Manchester Essay
How is life changing for people in Manchester?
During the Industrial Revolution, life in Manchester changed immensely. Goods were produced in factories, cities expanded, and everything was modernized and industrialized. However, although there were many positive sides regarding the production of goods, and the modernization of cities, life became tougher for the average working person.
As farms were enclosed, many people went to the city in hopes to find work. Cities expanded and due to enclosure, more food was being produced as farmers had more space to use big farming equipment, and to test out new ways of farming. More food meant food was cheaper, and more people could afford to feed themselves. This resulted in the population to grow, and by 1851, the population in Manchester was at about 303,000, as we can see from Source 2, which is statistics from the census returns. The population increase meant more goods were needed, and the old Domestic system was not enough to sustain the huge demand. Since people wanted to make more money, they invented machines which required less people to operate, and did the job much quicker. These machines were too big to house in regular people’s homes, and so factories were built.
Even more people moved to cities to work in factories, but they worked under horrible conditions. These factories were unsafe, and most factory owners only cared about making money. In Source 1, a factory inspector describes a young girl being whirled around a carding-machine. The source says that her leg was found ‘some distance away’. From the Source, we can tell that the machines were unsafe and were not inspected, and accidents happened very often. Factories were very dangerous and the factory owners didn't really care about the workers. Factory rules were strict and unfair. Source 4 lists some factory rules in the1840s, one of them being ‘If any hand in the mill is seen talking to another, whistling or singing, he shall be fined 6d’.
During the Industrial Revolution, life in Manchester changed immensely. Goods were produced in factories, cities expanded, and everything was modernized and industrialized. However, although there were many positive sides regarding the production of goods, and the modernization of cities, life became tougher for the average working person.
As farms were enclosed, many people went to the city in hopes to find work. Cities expanded and due to enclosure, more food was being produced as farmers had more space to use big farming equipment, and to test out new ways of farming. More food meant food was cheaper, and more people could afford to feed themselves. This resulted in the population to grow, and by 1851, the population in Manchester was at about 303,000, as we can see from Source 2, which is statistics from the census returns. The population increase meant more goods were needed, and the old Domestic system was not enough to sustain the huge demand. Since people wanted to make more money, they invented machines which required less people to operate, and did the job much quicker. These machines were too big to house in regular people’s homes, and so factories were built.
Even more people moved to cities to work in factories, but they worked under horrible conditions. These factories were unsafe, and most factory owners only cared about making money. In Source 1, a factory inspector describes a young girl being whirled around a carding-machine. The source says that her leg was found ‘some distance away’. From the Source, we can tell that the machines were unsafe and were not inspected, and accidents happened very often. Factories were very dangerous and the factory owners didn't really care about the workers. Factory rules were strict and unfair. Source 4 lists some factory rules in the1840s, one of them being ‘If any hand in the mill is seen talking to another, whistling or singing, he shall be fined 6d’.