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For example, the factories and mines were incredibly dangerous places with very few safeguards. As a result, there were little to no rules in place for workers in the Industrial Revolution, and the wealthy owners could act in any manner that they wanted. Classical liberalism is an ideology characterized by laissez-faire capitalism, which means that the government played as little a role in the economy as possible. To better understand the situation, its first important to understand the political ideology of the time, which historians refer to as classical liberalism. As such, children often faced incredible hardships and suffered abuse in the workplace. These conditions were difficult for all workers but especially so for children. The working conditions that working-class people faced were known to include: long hours of work (12-16 hour shifts), low wages that barely covered the cost of living, and workplaces with little or no rights.
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The factories and mines of the late 18th century and early 19th century were dangerous and unforgiving places to work in. Therefore, factory owners employed children because it helped in the production of goods. The small fingers and hands of the children were ideal for unclogging these machines, which made children important in the production process. Sometimes these machines jammed or became clogged. For example, textile mills had machinery that spun thread at high speeds. This was especially important in the new mechanized factories of the late 18th century. Finally, children were hired during the Industrial Revolution because they naturally smaller and could fit into tighter spaces. Whereas, an adult made have resisted or fought back. For example, in an interview in 1819, John Fairbrother commented that he had seen his master “with a horse whip standing outside the mill when the children have come too late he lashed them all the way to the mill.” Therefore, the factory owners hired children because they were easier to control and more likely to accept punishment. Factory overseers, who were employed as managers of the factory floor, were known to whip or beat employees that were late for work. Second, children were generally more obedient than adults in terms of completing work and accepting punishment. Therefore, the owners saved money by employing children. For example, some estimates show that children were paid between 10-20% that of an adult.
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First, children generally made considerably less than adults did for doing the same work. For their part, factory owners wanted to employ children for several reasons.