Child Labor 1800s

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Child labor has existed since the late 1700’s and still continues today. There was a large increase in child labor during the industrial revolution; families were leaving their farms to move to the city because of the need for factory workers. Times were tough and it was hard to support a family with just one or even two parents working so children worked to help support their family. There were also plenty of jobs for children in the factories due to their small bodies and hands. Children worked longer hours than adults and received even smaller pay; they also worked extremely dangerous jobs that often led to losing limbs or even their life. Work conditions were resilient and children were mentally and physically abused by their bosses. The …show more content…

First off children started to be required to receive a certain amount of time spent in school so that they would receive the education every child deserves. In 1836 the early trade unions propose that states set minimum age laws. This was the first formal proposal made to the public saying that states should establish an age of how young children can work. Also in 1836 the first child labor law was established. This law stated that any child under the age fifteen must be in school at least three months out of the year. This may not have been the ideal situation but it was definitely a start. In 1842 Massachusetts was the first state to put a law in place saying that children can only work up to ten hours in one work day; other states began to follow Massachusetts lead in implementing laws like this one. Sadly some states did not follow and these laws were not strictly watched so factories often didn’t follow the rules. In 1876 the minimum age a child could be when working was fourteen. In 1892 the law goes even further by making the minimum age for factory workers to be 15. Then in 1904 a committee recognized as the National Child Labor Committee is born and they put all of their time into making sure every child well-being is thought of. Factory owners take a hit from the 1936 purchasing law that states that the U.S government will not purchase any goods that are made by …show more content…

Even though there has been plenty of progress over the years there is still not enough and more can always be done. Almost every child during the industrial revolution was employed into child labor in the U.S unless they were born into a wealthy family. Thanks to child labor laws every child is required to be in school and only a certain amount of hours can be worked for one work day and there is a limit on how many days a child or even a teenager can work. Pay is also equal now for younger workers as it is for adults if the same job is being done. Thanks to child labor laws every single child, teenager, and adult is protected in the work

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