C.J. Hogan Essays - Economy, Business, Free Essays, Term Papers

C.J. Hogan Essays - Economy, Business, Free Essays, Term Papers C.J. Hogan Paper III 12/10/2015 History 101 What factors contributed to the rise of child labor in Britain during the Industrial Revolution? Provide some specific examples to illustrate these factors. What factors led to the decline of child labor? How much can we credit legislation with the decline; how much can we credit other factors? The industrial revolution was a crucial turning point in European History. The industrial revolution began in the mid 1700's with James Watt's invention of the steam engine. Others also focused on exploring new sources of power and technological innovations lead to streamlining of production. With these innovations production in factories increased causing a growing dependence on industry. But after reading Jane Humphries' article, "Childhood and Child Labor in the British Industrial Revolution," and Clark Nardinelli's article, "Child Labor and the Factory Acts," a darker side of this great revolution is revealed. Child labor shows the cruelty of the industrial revolution even though urbanization was already having negative effects on society such as crowded living and forcing small business's to close. Child labor reached its peak in the revolution for a multitude of reasons until child labor laws came into play restricting children from working in these factories. Child Labor was on the rise at beginning of the Industrial Revolution. In Clark Nardinelli's article, "Child Labor and the Factory Acts" he describes some of the dark stories that spawn in those textile mills. He also describes how the children ran most of the work in factories, "They claimed that child labor was responsible for most of the work in the factory districts, and that in many cases children even supported their parents. According to Sadler and his witnesses, childhood was being sacrificed to the expansion of Britain's textile industries." Child labor has reached a new extreme during this revolution for a multitude of reasons. Children were useful as laborers because of their small size that allowed them to fit in small factories and mines where adults couldn't, easier to manage and control, and children could be paid less. Most children were forced to work to help and support their families and couldn't get an education. Throughout history we have seen some forms of child labor whether it is servants, apprentices, or farmers. In colonial America, child labor was simply an integral part of the culture. However this labor reached its peak during the industrial revolution. With the ever-expanding industry, factory jobs for children were in high demand because children were the most suitable for those types of jobs. In Walter Trattner's, Crusade for the Children: A History of the National Child Labor Committee and Child Labor Reform in America (1970) he talks about the staggering statistics of children working in the early and late 1900's. "Although the official figure of 1.75 million significantly understates the true number, it indicates that at least 18 percent of these children were employed in 1900. In southern cotton mills, 25 percent of the employees were below the age of fifteen, with half of these children below age twelve." These statistics brought the issue of child labor to the attention of t he public along with the horrible conditions they faced while working. Many factors led to the decline of child labor. One of the many factors that contributed to the downfall was the importance of primary school education for both personal fulfillment and to better the nation. In response to the emphasis on the importance of school several states establish a minimum wage for labor and minimal requirements for attending school. These were few and far between, only in a few states, and the laws weren't strictly enforced. Along with these new reforms a new surge of immigrants from Ireland and Eastern Europe provided a new pool of children workers. To try and combat and regulate child labor, the National Child Labor Committee was established in 1904. This organization believed they could greatly reduce or bring child labor to a complete end. The child labor committee used pioneering tactics in order to gain advantages over the companies hiring children. For example they would take mass political action, investigations, widespread use of photography to show the poor worker conditions children faced day in and day out, mass mailings

How to Start the Semester Right - Grad Student Study Advice

How to Start the Semester Right - Grad Student Study Advice The most effective way to ensure success in classes learning and getting good grades is to prepare early and often. Most students recognize the value of preparation in ensuring excellent class performance. Prepare for each class, each test, each assignment. Preparation, however, begins before the first reading assignment and first class. Prepare for the semester and youll be off to a great start. So, how do you start the semester right? Start on the first day of class. Get into the proper mindset by following these three tips. Plan to work. Colleges - and faculty - expect you to put in a significant amount of time over the course of the semester. At the undergraduate level, a 3 credit course generally meets for 45 hours during the semester. In most cases, you are expected to put in 1 to 3 hours for every hour of class time. So, for a class that meets 2.5 hours a week, that means you should plan to spend 2.5 to 7.5 hours outside of class preparing for class and studying the material each week. You likely wont spend the maximum time on every class every week - its a big time commitment! But recognize that some classes will require relatively little prep and others may require additional hours of work. In addition, the amount of time you spend in each class will vary during the semester. Get a head start. This one is simple: Begin early. Then follow the class syllabus and read ahead. Try to stay one reading assignment ahead of the class. Why read ahead? First, this permits you to see the big picture. Readings tend to build on each other and sometimes you may not realize that you dont understand a particular concept until you encounter a more advanced concept. Second, reading ahead gives you wiggle room. Life sometimes gets in the way and we fall behind in reading. Reading ahead permits you to miss a day and still be prepared for class. Likewise, start papers early. Papers nearly always take longer to write than we anticipate, whether its because we cant find sources, have a hard time understanding them, or suffer from writers block. Start early so that you wont feel pressed for time. Mentally Prepare. Get your head in the right place. The first day and week of classes can be overwhelming with new lists of reading assignments, papers, exams, and presentations. Take the time to map out your semester. Write down all classes, due dates, exam dates in your calendar.   Think about how you will organize your time to prepare and get it all done. Plan time off and time for fun. Think about how you will maintain motivation over the semester - how will you reward your successes? By mentally preparing for the semester ahead you put yourself in the position to excel.