Jessie Donegan- Thomas Malthus Shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources is the best opportunity for our economy.  Britain's current population is too large to be sustainable.  Shifting jobs overseas would cause a population shift.  Also, if people had more jobs in other places, there would be other resources and labor which would raise production of goods.  This would then lead to a decrease in prices, enabling more people to buy these goods.  Quality of life would go up, wile expenses would go down.  Lastly, there is nothing like natural resources.  When a gift like that is at our disposal, we would be fools not to use it.

Kourtney Clements (Jeremy Bentham)

I believe that shifting jobs overseas will be a good way to improve our economy. Our resources will be cheaper and this will allow us to pay our workers more, or hire more workers. This means that more people will have jobs and get paid better. They will be able to support their families much more easily. This strongly supports my utilitarianism ideals in the fact that the greater number of people are happy with their lives during this time of the Industrial revolution. I support the idea of working overseas to create a stronger economy that just about everyone can benefit from. It may cause some people distress with the travel and more hours and whatnot, but it is worth it because they will be more able to support themselves and their families. It will change almost every aspect of their lives if the people of Europe participate in this solution for economy.

Karl Marx (Robert Durant)

I disagree with the idea that shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources is the best possible solution for our economy.  I believe that we must utilize our resources and our factories in order to achieve maximum success.  We must also eliminate the class structure and make all of our population equal.  No humans can be treated or paid better than any other humans in our society.  We have the Land Labor and capital in our own society that is necessary for insourcing all of our work and just providing for our own needs.  Communism is the answer to all of our problems.  It creates a utopian society that is beneficial and equal to all members of society.  If all members of our society work for the greater good then the greater good can be achieved.  This system is enforced by the people with no government even being a part of the equation.  We must be a self governed nation and we will lead ourselves to success.

Jeremy Bentham (Jun Qin)

I see no wrong in shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources. The primary argument against doing so is that many citizens would lose their jobs. Many fail to realize that there are those who are in greater need of money than they are. If there are those willing to work for less than you, then they must more desperate than you, and any degree of income would generate greater pleasure in them than it would have in you. Shifting jobs overseas is simply a transfer of pleasure; therefore, utility is not decreased by such an act. In fact, utility is often increased, as the entrepreneurs choosing to do so are happier; therefore, more pleasure is generated in more people. While the intent behind the transfer of jobs may not have been to maximize happiness, the result was that. Since utility was achieved, the act of shifting jobs overseas benefited society. 

Robert Owen (Dan Hasan)

People throughout time have always taken advantage of one another. For people of our country to take the jobs away from those of that country is wrong. Yes we are gaining more money but then we are not all equal. We should be trying to improve the conditions of our own factories instead of running off over seas. It would also be hard for people to go to from their homes to work. There would be social awkwardness. The labor unions wouldn't function as well. Shifting jobs oversees if anything should be avoided.

Friedrich Engels (Isaac Pontarelli)

I believe that shifting work to overseas to take advantage of cheaper labor and other countries natural resources is not the best option. This would take jobs away from the biggest social class, and leave the majority of the population unemployed and very angry. These people are already living in bad enough conditions as it is, and if their jobs are taken away only a small group of them will be able to find employment else ware, leaving the rest without hope. Is this really how we as a nation should treat our people? I believe that the best political option is to peruse communist ideals. These are the same ideals which are written in the communist manifesto, and I stick to them. If the workers have control of the production then we will prosper as a country while at the same time not causing massive numbers of people to lose their jobs.

London Factory Worker (Janae Walker)

Shifting jobs overseas will simply ruin my life. This job is the only thing keeping my family and I alive. Going overseas for cheap labor and resources will diminish my job into nothing and I know the same goes for many other families. Shifting job would demolish the economy. Many would be out of a job and unable to fend for their family. Do not get me wrong here, I detest the factories and if there was another way that I could care for my family I would. The horrid conditions and low pay are however certainly better than the life I would live if jobs shifted overseas. Where would I work?  How would I survive? I need my job and so do many others. If jobs were to go overseas that would be the end of my existents.

Thomas Robert Malthus (Rosemary Callan)

Shifting jobs overseas will not help. As production increases, we will require more resources. The resources of the other countries will not last forever, and then we will need even more resources. What will we do then? Will we just move on to another country? Another problem is that of communication. How will we be able to monitor the progress of this other country? If we do not watch them closely, they could soon surpass us. It would be difficult to maintain order overseas. Also, there is the problem of the workers. Though there might be enough workers overseas now, there might later be too many. We will have to deal with the urbanization of the other countries, and we can barely deal with that of our own. Many workers live unhappy lives today, and enforcing our own way of life on people overseas will only make them unhappy, too. Shifting jobs overseas is not the best solution.

Karl Marx (Hayden Margolis)

If we were to move jobs over seas to maximize economy, sure it would improve our economy, but it would greatly upset our workers. The reasons these workers are putting up with these low wages and harsh conditions are mainly because of the locations of their jobs. They are easy to get to and close to home. These people only need one more reason to revolt and moving them over seas would surely be the industrial revolutions demise. These people are in Britain because they want to be. They are happy with their current jobs and would not want to move away in order to start a new life. If we used my communist ideals in order to boost our economy we wouldn't have to go over seas. All people we conduct the same wages. If we transfer these people over seas to take advantage of the low labor wages these people will surely rebel. They are paid very little now and if we force them to move and accept even lower payment; I don't see anything good coming out of it.

London Male Factory Worker (Victoria Iannotti)

I am living and breathing, and that is all that matters. Days are not easy. The night is my savior. It is the time when I can finally close my eyes and escape from this misery. I do not love the way I live. However, I make money and I am able to survive. Years from now, I hope that my life will improve, but surely I should not change the way it is now. Honestly, I should not take for granted what I do possess. Things could definitely be much worse. Because I do not feel that change is necessary, I do not agree at all with the idea that jobs should shift overseas for cheaper labor and abundant resources. This is a huge risk that could potential ruin my life! Think about it. If we move overseas, society cannot guarantee that this idea will work. Sure, there will be more resources. Yet, factories are constantly at work. In my opinion, more resources will simply add more chaos to factory life. I do not want to sacrifice my life for something that is so risky. I am content right now. My family and I are able to survive and make it on our own. Britain, as of now, is the place that I wish to be. I do not want to foolishly risk all I have for life overseas. It is not worth it... at all!

Women Textile Mill Worker (Katie Allen)

I do not agree one bit with the idea that we should shift jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources. Some claim that this is the best possible solution for our economy, however it is far from it. All of the sudden because of the Industrial Revolution there are so many new jobs being created. I myself got one of these jobs, and although there are some downsides to it, the pay is fine and it is close to my family. If we were to move the jobs overseas, I wouldn't have a job anymore. I don't want to have to move overseas only for a job, when everything I love is here in Britain where the economy is fine. I wont leave my country to go to another such as America. We could just loose money if we moved overseas and didn't have enough success, so staying here would be best for our country.  Overall this is a horrible suggestion and if it happens it will only hurt thousands of mill workers like myself.

David Ricardo (Garrett Steinberg)

I completely agree with the statement that shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor and natural resources is the best solution for our economy. In the principle of comparative advantage, trade will most benefit any economy because we are utilizing the most natural resources that cannot be attained of a similar quality anywhere else for a cheaper price. This use of comparative advantage would make wages lower so people within England could play a key role in maintaining our economy and we could still gain new products and cheap labor from other countries. This use of trade would also best benefit a new global economy. The use of trade could allow us to make the best use of our economy because all labor would be cheaper for more innovated products attained worldwide. This shift of jobs would also progress technology twice as fast as other countries would trade their resources allowing other countries to innovate upon them and fully realize new technology's potential. This philosophy would allow our economy to grow as others benefited as well.

Adam Smith (Emma Schambers)

I believe that we should not shift jobs overseas, but trade with the countries overseas. Trading is much more efficient. We must make sure that with trading we do not let government take control. I believe that it is possible to export and import goods without the government stepping in. If the government decided to step in, it would would not end up in a good situation. Trading with other countries would be more efficient because we would receive those goods and possibly profit from them. Adding on to this, if we traded with other countries, we could trade our wonderful natural resources to make a huge profit for our country. We definitely should not shift jobs overseas.

David Ricardo (Amy Kulm)

There are many products that Britain is not able to produce cheaply with our natural resources. When the products are made in Britain the production can be very expensive. Other countries are able to hold the comparative advantage over us since they are able to make the production cheaper with their natural resources. Britain needs to somehow get that comparative advantage of the other countries in order to boost our economy. We should shift jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor and natural resources. Britain will  gain the comparative advantage in that country and still maintain control over Britain's. By producing goods where they are the most cheapest we can sell them in Britain for the same price as if they were not produced with cheap labor. That will increase the profit margin. This will  be a boost to Britain's economy. If Britain use their comparative advantage and the comparative advantages of other countries it will be the best possible solution to our economy.

Adam Smith (Opishinski)

To help our economy, we should not shift to overseas labour sources and take advantage of the natural resources. This would be strongly controlled by the government, which is not an advantage for the economy of the people. Our exported and imported goods would be controlled by the government as well, they would be able to choose what we had access to and what we could not have. We need Laissez-Faire, where the government does no control anything! Cheap labour sources may be good for the economy in theory, but the government will impose taxes on us for the transportation of goods overseas, as well as controlling all of the transportation of goods. Cheap overseas labour unions will not help the people of our country either, because it will mean many people will be out of their jobs. We should be able to continue a strong market here without the government interfering constantly. Shifting to overseas labour unions is a bad idea for the economy, for the people, and for our country. Despite the fact that we should take advantage of their natural resources, it still will have more negative effects than positive effects. Great Britain is rife with natural resources that we have access to, and farming for these resources will put give more citizens jobs. Switching to overseas labour sources will not help Great Britain, and we should not o this for the sake of our country and ourselves.

Herbert Spencer (Samantha Licciardi)

Personally, I am against the idea of shifting jobs overseas. It may have cheaper labor sources and natural resources but that cannot compare to all the benefits and profits we would make with production in England. If we open up the Industrial Revolution to other countries we will lose profit and put ourselves in danger of being beat at our own game! How can you not see the progress England has made during this Industrial Revolution? Everything will only get better, it already has been! If we shift jobs overseas for resources we have here and because it may be a little cheaper, we risk losing overall profit. Everything we have worked for and all the effort into this Industrial Revolution would be wasted for the chance of cheaper labor. We have the resources we need here to prosper just as we have since the very beginning. It would be economical suicide to shift jobs overseas. Once other countries use the jobs we shift to them, they have the potential to grow larger, more powerful, than us. That's just something we can't risk. It is a much better decision to not shift jobs overseas for not just me, but everyone.

Women Textile Mill Worker (RJ Mathieu)

As much I loathe working at the mill, it beats watching my family starve as i slowly wither away into nothing. The only resin my family is still living, is because we all support each other and do our parts. In the end, the good out ways the bad. Not to be taken for granted, the mill is a horribly dangerous. Everyday I race the sun to rise; but it always beats me to bed. The entire building is filled to the brim with clothing material. Even the air has been polluted by fibers and clothe. This however is a gentle breeze compared to being dead. And that is what I would be if I did not have this job. Thinking about the latter, this job could be worse. I work alongside with my sisters, and we get payed more than we would if we were servants. My father smiles and embraces us every time we bring home our pay checks, and our mother always has food to cook. If jobs were to go oversees because they were "less expensive," we would fail. The "expense" on our side would be our lives. And more resources? Have you seen our mills? We can barely keep up with the amount of "resources" being pumped from our machine. The mills provide a countless number of jobs to my family and everyone else in my country. So saying that moving jobs oversees would be the very best solution for our country is saying that it would be the very best for a very small amount of people. Our country is composed of the workers. And would this decision help us? No.

Herbert Spencer (Katie Hollingsworth)

Taking the new ways of factory life overseas is not a beneficial idea. I believe that if we choose to shift the Industrial Revolution from Europe to the New World and in other countries, we will be taking to big of a risk. As of right now Europe is clearly functioning in a more ideal manner then it was before. With the new jobs available for people in factories and in mills, there are many more opportunities for people to make money. With these people increasing the value of their ways of living, however, they are realizing that in fact that the people have more money gives them the right to have more children because in the long run they can afford it, as well as make a bigger profit because of another set of working hands. This will in no way benefit where we started from in my mind. If there is simply a population increase, but no new social classes and people are deciding to quit their job because they have saved up enough money, then what was it all worth anyways? It is a much simpler solution to stay in England, where it all started. We have the resources necessary here to create a life worthy enough of our new revolutionary ways and if we expand, it will simply create tension, traders, and a decrease in values of our goods. It will also make the original country where is started less important looking, which will intern really hurt us. So why make this decision to start a chain of negative events? There is one simple solution. Do not expand.

Friedrich Engels (Tessa Darcy)

The act of shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources is not the best possible solution for our economy. Take my book, The Condition of the Working Class in England for example, in this I depict and record my observations of the wretched living conditions of the working class members in Manchester. Misery and filth is all that consumes the dingy tenements filled with overworked and hungry industrial workers. The lives of these people are already not filled with content or luxury one bit, if their jobs were to be given to others over seas in order for the government to earn more resources for a cheaper price, the lives and already insufficient wages of these people would decrease even more, causing these awful conditions described of in my book to become even worse. People are naturally good, to give them no wages by taking advantage of cheap labor sources over seas would unjustly effect them drastically. These people are already barely getting by on the wages they currently have, if they were to be given no wages at all a majority of them would die, being unable to support themselves and their families. We must also take into account how this would affect our own economy. The industrial workers take up a majority of the population, and if these people began to die due to lower wages our economy would become completely different and would not be able to support itself. We cannot trust other countries to do work for us, we never know who is really on our side, or who is ready to stab us right in the back. Labor done with our own industrial workers is "safer" in a sense because the government knows exactly what is occurring and we have the power to control these workers. If society were to become communist, the conditions and treatment of these workers as described so in my book would become even better because communism will abolish the social class label of industrial workers in factories when they are publicly owned, all will become equal. It is simple to see that if the government were to shift jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources, it would only decrease working and living conditions for the majority and make it impossible for communism to ever occur.

Young Boy Coal Miner (S. Loomis) Shifting Jobs

As a young boy in the mine, I work very hard to produce coal, and that's not always the safest thing. I don't get paid half as much as I should for what I do, and if my job was given to someone else over seas, I wouldn't be paid at all! Of course, I don't like this job, but it's all I know. It brings in money for my family and that's what's important. My family would take quite a large loss if I lost my job, and we would have to cut back more than what we do now and I don't think my parents' sanity levels could take that, neither mine. Of course, if my job was lost, I wouldn't be in danger, but then again, I could be in danger of starvation. What is riskier? And which should I choose? I believe I should keep my job, even though it is very tough and dangerous, I like the fact that I get to support my family. It gives me maturity and independence. So overall, I think it's a very bad thing to ship my job over seas just because businesses can pay others cheaper than they pay me.

Robert Owen (Grace Fitch)

I think that shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources is not the best possible solution for our economy. I think this is bad for exactly the reason it is stated. "To take advantage of" is to manipulate the labor of other countries. This is unjust because we cannot just take from the other countries. Everyone should be equal, and all countries should be equal. Those countries have a right to their resources just like we have the right to our resources. It is also not fair to let them take care of our responsibilities. Shifting jobs overseas is unfair therefore we must not commit this crime.

Utilitarianism (Isaac Pontarelli)

I feel that the ideology of utilitarianism has applications, but must be used with discretion when it come to determine the monetary value of human life. For example if a company is compiling a cost benefit analysis that takes into account some manner of assigning a dollar value to the life of a person or persons then that is simply immoral. The company must not simply determine the cost of a certain endeavor to see whether it will be worth it for them, but whether or not it is possible for them to make it as safe as possible for the consumer. The only place that a price should be assigned to a human life is in the courts when an accident has already occurred, and a compensation must be awarded to the surviving family member.

Quarter 2 Assignment #2 - Assigned 11/18; Post by 11/20; Comment twice by 11/22

Using the lens of your assigned person, respond to the following prompt.  You will obviously need to suspend accurate time and place to respond.

Prompt: Shifting jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor sources and natural resources is the best possible solution for our economy.

Utilitarianism (Janae Walker)

I believe that Jeremy Bentham's idea of utilitarianism and the cost benefit analysis is defective in some aspects and beneficial in other ways. As for the Ford Pinto example used in Professor Sandel's lecture a main issue some people have is with Ford putting a price on human life. Personally, I fell that in order to see if something improves or diminishes your company, you would therefor have to put a money value to the life of humans. Although, I do not think it the most admirable thing to do, I believe it is a necessary step in business decisions. Another example mentioned in the lecture was that of Romans throwing Christians into the coliseum to be brutally torn apart by lions for their own amusement and pleasure. In this case the utilitarianism idea and cost benefit analysis would say that the pleasure of the people is greater than that of Christian's life and that it is acceptable. I do not agree with this. This situation is costing many lives and their are many other less gruesome ways to entertain the Roman population. The difference between the Ford Pinto and Roman view of human life is that Ford has to put a value on life just as any other business needs to do in oder to survive and thrive. As for the Romans, they need not to throw Christians into the coliseum to watch as they perished, again they could easily find other ways to entertain such as the chariot races. This is why I believe that utilitarianism works in some instances but not others.

Utilitarianism (Grace Fitch)

Sandel's lecture on Jeremy Bentham's ideals of ulititarianism is flawed in the sense that it highlights some factors more important than others. In my opinion, not meant to denounce anyone, I believe that it takes away from the idea of equality in the community. Some ideals mentioned that one must side with the majority. This is true in the sense that it is focused on providing for larger groups than smaller groups. It is also flawed for other reasons. The minority must not be ignored, sometimes it is the minority that needs the most help versus the majority. If the majority of the world was well feed and living wealthy with many luxuries and the minority of the world was homeless and starving, it would be the minority in need of more help.
I believe that Benthum's beliefs rank society which takes away from many historian's hope for equality. A just government may lean to the majority but it also must consider the minority. We can not just take the voice away from those with different belief systems just because they do not conform to majority. Everyone has the right of speech; this system would only give speech to those who agree with the popular vote and essential take away the natural human rights of the smaller percentage. A balance must occur, and I believe that ruling out the minority does not jutify a fair system.

Utilitarianism (Samantha Licciardi)

Utilitarianism is the greater good for the greater number. I do not agree with this idea, this idea favors the majority and basically doesn't care, or take into consideration, the opinion of the minority. This uneven balance could lead to a power struggle between the majority and minority. Concerning putting a value on human life, I don't think that you can possibly put a price on human life. Human life is absolutely everything. Everything good, bad and everything in between. Putting a price on life is impossible because life is too value to place a price on. Money can't buy everything life has to offer, its priceless. Also, with the Ford car and how they put a value on the lives of those killed from their cars. No amount of money can bring that person back to the ones that loved them, or fix all the emotional damage done to these families. Another issue discussed in class was that Roman's threw Christians into the colosseum to get brutally murdered by lions just for the amusement. Romans murdered these people in one of the most painful ways possible just to make the greater number happier. I don't think this could possibly be justified. Even if they are only making a handful of people suffer, in this case the minority, they still matter and it shouldn't be acceptable to murder people to violently take away these people's lives forever just to amuse the greater number of Rome for about an hour or two.

Utilitarianism (Dan Hasan)

The system of cost benefit analysis is extremely flawed, well at least before John Stuart Mill fixed it. It puts a value on human lives and the fact is you can put a value, but in most cases not everyone agrees with this value. Companies shouldn't choose a value of a person's life based on data. This system fails to respect individual rights. It isn't right to translate values into dollar signs and make a decision based on that. Say someone asked you how much many would it take for you to climb to the top of Mount Everest. You might set a price at say 200,000 dollars, and the other person would agree. You would then climb the Mount Everest, but in the process you might suffer some long lasting effects. When climbing high altitudes your brain gets less oxygen resulting in the loss of brain cells. You might fall of a cliff on the mountain and break multiple bones in your body. After you come down the mountain you will most likely ask for more money because you suffered the long lasting effects. There cannot be any concrete price things such as human life. If one person were to sue for emotional distress and they received 1,000 dollars. Then a similar case happens somewhere else and that person receives 2,000 dollars. The person that got 1,000 might ask for 2,000 dollars saying that their case deserves more money. This process could continue on and on, and eventually someone will run out of money. The system of cost benefit analysis was broken. It has been fixed over the years, but in my opinion the system shouldn't be used.     

Unitarianism (Katie Hollingsworth)

At one point in the video that we watched today, I noticed how the speaker said that in order to benefit the majority, the minority must suffer. I completely disagree with this. One of the students responded to this saying that we have no control over our life situation, class, salary, education etc. I, however, believe that is is not the case. These two idea stated above are invalid facts because it has been shown multiple times that people born into poor families have made it big in their lives. It is not like in the past, where what class we were born into was where we stayed forever.

One of the main other topics was if you can put a price on a life. I do not know for a fact if I agree with this. I do, however, know that when a loved one is lost, he or she is gone forever. There is no way of bringing them back, no matter how much the accused is punished. The government will in most cases provide a large sum of money to cushion the family because it is the only way that they believe that the pain can be reduced easily. This money given could be seen as the price of a person. In many cases, this is not what the court means to do.

In the case of the lion in Ancient Greece or Rome, that is a completely different situation. A life should not be taken away from a person just for pleasure. If it was a situation of sacrificing one person for safety or religion, then it would be a just reason. Entertainment is not.

Utilitarianism (RJ Mathieu)

As hard as it is to say, everything, even life must have a price. If it did not, our market, economy, and basic order in society would crumble. Imagine there is a US soldier trapped in Serbia. He is wounded, and needs to be pulled out. However, he has been captured by Serbian troops. It is the basic human principle to rush in and save his life without thinking of the consequences, but someone needs to do it. To recapture him, many soldiers would get killed, and a lot of money would be lost in the equipment used. Therefore, lives were lost to save the lives of one injured. In a logically and economic sense, this is unjust. Of course, we cannot have hospitals refusing to treat patients because of the costs. therefore, there must be a price. It must be large enough to make sure emergency health forces continue to provide adequate care, but not so large as to bankrupt the government. I was thinking this number was somewhere between 3-4 million.

Continuation of today's discussion...

We were discussing the effects of cost-benefit analysis applied to issues of morality.  Our basis for discussion stems from Jeremy Bentham's principle of utilitarianism.  Two issues discussed were from Professor Sandel's lecture - 1. dollar value on human life with the Ford Pinto and 2. Throwing Christians to the Lions in the coliseum.

Jeremy Bentham (Jun Qin)

My name is Jeremy Bentham. The Industrial Revolution has not benefited the majority of the people; therefore, it has not had a positive influence on the lives of all of Europeans. In life, there are two motives: pleasure and pain, pleasure being the more positive of the two. The positive and moral act produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, happiness being determined by reference to the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain. As pleasure is good, then it is good irrespective of whose pleasure it is. That which does not maximize the greatest happiness is, therefore, morally wrong. Yet, I do not see actions being committed for the majority; instead, it only benefits the minority. These business owners in Europe are iniquitous and corrupted by their greed, as they promote only the well-being of themselves and their family, instead of the community. It saddens me greatly to see people acting on selfish notions, but that is understandably human nature. In every human, self-regarding interest is predominant over social interest, the result of which has been the poor treatment of the workers. There has never been a greater discrepancy between the wealth of the different classes. As the managers govern the distribution of wealth within the factory system, they reduce the wages of their subordinates, so that they may maximize their own profits. Until human nature is reformed so that one seeks to promote societal interests, utopian society will not be achieved.

            

Friedrich Engels (Isaac Pontarelli)

The industrial revolution has both its upsides and downsides. On the upside it provided work for the industrial worker which made up most of the lower classes of society.  This meant that people had a steady supply of income, as to when farming was an option and the crops varied from year to year. Unfortunately everything comes at a price. Now that thousands of people flock to the cities, housing is a very real, and pressing issue. This means that these industrial workers are now living in horrendous living accommodations. These buildings are almost always not up to code, and the workers are forced to huddle in crowded rooms every night. The industrial revolution has provided a great opportunity for the working class, and it is now the ob of the government to make sure that they are properly housed.

London Factory Worker (Janae Walker)

Europe's Industrial Revolution impacted all of its citizens negatively. The conditions in factories were horrid. Nobody cared about how their workers were treated. It's like none of us were human. The hours were long, 12 to 16 hours six or seven days a week, and filled with dangerous work. People were fatigued and accident prone. They might lose their, finger, limb, or even lose their live do to working in a factory. Those who worked in textile mills would breath in lint and damage their lungs. When injured or sick, they would loss their jobs without compensation. When the working day was done, many would go home to a cramped, foul-smelling, and egregious tenements. The factory and living environment was appalling. Ergo, Europe's Industrial Revolution impacted it's citizens negatively.  

London Women in Textile Mill (Katie Allen)

My life is not a good one. My days are long, and my eyes are tired, and many other workers around me are being injured by the hour. I work in a textile mill with some breaks, but that doesn't make up for the long ours. I have a daughter, one whom I love with all my heart. I want the best for her, however, I'm scared of what the future holds for her because she will one day have to work in the mills as well. The Industrial Revolution right now is taking over. For me however, this isn't a good thing. Although it may be benefiting our country and helping production faster, these new inventions are endangering the lives of many, including myself and even younger children working in the mills around me. I have to admit I am partially happy that I have a job, but this job isn't safe even if I did need the money. My life like many others could be better if the Industrial Revolution benefited the actual people that do the work in the mills. I don't like the Revolution and it's influence on thousands of citizens throughout London.

Friedrich Engles (Tessa Darcy)

Hi, my name is Friederich Engles, I was born in 1820 in Germany and wrote, The Condition of the Working Class in England. Although I was born into a mill owning family, I overall do not believe that the industrial revolution has positively impacted all of its citizens, in fact I believe that the industrial revolution has made lives of workers worse off. One reason as to why I think in this way is because there is evidence that industrial workers have lower income than their pre-industrial peers and that they also live in environments that are drastically more unhealthy and unpleasant. I have observed in great detail the horrors of industrial work in Manchester. Mocking night terrors about overworked and perishing children working through the night, and traveling back to such dingy streets and homes penetrate my thoughts. Children are being taken out of school to perform labor in such harsh conditions, it is not just. In the end, the fact that these kids are being taken out of school, will only affect future generations to come because they will be uneducated. In my book I also describe that death rates have been increased after the industrial revolution, more people are dying and more people are dying at younger ages. The industrial revolution may have been beneficial to the economy, yet it did not positively impact all of its citizens. Luckily, my good friend Karl Marx whom I previously met in Paris, agrees with me. Together we strive for communism, a social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Jeremy Bentham(Kourtney Clements)

I do not believe that Europe's Industrial Revolution positively impacted all citizens in a positive way because I am a strong supporter of individualism. This means that I look to please the individual, rather than just the majority or the leaders. I want to give the factory workers some freedom of what they have to say about their jobs. They could be very unhappy and unhealthy, and that is something that I, a utilitarian, am trying my best to avoid. I work in the interest of the happiness of people with everything that they do. I do not believe that people deserve to be miserable and dying because of the job they are working so hard for all day long. I want the most amount of people as possible to be happy with the conditions they are living in, and I know plenty that are unhappy with the Industrial Revolution in Europe because they are not being treated the way they deserve to be. I am against this statement because I want to prevent the harm of others, especially the harm of the factory workers. It may have paid decently, but it did not improve the conditions of the people working there everyday.

Adam Smith (Emma Schambers)

The effects of the Industrial Revolution have impacted all citizens in very positive ways. Farming is much more efficient now. It is much easier for farmers now due to new advances in technology. All of this new technology leads to growing and healthy crops that impact the people in a great way. A lot more people are being fed and the number of people who do not have food is decreasing. Many factories and mills were built and have opened up jobs to so many people. These new job openings are very convenient due to the major advances in technology. Many people were able to pursue entrepreneurship because of the new technology. These people were becoming more successful than they had ever dreamed of being. Overall, the Industrial Revolution had a very positive impact on the people.

David Ricardo (Garrett Steinberg)

Hello my name is David Ricardo and I am a British political economist. My legacy left a huge influence on how the modern economy is run today and how we produce many products from other countries. I came up with the idea of comparative advantage which states that a country that trades for products it can get at lower cost from another country is better off than if it had made the products at home. I feel the Industrial Revolution did not prioritize this economic strategy as it rather implemented machinery that made all products at home. All products could be put together in our home town which led to countries with better resources or fairer prices being dismissed. I feel that this type of economy does not benefit the citizens as best as it could and leaves other nations to themselves. If we all worked together as a collective unit, more goods would be produced, the economy would benefit in all nations, and more natural resources could be shared. With all this new machinery, the people are blind to what innovations could be made with trade and huge leaps in technology are being ignored. The citizens at this time may not understand this type of trade, but is it in our government's best interest to keep the people away from the knowledge other countries could supply us with? This revolution is taking away from the people and providing them with less than a comparative advantage type of economy could provide.

Robert Owen (Dan Hasan)

Man is the creature of circumstances. Neither man or woman has gone throughout life without hardship. My name is Robert Owen and I am a reformer. I was born on May 14th 1771. Some time ago a revolution started, but this was different it was and industrial revolution. The revolution itself helped people but only in some ways. Factories are crowded, humid, and the wages aren't even satisfactory in my opinion. But the fact of the matter is it gives people jobs. This revolution creates jobs for people who can't feed themselves or their children. The working conditions were not something someone would have with a job in the government, but people take what they can get. It is true that the streets are filthy, and all the smoke and dust from factories create bad conditions. But there are people fighting for this including myself. I feel that workers should have better working conditions. I want to make it so that workers are giving up their lives just to earn a small wage. Changes will come. I guarantee this. Until then workers will have to cope, but remember never argue; repeat your assertion.       

David Ricardo (Amy Kulm)

The Industrial Revolution is not helping Europe as much as people thinking it is helping. Is everybody forgetting about comparative advantage? Europe should concentrate the most on our most successful industries. Then trade with other nations that cannot naturally produce the products our nations makes. Now with all of these machines products can be made anywhere. It will no longer matter what goods can be produced naturally. Trade will become useless. Comparative advantage is disappearing. Is this really what is best for our economy? Europe needs trade.

Karl Marx (Robert Durant)

I Karl Marx believe that all humans should work for the common good and that all humans should do their best at their job for the good of the society so that everyone will be equal and everyone will enjoy the benefits of this system.  This being said I do not believe that Europe's Industrial revolution positively impacted all of its citizens in a positive way.  Europe's Industrial revolution was a time of change in the way we do things in our everyday life.  The Industrial revolution brought about many new jobs that were dangerous with long hours and no set wages across the board.  Some workers in certain mills were earning more money than workers doing the same job in other mills simply because the owner of the mill which was paying less money had less money to give to his employee's.  Also the Industrial revolution forced many children to have to leave school and work in factories, which in the end will hurt the nation in the long run because without educated people nothing will get done, in fact the entire Industrial Revolution was started by educated people who went to school.  I believe that we should share our resources so that the economy will thrive.  If we all had free insurance and were all paid equally and treated equally no one could take advantage of each other and everyone would be in charge of themselves and silly work for the good of society.  This plan requires full participation by the citizens of the nation and no one can try and take control.  All members of the society must be equal.  The industrial revolution was a time of people all receiving different wages based on where they worked and luck of the draw, but if we treated everyone equally and gave everyone an equal chance surely Europe would thrive.

Karl Marx (Hayden Margolis)

Hello, My name is Karl Marx. I am a wealthy german man with many occupations, but most consider me to be an economist. I love the industrial revolution and all these advancements in technology however I do not believe that it positively impacted all citizens. My opinion is that the industrial revolution helps the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I support this revolution only if there is communism. All people must make the same wages or else there will be rebellion. The common workers will out number the rich owners and eventually rebel for the small sums of money they are paid. There is too many wage differences with a Industrial Revolution.The only way to succeed in this industrial revolution is communism. We need to eliminate social classes and focus on the intelligent inventions that are to come. I do not believe that industrial revolution can work any other way. There are too many social differences that will divide the community and start rebellion.

Women textile mill in London (RJ Mathieu).

Women textile mill in London (RJ Mathieu).

Yesterday was my eighth birthday. That day I laid in bed thinking about it. It would be my second year working at the mill. My mother also worked there, while my brothers and sisters stayed at home. I contemplate staying in bed an extra five minutes to cherish the earth and comfort of my rough wool sheets, but I push that thought aside. The manager would not care if it was my birthday or the day or my death. If I was late, I would be beaten. Or worse, fired. My family depended on every source of income we had. We barely scraped by with my father's wages and mine. In a couple years, my sisters Elizabeth, and  Alexander would join me here. Looking back at it however, we had been lucky. There had been a time where we would had no job at all. My father would be lucky if he got hired as a farm hand or a coal miner. Now he was a clerk, overseeing the work. Now we all worked together due to the improvements in spinning and the new use of the water power. My masters now make more money which makes them very happy, and according to father, it makes us happy as well. My mother used to help oversee the spinning of the wool, but one day her sleeve got caught in the machine. She begin to scream, but the machine stops for no one. I watched as her arm seemed to be eaten by the rotating spindles. My dad grabbed her by the waist and pulled with all his might. Her arm came out, but not her hand. The room had grown awfully quiet and the manager, seeing the disturbance, came to investigate. Seeing my mom, he was surprisingly unsurprised. This kind of action must happen a lot, but it was the first time i had seen it. The manager first looked at the bloodied material. A whole days worth, ruined. Then he glanced at my mom. Seeing her, a look of disgust crept across his evil features. Without a second glance, he told her that she was no longer needed at the mill. He turned around to go yell at a group of girls to get back to work. As he walked past he gave my father a respectful look, and told him to take care of her. Now my mother worked at home, taking care of my younger siblings, making meals, and grew a small garden. All the workers knew the risks that came with the new technology, but we also knew that without it, we would have to do twice the amount of laborious work. Also, the technology brought many new jobs. Dozens of mills popped up, along with thousands of jobs. All around people were given more jobs. The economy grew my father told me, and everything improved. I asked about the chances of me ending up like mommy, but he just shook his head. He told me that she was lucky he was there, and that I have to be careful. When I asked about the risk, he simply answered that the money was worth it. I think about the 364 days until my next birthday, and think about the labor, dangers, and long hours. I guess the pay outweighed the risk. I'd rather get eaten by a machine than slowly die from the inside.

Herbert Spencer (Samantha Licciardi)

Hello, my name Herbert Spencer. I was born in 1820, on April 27th. Not to brag or anything but, I am an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era. I first worked as a civil engineer but into my twenties I traded in my job to become a journalist and political writer.  In my mind, of course the Industrial Revolution impacted all citizens in a positive way! Who wouldn't think that the new laissez-faire market is positive? It helps all people, whether they are stronger or weaker. The stronger have an opportunity to show their strength and the weaker people have the opportunity to gain strength. Moving on from those small country farms into these cities was the best thing for everyone. More jobs, more homes, and a more innovative way to live. Trade in any way is progress for this country. I wrote many pieces of work discussing my strong opinion supporting land nationalization, that economics should reflect laissez-faire, and the place and role of women in society. The Industrial Revolution progressed, not only these issues, but society overall, immensely. I had this theory of evolution, evolution of society including integration, differentiation, and definiteness. The Industrial Revolution by far benefitted everyone in a very positive way, there's no doubt. The progression during the Industrial Revolution was not only good for the society and the way of life, but all people also. 

Adam Smith (Opishinski)

The Industrial Revolution definitely has had a major, positive impact on the citizens of Europe. The economy has seen a new era because of all of the new technology that is spreading fast and far. Advances in farming have helped to improve growing methods, and the rate of starvation has decreased because of this. Crop growth is more efficient, helping the farmers and peasants to lose less money and have more success. he population is growing as well. Due to the growth of population, cities are becoming flooded with workers willing to work in the factories and mills. Humanity is seeing a new age, and the population, technology, and economy are growing faster than ever before. The lower classes are seeing the positive impact of the industrial revolution when they can have paying factory jobs, or their farming methods have improved. The middle class and the educated are seeing improvements as well, they can learn new technology and become successful entrepreneurs. For everyone, the Industrial Revolution is having a huge impact on their lives, and it is for the better.

Rosemary Callan (Thomas Robert Malthus)

Most of the effects of the Industrial Revolution have been negative. Even though there have been technological advances that enable us to grow more food, we will still not be able to keep up with the population. Population grows exponentially, whereas food supply grows arithmetically. The Industrial Revolution has provided more food for the people, but in having more food, fewer people have been dying of starvation. Because of this, the population is growing. We will not have enough to feed everyone. There are many people who do not have enough to eat because the population is growing faster than the food supply. Some have benefited from this Industrial Revolution. They can make more money in a shorter amount of time because of the new technology we have. These people will soon be suffering. The food supply will not be able to keep up with the growth of the population. The Industrial Revolution has affected our lives negatively.

Herbert Spencer (Katie Hollingsworth)

Hello my name is Herbert Spencer. I was born on April 27, 1820 to William George Spencer. When I think about if the industrial revolution had a positive impact, my answer is plain and simple. YES! When I was younger, I worked as a civil railroad engineer, supporting and learning all about the new ways of transporting goods for trade. The industrial revolution seems like a good idea to me and to everybody in the modern world because I support trade in all ways, shapes, and forms. After I I ended my work with railroads, I realized that I wanted to become an editor and writer. I began editing for a magazine called the Economist, which discussed the political and economical events. These events were often remarks of what was going on improving the economy of different nations of the world,  SPREADING across to other countries, allowing for advice and money making ideas to be shared. I continued my life with writing different novels, articles, and stories about the evolution of life. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, there were clear advancements in the evolution of mankind. It was my philosophy that human evolution was the key to advancing in life. Since the revolution was an advancement, I clearly support it. I support the Industrial Revolution in every way. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of a whole modern world, which kicked off the created of a new way of living.

London Factory Worker (Victoria Iannotti)

I strongly believe that the Industrial Revolution impacted its citizens in a negative way. I live in constant fear and exhaustion. I work each day for 12 to 16 hours, six to seven days a week. I rarely get breaks in the factory, but I do on occasion. Sometimes, I can barely breathe because of all the lint in the air. I also fear that I will lose a limb, a finger, or even my life! God forbid I get ill, I will lose my job. If this happens, I will have nothing. I often wonder if this is all worth it. Everyday, my life is at risk. I always feel tired and afraid. This Industrial Revolution is in all honesty, a terrible occurrence. Living like this is not right. I should work to make a living, but not like this. The life in a factory is cruel. Therefore, the Industrial Revolution impacted its citizens in a negative way.

Young Boy Coal Miner (S. Loomis)

Europe's Industrial Revolution negatively impacted all of its citizens in a negative way.

Hello, my name is John Williams. I am a 14 year old coal miner in the European Industrial Revolution. I believe the revolution negatively impacts many people, especially coal miners. Due to new technology, our product is in higher demand then it ever has been. Which means deeper, larger mines. This also means very dangerous mines. The deeper we dug we'd run in to explosive gasses and if one candle was lit or one spark was made from a miners pick ax, the whole mine would explode. I'd sit above the mine on multiple occasions and I'd hear an explosion. Everyone would run to the entrance and crowd around the management's office in search of an explanation. The rest of the kids and I would reach for our parents who had come outside to see if their children had been injured. People all over the town came, because the explosions could be heard a mile away. Mines also could flood easily and there was nothing to stop this. It all impacted me and everyone around me in a negative way. That's why I think that Europe's Industrial Revolution impacted all of its citizens in a negative way.

Robert Owen (Grace Fitch)

Even though, Europe's Revolution had some positive impacts, it did not affect every single citizen for the better. It had some bad affects on some citizens as well. The Industrial Age had caused an increase in poverty and filth amongst the streets. All the manufacturing buildings were crowded together like the kernels on a cob of corn which made the streets full of smokey air.
Not only that but also those new factories had terrible working conditions. People would work from dusk to dawn everyday with little breaks, and were surrounded in dangerous atmospheres where it would be easy to lose a finger. Let alone the fact that people were unfairly paid, sometimes those who got paid more had lesser work to be done. The manufactures weren't just in any way, they were cheating people out of their money.
I do believe that factories have done good things too. I just believe that in those good actions there have been faults in their justifications. They give people jobs, but in return it's almost as if the people have to give up their lives. Workers usually only had one working day off a week and worked about 18 hours a day. They never have time to attend schools or buy clothing. I think working hours should be cut so that the people own themselves and not their boss. I also think that the working conditions are bad for the health of the society and that the payment is taking away from a just equal society.

Quarter 2 - Assignment 1: Assigned 11/11; Post by 11/13; Comment twice by 11/15

As a reminder, below is a list of the characters that were assigned in class last week. If you were absent and did not receive a name for the upcoming assignments, it is your responsibility to email me to get your character's name before beginning this assignments. Due dates will apply to everyone.

1. Jeremy Bentham

2. Herbert Spencer

3. Friedrich Engels

4. Thomas Malthus

5. Robert Owen

6. Karl Marx

7. David Riccardo

8. Adam Smith

9. Factory Worker (London)

10. Woman worker in a textile mill (London)

11. Young boy coal miner

Prompt: React to the following statement in no less 10 sentences.  

Europe's Industrial Revolution positively impacted all of its citizens in a positive way.

September massacres from the perspective of a woman (Isaac Pontarelli)

The prisons run wet with the blood of their for inhabitants, after the hardly judicial trials. This is the fifth day in a row that I have stayed inside, avoiding the murderous mobs the roam the streets in search of a preconceived notion of justice and the feeling that they are removeing the taint that will rot away Paris from the inside out. Soon I will have to venture out into the streets, and brave the market, if it still stands,  for both me and my family are on the brink of starvation if I do not. My husband has not been home in almost a full week now, I know not were he is, only it is proboble that he is part of one of the numerous mobs that ravage our city. These mobs have taken it apron themselves to eliminate the prisoners that fill our facilities, for they believe that if freed they would ally themselves with the opposition and pose as a formidable force. Let preface my explanation with saying that I do not in any way identify or share any of the ideals of these repulsive prisoners, but I do feel the memories of revolution coming back, and wondering we're the human rights we fraught so hard for went? The mobs raid prisons, and as self proclaimed justices of the peace perform a ritualistic trial. I say ritualistic, because the testimony of the individual has almost no effect on their outcome. After the trial, the judge will send the miserable soul off to be executed, and someone the next defendant to the stand. Hopefully this blood madness will end, and much like the werewolf after a full moon, France will wake up and see the carnage it has caused. 

Royal Family-Louis XVI (Janae Walker)

What have I truly done wrong to lead this country to massacre. The Jacobins and sans-culottes have truly gone mad. They are going to the prisons killing the nobles and priests that are held there. I haven't a say in any of it. They have taken away my precious power. It used to be all up to me and now I mean nothing. I have to get out of here. It's no longer safe. I escaped but that only made matters worse. Im stuck. My people are dying on my land and I can't do a thing. If I even dared try I would be sent right to the guillotine. Bodies are being mutilated and everyone is scared that they will be next. I don't know what to do or how to handle such a radical group. I have to hope that it will all get better.  

Urban Woman (Tessa Darcy)

A peculiar feeling lurked through the gloomy air that morning, it was September 2nd 1792 in the city of Paris. The day initiated just as any other, I speedily set up my cart and withered behind the blazing sun awaiting for the nobles patrolling the streets to purchase cloth from my cart. As my stomach bellowed and plead to be suffused, finally a customer approached my cart. He scanned through various different cloths, and would hold up some to get a different perspective. My body immediately bubbled with excitement and anticipation as I surveilled his emerald green eyes gaze upon the cloths. I needed this money, more than anything. My kids at home were starving, I was starving, without these earnings, I don't think we would be able to make it through the next week. As the man ransacked his pockets and his hands fulfilled with coins approached mine, an echo of voices from the distance rang in my ears. The man's coins then descended to the ground, he jumped to the sudden calling of voices in the streets. An expression of nervousness and worry unravelled across his face, and like that my once paying customer vanished into thin air. Annoyance swept through me, and the earthquake inside my stomach allowed me to remember how significant those few coins would have been. The echoes of voices continued to linger throughout the streets, becoming more and more audible. Simply ignoring it at first, I straightened out the rows and rows of cloth on my cart. The pitter patter of footsteps rang in my ears, and the streets bursted with civilians running around appearing confused and lost. My body began to tremble in both fear and hunger, to be safe I crouched behind the cart not sure what was coming next. Seconds later a mob of angry citizens swarmed the cobblestone walkway before me. In between the mob was about 20 or more priests, ropes tying their hands behind their backs. The civilians continuously shouted, "To the  L'Abbaye, To the L'Abbaye!" The L'Abbaye was a prison in Paris. As they shouted, the priests took whacks and hits to the skull, and I fastened my eye lids as quickly as possible to avoid seeing them being grotesquely murdered. My heart sunk and my chest clenched as I viewed this occur right in the street. This was when I realized that no matter how hungry, cold, restless, dirty, or little equipped the third estate was, we were not going to back down without a fight. The priests deserved this, all these years we have been doing their work and labor and paying their taxes, it is about time they were punished for their actions. No matter how many priests were executed, nothing could make up for the taxes and efforts put into France by the third estate. This was a revolution, and I was expecting more massacres like this to come.

Prisoner (Kourtney Clements)

It is the month of September in the year 1792. I'm sitting in a prison for no reason whatsoever. I am an innocent man. I did nothing wrong but not take part in the revolution. I am "the reason for the revolution." Why? Because I am a part of the first estate? I used to be an honorable man until people decided that I am suddenly a criminal because I am more privileged than the lower class. I cannot help that I was born into my title, so why should I be put on death row for this? I am going to die for this and I could not be more terrified. My fear and my life is just a minuscule amount of the events occurring in this September Massacre. These people are revolting against us, killing us, and I don't know why but they call this "justice."It is disgusting that our lack of participation in the revolution is resulting in our heads being removed and our lived being taken.

Sans-culottes(Dan Hasan)

Bonjour my name Jacque Martin and I am a member of the Sans-culottes. We are the radical left-wing partisans of the lower classes. We are comprised of mostly urban workers, which in fact dominate France. Though we are ill equipped and ill trained we are the heart and sole of the revolutionary army. Without us they would be nothing. We work hard everyday, but is it worth if we have to pay all of the taxes. The first and second estate are greedy and selfish. They will not spare one franc, no they are to busy enjoying the best life has to offer. That is not even the worst of it, the Jacobins have done something that no one will ever forget. They overthrew the current Paris commune and they proclaimed a new revolutionary Commune. Now there is death everywhere. Women, children, and even trapped prisoners have killed. This is madness. How can we hope to save France when all we do is kill its people. I will fight for my country but I don't know if this is the right path.  

Royal Family-Marie Antoinette (Emma Schambers)

What has happened to our country? Massacres are constantly occurring during this month of September and I don't even know where to begin to explain my disappointment due to these events. People are being brutally killed and tortured. My good friend, Princess Marie-Louise, was held in a prison and horribly murdered. These massacres have really emotionally hurt me in so many ways. I do not enjoy seeing my people getting hurt like this. I hope this all ends soon. If it continues, everything will fall apart. Someone must put an end to all of this. For now, I am going to try to comfort those who are close to me. I am going to let other people try to put an end to this. I do not want to get hurt. Hopefully someone can soon end this nonsense. Hopefully this violence won't last forever.  

Jacobin (G. Steinberg

Anarchy! Just as us Jacobin's planned, the monarchy of France is transitioning to a republic. As radical as these movements seem, they are a necessity for the future of France. I myself am a member of the third estate who has attended to my business for years in law very peacefully, but no longer. The unjust rule of the first and second estate must come to an end in any means plausible. I remember the glorious day as it is fixed in my memory; September 2nd, 1792. This was the day in fact where Georges-Jacques Danton, a revolutionary leader, rose to assembly and chanted that we rise against those who had pitted us unsuccessfully against Austria and take new rule to France. I was pleased as I had hated paying taxes to those stupid Clergymen and arrogant nobles. We needed to abolish the monarchy, execute the king, and return France to the people. The prisons held many counter-revolutionaries so we attacked at them first. Us Jacobin's knew this to be true because we had rounded them all up after the Tuileries assault in August. I was part of the mob. Between September 2nd and 4th 1000-1500 people were killed including over 200 priests. Anarchy! The streets were filled with blood and death filled the air, but the Republic was over the horizon and France was soon to be returned to the people. This is the time of the third estate! Viva La Revolucion!  

Sans-Culotte (Hayden Margolis)

Hello, My Name Is Jean-Paul, I am a member of the Sans-Culotte part of the Third Estate. We are an oppressed people. Why should we, the poorest estate pay for all the taxes. Why shouldn't the 1st and 2nd estate also pay. There are many others like me that share my beliefs, but they have used violence to prove their points. I hear of a storm coming. They say that we will finally prove to the Church and Government that we have had enough. I think I might join in. I am not one to normally support murder or causing pain to others. However, if there is no other way it must be done. The amount of anger I have built up must be put to use. We must make a statement in order to change things around here and that is what we are going to do. It is our job to take care of France and things must change. Violence is the only answer.

Royal Family-Louis XVI(J. Qin)

The people of France have gone mad! Almost every day, more and more tales of merciless slaughters of the good citizens come to us in whispers, occasionally told by the relatives of the victims themselves. When I first learned about the massacre at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, I was horrified by the actions of those radicals. I hoped that this event would be a unique occurrence, and the violent desires of these savages would be satisfied, but it would appear that my prayers would not be answered on this occasion. For one month, more and more of the good citizens of France have been butchered. These innocent men and women do not deserve to be tormented in such a manner. These fiends claim that I have done injustice to this country, while they mindlessly murder virtuous people. Given that I am now imprisoned, I no longer question my fate, or that of my family. The only question left now is the time I have left before my inevitable execution. It saddens me to see France, once regarded as one of the most powerful and respected empires, in such a chaotic state.

Peasant Woman (RJ Mathieu)
Oh My! The atrocities of the September Massacres! I peered through tearful eyes as thousands upon thousands of innocent people were executed. Commoners, nobility, and thieves, all bunched together into one group, "To be executed." I watched as the blood mongers tore through the crowds. I can agree as much as the next women. Change must come... But not like this. We must allow it to take its time; choose its own path. Not force it along like an oversized man through a small doorway. Shouts filled the air, "Vive la nation!" The pure chaos overloaded the senses. Heads were thrust onto spikes. Children, lost upon the street, helpless. This is not a random killing, my husband told me. This is a statement. A statement that can only be appeased by death. A flame, quenched only by blood. This is wrong.

Jacobin (Katie Hollingsworth)

We are the Society of the Friends of the Constitution and we want a war. We are mostly middle class lawyers and intellectuals. We firmly support the acts of the sans-culottes while also promoting the revolution through pamphleteers and newspaper editors who agreed to promote our cause. Our ultimate goal is to work on advancing our republic and over throwing the monarchy. We were always somewhat threatened by the danger of the moderate and political official who just wanted peace and did not care for change. During late summer began the September Massacres. These were explosions of mob violence overtaking Paris to prove a point in a very violent manner. On August 10, 1792, the night before we were suppose to attack the Tuileries, we overthrew the Paris Commune and we made the decision that there was to be a new revolutionary Commune governed by transitional authorities. This new Commune that we created helped France take tremendous leaps to democratizing and taking control of the Revolution. We new that this was the beginning of a blood shedding war that would leave its prints on history forever. "It is with regret that I pronounce the fatal truth: Louis ought to perish rather than a hundred thousand virtuous citizens; Louis must die that the country may live." -Maximilien François Robespierre, Jacobin.

Urban Women (Vikky Iannotti)

When will it end? I go to bed every night, trembling with outright fear and anticipation. Lately, everything has been getting so much worse. It is September 3rd, 1792. As an urban woman, I cannot escape this nightmare. Constant violence and conflict suffocate me. Every day I wish that I could be free, but my wishes never seem to come true. I always remind myself that there is hope, and hope is what will get me through this. Yesterday, the September Massacres began. The revolutionaries have been bombarding local prisons to justify themselves. My husband was put in prison about a month ago for stealing bread to feed our family. I am scared that he might get killed by the bloodthirsty revolutionaries. The revolutionaries are attempting to kill nobles and priests that could have possibly committed political offenses, such as treason with the invading Prussians. My husband, you see, is innocent of this. He is just an ordinary prisoner, guilty of such offenses, but how can the revolutionaries tell? I pray that they do not kill my husband for something he did not do. What can I do? How can I stop this? There is nothing I can physically do. Yet, I can hope for a better day to appear. Soon, the revolutionaries will have to stop this madness and realize that violence is not always the answer. It saddens me to think that my husband could die an innocent man, but hope is what makes me think that he won't. Tomorrow is a new day, and all I can do is hope that it will be a better one.

Sans-Culotte (Katie Allen)

I am a Sans- Culotte. I'm part of the third estate, I'm an urban worker. It's September, Paris, France. I'm sick and tired of paying taxes that the first and second estate don't have to pay. I paid taxes recently for the Palace of Versailles, all for the first and second estates pleasure. Many others like me are stating to rebel. I don't know whether or not to join them. There have been recent rebellions. The other day many people stormed a prison and a thousand people died. Even though I don't believe in others dying, I'm done with the unfairness the third estate gets. Our enemy's are right among us, and I believe we should take care of France and the rest of France's people by the people in the prisons being killed.

Jacobin (R.Durant)

Jacobin (R. Durant)

My name is Robert and I am a member of the Third Estate and a Jacobin who is tired of paying all of the taxes in my country.  I support the September Massacres because it is showing the First and Second Estate who is the boss.  Now that we have gotten rid of King Louis XVI and have put the Revolutionary Commune in power we can finally begin to fix France.  We have imprisoned nobles and Clergy members and the guillotine is getting quite a work out.  Nearly a month has passed since the king escaped from the Tuilleries before the mob could get there.  Now we are attacking the prison. We must have killed around 1,200 prisoners accused of crimes against France.  Next, we plan to Revoke the titles of all nobles and sell all of their land.  Victory is in sight!  Viva la Revolution!