Child Labor
Child Labor started in Great Britain and carried into America. Most Child Labor occurred in factories when kids as young as 5 would works as scavengers picking up lose scraps that fell from the machines. Children from the ages of 7 to 12 would work tending the machines, because the machines were easy to work. Coal mining also had a lot of Child Laborers. Boys under 12 worked as breaker boys, their job was to sort the coal by size once it was crushed. Once they reached the age 12 they were sent to work in the mines. Other jobs, like street sweepers, street peddlers/huckstering, boot-blackers, newspaper selling, trappers, chimney sweepers. Some children that worked far from home, got involved in gambling and theft.
When Children at the age of 6 started working 12 hours a day, their bodies were being worn down. The longer they worked in factories the worse their bodies became. After working at factories all day until they go to college or get a real job, there bodies are worn down and it is hard for them to stand for a long period of time or walk right. Diseases were caused from crowded and unsanitary factories. Theses conditions could even cause premature death. The lack of education was also a big concern.
In 1870 the first census was reported for Child Laborers. From this report their were 750,000 workers 15 and under not including family farms or businesses. As a result there was a campaign for Child Labor laws, that became an important movement for over fifty years. In the United States numerous organizations worked to eliminate child labor, including the National Child Labor Committee in 1904 which was run by social workers. Public Support was also gathered by "muckrakers" (journalists) exposing horrible conditions and social ills everywhere. In 1916 their were more followers to child labor laws, and President Wilson wanted it stopped. He passed the Keating-Owen Act through Congress, which banned articles about child labor. In 1918 the supreme court ruling declared it unconstitutional. It was not until 1938 that the Far-Reaching Fair Labor Standards Act did any attempt at Child Labor Legislation succeed. This required employers to pay Child Laborers the minimum wage, it also limits the age of child laborers to 16 and over. If the job is hazardous then they need to be 18 or older. Also, 14 and 15 year olds are permitted to work in certain occupations after school hours.
In the United States child labor still remains a problem. Agriculture remains a problem and companies that buy products made by child laborers abroad always becomes an issue.
When Children at the age of 6 started working 12 hours a day, their bodies were being worn down. The longer they worked in factories the worse their bodies became. After working at factories all day until they go to college or get a real job, there bodies are worn down and it is hard for them to stand for a long period of time or walk right. Diseases were caused from crowded and unsanitary factories. Theses conditions could even cause premature death. The lack of education was also a big concern.
In 1870 the first census was reported for Child Laborers. From this report their were 750,000 workers 15 and under not including family farms or businesses. As a result there was a campaign for Child Labor laws, that became an important movement for over fifty years. In the United States numerous organizations worked to eliminate child labor, including the National Child Labor Committee in 1904 which was run by social workers. Public Support was also gathered by "muckrakers" (journalists) exposing horrible conditions and social ills everywhere. In 1916 their were more followers to child labor laws, and President Wilson wanted it stopped. He passed the Keating-Owen Act through Congress, which banned articles about child labor. In 1918 the supreme court ruling declared it unconstitutional. It was not until 1938 that the Far-Reaching Fair Labor Standards Act did any attempt at Child Labor Legislation succeed. This required employers to pay Child Laborers the minimum wage, it also limits the age of child laborers to 16 and over. If the job is hazardous then they need to be 18 or older. Also, 14 and 15 year olds are permitted to work in certain occupations after school hours.
In the United States child labor still remains a problem. Agriculture remains a problem and companies that buy products made by child laborers abroad always becomes an issue.
"Laila.html." Earlham College — Richmond, Indiana. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/globalprobs/children/Laila.html>.
"Child Labor during the British Industrial Revolution | Economic History Services."EH.Net | Economic History Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <http://eh.net/encyclopedia/arti
Davidson, James West, Michael B. Stoff, and Herman J. Viola.Prentice Hall the American nation . Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print
"Child Labor during the British Industrial Revolution | Economic History Services."EH.Net | Economic History Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <http://eh.net/encyclopedia/arti
Davidson, James West, Michael B. Stoff, and Herman J. Viola.Prentice Hall the American nation . Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print
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