Christian History Home > Issue 53 > Child Labor: White Slavery
Child Labor: White Slavery
Children were perhaps the most mistreated people in England.
Penelope Carson | posted 1/01/1997 12:00AM
Thousands of our fellow creatures … are this very moment existing in a state of slavery." So wrote evangelical Richard Oastler in his damning indictment of 1830s Britain. He charged the nation with sacrificing its children at the altar of avarice. Thousands of children between the ages of 7 and 14 were daily being compelled to work in the Yorkshire worsted mills from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with only one 30-minute break.
As this situation became known, Christians, especially a group of Yorkshire evangelicals, began campaigning vigorously for reform.
Industrial-strength exploitation
Young children had traditionally been employed in large numbers in agriculture and domestic work. But in the 1800s, they began working in stiflingly hot and unbearably noisy factories with their soulless discipline and order. There were no safety regulations, and financial penalties and beatings were imposed for the slightest slip or misdemeanor. Accidents and deaths were all too common.
Children were not, however, ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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