Plan of Instruction Essays - Factory, Manufacturing, Child Labour

Plan of Instruction: Use PowerPoint to establish background info on factories England during the early 1800s, especially the start of child labor. Essential Question: Were textile factories bad for the health of Child workers? Introduce/Review skills of sourcing and corroboration. Point out that historians make claims based upon evidence often found in historical documents. In order to gather credible evidence, historians evaluate the reliability, or trustworthiness of different historical sources. They often do this by considering the point of view and purpose of different historical actors and by comparing how different sources portray historical events. Today, we are going to work on sourcing and corroborating different accounts of what life was like for child workers in 19 th century England. Pass out document A and guiding questions. Model sourcing document A. Explain to students that you are going to show them how you source a document. Example: The first thing I want to do is read the source at the bottom of the document. That means I want to think about who wrote it, when it was written, who is the audience, and what the author's purpose might have been. (Read sourcing info). So I see that this is from an interview of a doctor that was conducted in 1818 by the House of Lords Committee. I am not exactly sure what this Committee did, but I think it was a government body looking into factory conditions. I know that by 1818, there had been some reforms passed to try to improve factory conditions but that this date was still early in the reform movement. I bet that this interview will include questions about factories. I also see that the interview is with a doctor. I don't know much about this particular doctor, but I assume he is being interviewed because of his expertise on health issues. I am not sure whether or not he is under oath, but it seems that if he is being interviewed by a government committee so that he i s more likely to be truthful. Although, we know that people do certainly lie to the government. This is called sourcing a document. In pairs, students read the document and answer the guiding questions. Share out responses. Ask students: Do you think this is a reliable document? Why or why not? Pass out document B In pairs, students read document B and answer guiding questions. Share out responses. Ask students: How is it possible for such similar sources to offer such different accounts of factory life? Which, if either, of these sources do you find more trustworthy? Why? Pass out documents C and D. Students read documents C and D and answer guiding questions. Share out responses to questions Final Discussion: Which do you find most convincing regarding the central historical question? Why? Which is the least convincing? Why? Have students answer the central historical question. Dr. Ward (Document A ) Michael Ward was a doctor in Manchester for 30 years. His practice treated several children who worked in Manchester factories. He was interviewed about the health of textile factory workers on March 25, 1819, by the House of Lords Committee, a government organization investigating safety in textile factories. Question: Give the committee information on your knowledge of the health of workers in cotton ( textile) factories. Answer: Last summer I visited three cotton factories with Dr. Clough of Prest on and Mr. Barker of Manchester. W e could not remain ten minutes in the fac tory without gasping ( coughing) for breath Question: What was your opinion of the health of cotton factory children compared to children in other employments ( jobs) ? Answer: The health of the cotton factory children is much worse than that of any other chil dren. Question: Have you any further information to give to the committee? Answer: Cotton factories are very unfavorable ( bad) , both for the health and morals of those working in them. They are nurseries ( birthplaces) of disease and vice ( crime) . Question: Have you observed that children in the factories have accidents? Answer: When I was a surgeon in the hospital , children injured in accidents were very often admitted to the hospitals.