Revealed: Industrial Revolution was powered by child slaves

The article deals about the Industrial Revolution and child labour. In fact, the Industrial Revolution succeeded thanks to child labour in a substantial way, that was never thought before because it seemed to be obvious and superficial.

By a detailed statistical analyses made by Oxford's Professor Jane Humphries found that “child labour was much more common and economically important than previously realised”. She found that, from 1791 to 1850, the number of children employed to work in the factories rose dramatically from 35 to 60 per cent of ten year old working-class boys.

The first paragraph contains the main thesis of the article: as suggested by the title, how Industrial Revolution was powered by child slaves and achieved his potential.

The second deals with the causes of such use of child labourers, strictly connected to economic purposes and making big profit. Economic purposes, followed by factories owners, overwhelmed workers' rights.

The third paragraph contains important data in order to understand better the research led by Oxford's Professor Jane Humphries, and the data provided emphasize the importance of the Industrial Revolution in England.

Last, but not least, paragraph summarizes the main thesis and underlines better the key role of child labour in such important hystorical events, such as the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

One of the most relevant data provided in the text is the percentage of young children working in factories and the short period of maximum expansion of this custom. In addition, the causes that push children to work in factories were the creation of larger families, rapid population growth and families abandoned by fathers. The consequences were drastically radical: the average age of child workers fell to 10 years old, children were often unpaid and they had to work hardly without safety and personal well-being.

The necessary data to the thesis are the percentage of child labour in the 18^th and 19^th century and the immediate rose of both statistics. Further, autobiographies and the average age suggest that child labour was widely spread and a common custom.

In the end, what had happened is only relevant for the Victorian era. If we compare the data provided in the text, there is more awareness about a overestimated practice: at the basis of a very important historical event – such as the Industrial Revolution - was the exploitation of women and children.