The article explains how child labor was a huge part of the Industrial Revolution and that many of the children were forced to work in harsh and dangerous working conditions. The article describes how kids as young as five years old were working long hours in factories, mines, agriculture, and as chimney sweepers. These jobs were physically demanding and very unsafe for children to be doing. Because of these working conditions, children were getting injured and sick very often. The article also explains that children were hired because they were small, cheap to afford, and easier to "control" than adults were. A lot of families relied on the money that the children earned, so because of this, children were expected to work instead of going to school. Being expected to work instead of going to school caused them to miss out on a proper education, leading them to have fewer opportunities presented to them for a better future.
This article relates to The Chimney Sweeper because it explains a lot of the harsh conditions of child labor that William Blake is criticizing in his poem. It talks about the fact that the children were forced to work in really dangerous jobs for long hours, which backs up what William Blake was meaning when he talked about the suffering and injustice that the kids went through.
Blake, William. “The Chimney Sweeper” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43654/the-chimney-sweeper-when-my-mother-died-i-was-very-young
Cartwright, Mark. “Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution.” World History Encyclopedia, 12 Apr. 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2216/child-labour-in-the-british-industrial-revolution/.
1900 Ad for McCormick Farm Machines by an unknown staff artist is licensed by Public Domain.
