Persuasive Essay: Case For and Against English Child Labor in Industrial Rev

I have included all materials needed for a unit on the Industrial Revolution that culminates with a 2-3 page essay, or a timed DBQ if you teach AP European History. This is a great tool to get students to work with primary sources to develop their writing skills. This expository essay has students look at 5 different primary source accounts of child labor from England during the time of the Industrial Revolution. The are challenged to present both the positive (pros) and negative (cons) side of child labor in 1842 when child labor was put on trial in the courts of England, as described in the introduction to the primary source documents. I included a link to an online Industrial Revolution lecture which I use before students go into the research and writing process. Since I teach AP European History I have modified the essay to fit the DBQ essay model required for AP, but the nice thing about this essay is that it can be modified in many different ways. It could easily become a position paper (persuasive essay) by assigning one side or the other (pro or con). I made the entire unit accessible digitally by including the link to the unit at the bottom of the essay guide (the attached word document). By going to the link you will have access to powerpoints, the APEH DBQ version, and a fill-in-the blank study guide to accompany the powerpoint lecture.