The Factories During the 1831 to 1844 Period as Places of Exploitations

Use your own knowledge to assess how far the sources support the interpretation that factories in the period 1831 to 1844 were places of exploitation for all workers. All the sources have different interpretations of the extent of the exploitation of workers in the factories from 1831 to 1844. Source Bis is the most vocal in supporting the interpretation. describing the welcome of the leaders of factory Reform to Manchester. The interpretation is most strongly opposed by sources arguing that the information from the factories is all exaggerated.

Source D mostly supports the interpretation that the period was a time for exploitation of al workers in factories, but talks more about the problems with adult labor as opposed to child labor. Source opposes the interpretation arguing that the children were kept of the streets and given a good education and health care however, the source does concede that in some cases children were mistreated in factories.

Source B is an extract from the newspaper Leeds Intelligencer.

where the reporter describes the vents and widespread welcome of the leaders of the factory reform movement into Manchester. This source supports the view that the factories were a place of exploitation for children. as those who were trying to reform the factories were widely welcomed by the people of Manchester. This is typical of the time as the people who were most affected and exploited by the factories lived in the North of England so there is no surprise that the people who were campaigning to reform were supported.

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The provenance of the source is important to consider when looking at sources. The fact that this source was written with the aim to inform the readers of the events makes it more reliable the source is trying to explain as opposed to presenting a view on the situation.

However, it could also be argued that the source is taken from a newspaper. with the aim being to sell copies ofthe newspaper therefore the article would want to appeal to the readers. The source presents the factory reformers in a very positive light, so it could be said that they are simply trying to sell copies. The northern newspaper would be aimed at factory workers. who would support the idea that their working conditions should be improved through factory reforms? So it would be in the best interests ofthe newspapers to write an article supporting factory reform. However in my opinion, I think that the source is reliable. From the date of the source, 23 August 1832, we know that this was before the passage of the factory act and therefore the support for reform would be at ‘s greatest before the eventual passage of the Act in 1833 a year after.

The main reason why I think this source is accurate and useful is the fact that the origin of the source is a newspaper and therefore the purpose of the source is to inform the reader, as we call see through the description in the source: the procession was headed by a flag with a picture ofa deformed mani. The source is aimed at explaining the events as opposed to influencing public opinion. which is why I think that it supports the interpretation that factories were a place of exploit n for all workers in the period 1831 to 1844. The source shows the level of support for the factory reforms. so we can infer that there must be a great deal of exploitation. Source D is an extract from a factory inspector‘s report commenting on the hours that women are subject to work in the factories, the source somewhat supports the interpretation that factories were a places of exploitation for all workers. However, the source focuses more on the exploitation on women specifically.

The source argues that a twelve-hour working day is absurd for women and they are ‘physically incapable of bearing work for the same length of time as men. This reflects a common view at the time that women were overworked and should be spending more time at home looking after their family as opposed to working long hours in factories. The source is from a factory inspector a very senior role at the time, whose role was to visit the factories throughout the country and review the safety measures and working conditions. They were well respected, their view was important and their reviews were often used in policy-making decisions. The source is reliable. as it has no ulterior motive other than to provide an accurate report for the government on the factory conditions.

The source has no intention of influencing. merely setting out the facts of the situation I think that the source is reliable and useful in supporting the idea that factories were places of exploitation for all workers from 1831 to 1844. The main reason why I think that this source is useful is the fact that the year after the source was published the 1844 factory act was passed. In this act women could work a maximum of twelve hours among other things. The source states that ‘Twelve hours daily work is more than enough for anyone’ the influence of the author is highlighted here as the Factory Act passed the following year also included a clause relating to this issue, with women being limited to working twelve hours a day as a maximum. Think that the source supports the interpretation but also proves its provenance in doing so. However, to some degree, the source doesn’t entirely support the interpretation. based on the fact that the source doesn’t talk about the factories being a place of exploitation for all workers more just for women.