Feisty Luddites

          The Luddites were a group of people that were against the mills and their standards. For example, they did not like the fact that factories now had fewer people and many machines, which meant less jobs. They also did not like the fact that the factories were lowering wages. In order to protest this, they would go to factories and destroy machinery. The following is a mock letter from the perspective of a farmer, where he explains his feelings of the Luddites to his cousin.

                                                               Ted Kacynski

Dear John,                                                                               Oct. 10, 1795       

          How are you? I’m good, if you were wondering. Listen, have you heard of the Luddites? They are quite the interesting bunch of people. You know what they do? They destroy machinery in factories and mills! Sounds crazy, right? I have been hearing that they don’t like the progression in technology the factories have taken, because they are getting lower wages and even losing their jobs. Personally, industrialization has not made a huge difference on me. I live a couple miles from the nearest town, and work the land so it does not really affect me. But, if these people are fighting for higher wages, which means more money to spend on my crops, then count me in! I’ll do nearly anything for an extra few dollars around here, times are tough as it is. Never really seen one of these riots take place. Maybe I should consider joining…

                                                                                      Sincerely,

                                                                                         Adam