Child Labor And The United States

As early as the 1830’s Child Labor in the U.S. was already starting to arise. In rural communities child labor on the farm was common, children being employed in factories or mills didn’t seem to be much of a concern to people. In 1830 laws were passed prohibiting children to be hired in an industrial or factory type setting. By 1800, some states passed a large amount of laws prohibiting child labor. Often times these laws did not apply to immigrants so they were often abused on the immigrants which lead to the immigrants living in poor places working for long hours for very little pay. Immigrant or not, child labor back in the 1800’s was a way of life.

Lewis Hine(1874-1940) was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He studied sociology at Chicago and New York universities, becoming a teacher, then took up photography as a means of expressing his social concerns. In 1908, Hine left his teaching position for a full-time job as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee to document Child labor. Throughout America, child labor was ignored and unrecognized. Hine believed that if people could see for themselves the abuses and injustices of child labor, they would demand laws to end child labor.

Child Labor, once known as the practice of employing young children in factories, now it's used as a term for the employment of minors in general, especially in work that would interfere with their education or endanger their health. Throughout history and in all cultures children would work in the fields with their parents, or in the marketplace and young girls in the home until they were old enough to perform simple tasks. The use of child labor was not a problem until the Factory System. The Factory System is a working arrangement where a number of people cooperate to produce articles of consumption. Some form of Factory system has existed even since ancient times.

Go back in time, and imagine young children no older than 10 working in dangerous smokey mines, there lungs being filled with this smoke, or a little girl working a big sewing machine, one that with one tiny mistake could leave her hand scared, and maybe even broken. Children in tattered clothes, and working jobs that even adults would find difficult. Working long hours, for mere pennies. Today it would be hard to believe that this could ever have occurred, yet sadly in the 1900’s, this was the reality for many of the youth. The National Child Labor Committee had been trying to put an end to child labor since it had been founded in 1904, yet they had faced little success. One reason for this was it had been a controversial debate among many

Before child labor was really a thing, there were strikes that the adult employers were holding because of low wages and other problems. The reason the employers chose to hire children instead of adults is because they would work for low wages, and also faster when it came to production and easier to train. The reason children have to go to work in the first place is to be able to aid their families in need. My question is how can children aid their families, when they can't even aid

In the beginning of 20th century, the industrialization was growing in America rapidly and so the need of labor to suffice that development. As a result, the industries were looking for a cheap labor which it comes from immigrants and child labor. However, the American business were abusing of children labor, using children under age, making them to work long hours without any safety. Many Americans start to get concern about this issue, and as reformers, the Progressives addressed the anti-child labor to restrict the employment of school-aged children.

I am lucky enough to come from family where the necessities are provided without fail and education is never a question. For this reason, I’m particularly interested in researching the general topic of child labor; as child laborers have and continue to live a life that starkly contrasts mine and that I can’t yet understand. I chose to research the conditions of child labor in the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution versus present day, as well as the reforms/movements responsible for the positive or negative development of child labor ( again, from the Industrial Revolution to present day in U.S.). Within this area of research, I will also be exploring the juxtaposition of perspectives regarding child labor that influenced these reforms/movements: including

In the words of an anonymous working class American female, as depicted in Steven L.

Do you have a dislike for school? Have you ever wished that you did not have to go to school or wish for a break? Well, have you ever thought about kids who can’t go to school? There are kids your age, even some under the age of five who do not have the right to attend school like you can. You are probably wondering why can’t these children go to school or have education and that these children are extremely lucky, well if you think this you are wrong. These children dream or would do anything to have the education that you have.

Imagine sending your son or daughter to work just to stay out of poverty or just to get by. This is what some brave parents have to do to their children. The Fundamental reason many families in developing nations send children to work is for plain survival. Wages earned by these children can mean the difference between passable subsistence or being absolutely miserable. Although sending children way before the age of 15-16 may seem terrible looking at what children are working with dangerous tools, it's a way to stay out of poverty, and to continue on with life.

In my research I will do a survey will include some questions about child labor

It is not surprising to point out that the products we purchase daily became cheaper and better due to industrialization. However, I can guarantee you barely know about who actually account for the cheap products that you buy. Generally, people would think the labor force is only made up of adults, especially men. But surprisingly enough, the school-age children are part of the labor force. In fact, 25% of the labor force consisted of children between the ages of ten and fifteen,(Byerly, 43) this percentage will continue to grow unless it can be regulated. The child workers work at various positions, “including working on machines in the factories, selling newspapers on street corners, and as chimney sweeps.”(Nelson) A typical child laborer has to work at least 10 to 14 hours a day for 6 days a week. Which gives them no time to play and go to school.(“The Source-Child Labor”)

It is my opinion that consumers do believe in good ethical practices more than ever. In fact, with the ability to communicate with people and communities around the world through technology consumers have been able to immerse themselves in the stand of fair labor practices around the globe. In the United States we have an active stance and regulation for child labor, however in our neighboring countries child and adult labor regulation are minimal to non-existence. “Since the mid 1990’s, global brands have learned that, when activist reveal child labor, worker abuse or unsafe conditions in their supplier plants, they can ward off threats of global embarrassment and transnational consumer boycotts by adopting codes of conduct and promising

“Child labor usually means work that is done by children under the age of 15 (14 in some developing countries) that restricts or damages a child's physical, emotional, social and/or spiritual growth.”1

However, labour that is not appropriate for children, such as working with dangerous machinery, mining, or work that exposes children to sexual abuse, can be defined as child labour. This is due to the fact that, in situations like the ones described, children are exposed to exploitation and to circumstances that are detrimental to their physical and mental health.