
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Industrial Revolution for Kids
For Kids
There is nothing new about invention. People have always
been inventing things to make their life easier. What was new or different
about the time period in history that we call "The Industrial
Revolution" was that a whole bunch of new inventions were
built at about the same time with a common goal - that being to replace a large number of workers with a machine
so that goods could be made more rapidly and for less money. That allowed people
to buy things they could never afford before. That was good.
But there were a lot of bad and downright ugly things about
the Industrial Revolution as well.
Many people were put out of work and replaced with machines. People who still had jobs had to work in poorly built factories. The tenement houses built near the factories or attached to them for the workers, were even worse. They were fire traps. Few had running water. Large families lived in one or two rooms. When the adult workers complained about the conditions, factory owners began to hire children, sometimes very young children, some as young as four years old. It was cheaper than hiring adults. Children worked 12-14 hours a day under dangerous conditions. Some were mistreated or whipped if they fell behind in their work.
Many people were put out of work and replaced with machines. People who still had jobs had to work in poorly built factories. The tenement houses built near the factories or attached to them for the workers, were even worse. They were fire traps. Few had running water. Large families lived in one or two rooms. When the adult workers complained about the conditions, factory owners began to hire children, sometimes very young children, some as young as four years old. It was cheaper than hiring adults. Children worked 12-14 hours a day under dangerous conditions. Some were mistreated or whipped if they fell behind in their work.
Many of the comforts we enjoy today are dependent upon machines, for example machines that generate electricity. Very few people would wish to return to the way things were before the Industrial Revolution, but many new laws had to be enacted and enforced to remove the bad and the ugly, and leave the good.
Kids: Click here to learn more about the Industrial Revolution and play some games
Teachers: Lesson plans and classroom activities for teachers

Explore American History
For Kids and Teachers
Creating a New Nation
- New World Explorers
- Native Americans in Olden Times
- The 13 Colonies
- Road to Revolution
- The American Revolution
Creating a New Government
Western Expansion
- Jefferson and theNew Republic
- Louisiana Purchase
- Lewis & Clark
- War of 1812
- Monroe Doctrine
- Manifest Destiny
- The Oregon Trail
- Wagon Trains
- Pioneer Life & Frontier Life
- Trail of Tears
- The Alamo 1836, Texas Revolution
- Mexican - American War 1846-1848
- Gold Rush
Brink of the Storm and the Civil War
- Events Leading up to the American Civil War
- The Industrial Revolution
- American Civil War - 1861-1865
- People of the Civil War - Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Dred Scott and more
- 13th Amendment ending slavery forever
- Reconstruction, Carpetbaggers & Scalawags
- 14th & 15th Amendments
Growth in the West
The Nation Grows
World War I, The Great War
The Roaring 20s
The Great Depression
World War II
Slavery in America
Segregation for Kids - Civil Rights
US Holidays
QUIZZES - Interactive, with Answers for Student Review
For Teachers
Free for Classroom Use - American History Powerpoints and Presentations
American History Lesson Plans, Units, Activities, Projects for Teachers