Child Labor Illegal In The 1800's

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Close your eyes and imagine this... It’s 1899 in New York City, girls you are outside drying clothes or working in a sewing factory, guys you are out on the streets selling newspapers for a penny a paper. You are wearing a ragged coat because that is your only source of warmth from the bitter cold of NYC. You’re covered in dirt because you cannot afford to have good hygiene. Child labor was not illegal in the 1800’s so children are forced to work to the bone in order to eat because they are on their own. Their parents could not afford having them live with them and eating their food. Think about it… If this was you then, your own parents couldn’t afford have you with them. Over 30,000 children were orphaned in New York City during the late

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