Bootleggers, Baptists, and Child Labor

Factories

As you know, I’ve paid a lot of attention to child labor in British factories during the Industrial Revolution. Child labor was a big issue back then; public agitation probably started in 1796, when the Manchester Board of Health issued a devastating paper about the health of families in that increasingly industrial city.

But it wasn’t until 1833 that Parliament passed a law that was effective in limiting the hours young children worked. Earlier acts  had no method of enforcement. The Factory Act of 1833 (also called “Althorp’s Act) did have teeth: it required inspectors.

Why did a genuinely strong bill pass in 1833? The answer may surprise you. Continue reading “Bootleggers, Baptists, and Child Labor”