andrestrictingthosetooyoungfromworkingwerecreated.Also,manyworkersalsoformedgroupscalled
unionstoprotestandnegotiatewiththeiremployers.FromtheIndustrialRevolution,welearnedaboutthe
valueofhumanlifeandhoweachandeveryoneofushascertainrightsthatweareentitledto.Althoughthe
IndustrialRevolutioncausedmanyproblemsfordifferentpeople,ithasalsohelpedusregainourhumanity.