During the time of Industrial Britain, life was hard for lower class people. Many families were poor, and sometimes the income of two parents was not enough to feed a family with kids. Most parents sent their kids off to work at young ages in order to make ends meet, but some parents did not realize the toll this was taking on their kids. Children werent being educated, and their work environments were extremely harsh which put young children in a bad state of health, sometimes preventing them from living to see their adult years; to grow up and have kids of their own. Thankfully, reforms were made, and three of the most important reforms that were made were on the laws of public education, child labor, and health as well as safety regulations in the workplaces.
Public education is a very important part of our society today, but during Industrial Britain, families couldnt afford to send their children to school; they needed them to work. Young children were not getting the education they needed in order to get better paying jobs for when they were older, and most kids were too tired by the end of the workday to be taught by their parents at home. I would like to be at school far better than in the pit, said 8 year old Sarah Gooder, who worked long hours in a dark coal mine, shut off from the rest of the world. (WH Article #6) Thankfully she got her wish, because in 1833 the Mills and Factories Act stated that younger children were to attend school for at least two hours per day six days a week, and in 1870 Gladstones Education Act made it mandatory that all children attend an elementary school until at least the age of ten. These laws made it easier for children who had jobs to get a better education. .
Another important reform in Britain was to limit child labor. Children were working day-long shifts in dangerous textile factories and coal mines, were they were at a heavy risk of getting injured or even dying.
