1904
In 1904 a group of progressive reformers founded the National Child Labor committee with the goal of ending child labor. After the Civil War, the demand for labor was high but factory wages were low. Children often worked in factories to supplement their family’s income. In the 1910s, there were 2 million children under the age of 15 working. Many child laborers were underweight, some suffered from stunted growth and curvature of the spine, others developed tuberculosis and bronchitis, and accident rates were high due to fatigue from long hours of work. Lewis Hine, a schoolteacher and photographer, documented the conditions of child laborers. His work led to the 1916 Keating Owens act that established child labor standards. This act was deemed unconstitutional but later child labor reform occurred during the New Deal. By the 1920’s the number of working children was reduced to 1 million.
Adolescent girls from Bibb Manufacturing Company in Macon, Georgia.
Breaker boys, Hughestown Borough, Pennsylvania Coal Company.
“Manuel the young shrimp picker, age 5, and a mountain of child labor oyster shells behind him. He worked last year. Understands not a word of English. Biloxi, Mississippi” (Lewis Hine).
“Three boys, one of 13 yrs., two of 14 yrs., picking shade-grown tobacco on Hackett Farm. The “first picking” necessitates a sitting posture. Buckland, Connecticut” (Lewis Hine).
“One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mill. She was 51 inches high. Has been in the mill one year. Sometimes works at night. Runs 4 sides – 48 cents a day. When asked how old she was, she hesitated, then said, “I don’t remember,” then added confidentially, “I’m not old enough to work, but do just the same.” Out of 50 employees, there were ten children about her size. Whitnel, North Carolina” (Lewis Hine).
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/hine-photos/
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/index.html
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