Conditions of Factory Workers Essay

What were conditions like for children working in nineteenth century factories? Some sources say that they were treated horrible. For instance so source A written by Leonard Horner a factory inspector says that the conditions were terrible. Some children got caught in machines and lost body parts like a right leg. Another source, Elizabeth Bentley, a factory worker says that many workers are extremely unhealthy from inhaling too much dust. She for instance is now having lung problems and has trouble breathing.

Other sources are on the opposing side suggested that they were always treated right. For example Source G from Dr. Andrew Ure he states that children were never beaten. They were always happy and enthusiastic; they were never exhausted from worker after sixteen hours of work. In addition another source Nassau Senior, a factory owner says that children had very simple jobs. He compares the children’s work to that of a shop man behind a counter on a busy day.

We have to be careful on which sources we trust. The factory workers say that they are treated with cruelty, they are reliable because they are the people who work there and experience and witness what happens in the factories. They would have no reasons to lie. On the other side the factor owner is not as reliable. He would lie to keep the reputation of his factory clean. He could also pay others to speak on his part, and say good things about the working conditions in his factory.