Why were factory owners opposed to trade unions in the 19th Century?

This outstanding lesson follows on from our lesson on the origins of the trade union movement and focuses on why factory owners were opposed to the trade union movement as well as why Parliament was reluctant to pass legislation to protect workers. As part of this learning journey this lesson looks at trade union tactics, working conditions, the Truck Acts, the Factory Acts, the Early Closing Association and opposition to the Eight Hours Movement. All the tasks and activities are designed to be fun and engaging and are aimed at the full ability range at KS3 and includes a range of differentiated tasks. This lesson would also be suitable for a low ability KS4 class.

When you purchase this lesson you will be able to download a 28 slide PowerPoint Presentation which includes aims, objectives, starters, plenaries, templates for photocopying, tasks, activities, word searches, knowledge quizzes video links, information slides as well as historical sources. There should be enough work for two lessons. We have also uploaded the PowerPoint as PDFs, just in case you do not have access to Microsoft Office. In addition, we have also uploaded a worksheet and a wordsearch to work alongside the Powerpoint in both Word and as a PDF. We have included a wide variety of tasks and activities for you to sellect and customise for your students.

Please see the sample preview for further information. This lesson can also be purchased at a discount as part of a bundle on trade unionism. The aims and objectives of this lesson are:

Theme: The History of Trade Unionism in Britain
Know: What is a trade union and what role do they play in the work place?
Understand: Why were factory owners opposed to trade unions?
Evaluate: Why was Parliament reluctant to help the workers?
Skills: Source Analysis, Cause, Consequence & Collaboration

WILF – What Am I Looking For?
Can You Describe: The role played by trade unions in the workplace today?
Can You Explain: Why were factory owners opposed to trade unions?
Can You Evaluate: Why was Parliament slow to improve the workers’ rights?

If you like this resource then why not check out my other resources on this topic in my TES shop. You can also follow ‘The History Academy’ on Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube and Facebook for the latest updates or even to get in touch and chat about how you have used this resource or to ask questions. We aim to produce cheap and affordable resources for the price of a good cup of coffee so that you can spend more time doing the things that you want. This is big resource, which is reflected in the price. All our authors are paid the living wage so when you purchase our resources you are buying into our shared values of fair play and decency.

Anyway, have fun and stay in touch via social media for the latest updates or if you have any questions or requests.

Kind Regards

Roy