Factory Life During the Industrial Revolution

                Both British and American factories were in poor condition during the Industrial Revolution. Although in America, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution conditions were not always poor.

                Charles Dickens visited the mill factories in Lowell Massachusetts and observed the good conditions for himself in 1842, he stated, “I solemnly declare I cannot recall…one young face that gave me a painful impression; not one young girl.” However, these good conditions were short lived in America.  Factory workers in both America and Britain worked long hours.  A typical day would be to work anywhere from 12 to 15 hours a day. In Britain for example, young girls would spin all day with no breaks and no one overseeing them. Long work hours without breaks placed workers at a higher risk of injury even death due to workers being tired and making mistakes. In Britain, mistakes were not tolerated and the young children who made mistakes in the factory would be beaten.  Over crowdedness and pollution also contributed to the health and safety of the workers, both in the factories and the communities where they lived.  Over industrialization led to cheap housing or so called “slums”.  The factories would cause pollution especially in the rivers. 

                Workers in Lowell once enjoyed their jobs but eventually Massachusetts factories ended up like the factories in Great Britain. Everyone was miserable and not treated with the right amount of respect. There is no doubt that both Britain and America factories had poor working conditions.