Child Labor Essay

The Industrial Revolution set off an assortment of new improvements that were open to disasters. To begin, there was an increase of food supply. Not much of money was spent on food as it normally would have been, it was spent on manufactured goods too. Now that there was a demand for manufactured goods, there was a demand for workers also. Better agricultural technology left many farmers without jobs. That was not much of a problem because these workers could take the jobs in factories to operate the new machines that were previously invented. These former farming families had to move to cities, while contributing to the new urbanization occurring. Except, when the families moved, the parents were not the only ones put to work in factories, children were too. To avoid a life of poverty, children had to work in sweatshops, mines, or in the same factories as the rest of their family. The events that led up to child labor did not intend to turn into anything vicious. However, as time went on, everything about child labor turned nonsensical. Money was not distributed as it should have been. Working out of home came with a dozen disadvantages. These elements both fabricated unpleasant consequences and insufficient laws. Despite few arguments in support of child labor, it was ultimately unreasonable due to the unfair exchange of work and money, repulsive working conditions, and harmful effects it had in the long run, which eventually resulted in laws against this atrocity. Children working started off by doing minor chores to help out around the house. Parents needed the assistance, and it was not as if the chores were anything outrageous, so there were not many complaints. 2 In fact, most adults generally agreed upon children working. 3 Once children were of age, which was usually around five years old, they did whatever they could. 4 The young kids aided in family cottage industries or working in the fields. As they got older, their tasks alternated. 5 6 According to Alex Fyfe, who wrote an article on child labor, some of these more difficult tasks for teenagers included â€Å"learning trading techniques that could be beneficial in the future. 7 These techniques could involve the basics on how to trade so that he or she was enhancing more than the other person. The children could carry these methods to further generations to ensure families received enough money. Eventually, instead of just working at home, children began going to work in factories, mines, or sweatshops in order to get paid. 8 This settlement was an important economic gain families had to have.