Industrial Labor Vs Child Labor

During the Progressive Era of the Gilded Age, many laborers were being mistreated by the companies that they worked for. Because of this, workers started forming labor unions or organized association of workers, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. Many of these labor unions failed, while few of them achieved their goals and still exist today. Many factors contributed to the failure of these labor unions. The labor unions were given a bad image, the reason for this was the media, and they did this by publishing articles depicting the unions as violent, communist groups. The government supported big business during this time, since the government had a lot of power; this was a huge setback in the labor unions’ battles.

Throughout history, children have always worked, either as apprentices or servants. However, child labor reached a whole new scale during the time period of the Industrial Revolution. Throughout the time frame of late 1800s-early 1900s, children worked long hours in dangerous factory conditions for very little wages. They were considered useful as laborers because their small stature allowed them to be cramped into smaller spaces, and they could be paid less for their services. Many worked to help support their families, and by doing so, they forwent their education. Numerous nineteenth century reformers and labor groups sought to restrict child labor and to improve working conditions.

Throughout the 1700’s and the early 1800’s child labor was a major issue in American society. Children have always worked for family businesses whether it was an agricultural farming situation or working out of a family business in some type of workplace. This was usually seen in families of middle or lower class because extra help was needed to support the family. Child labor dramatically changed when America went through the Industrial Revolution. When America’s industrial revolution came into play, it opened a new world to child labor. Children were now needed to work in factories, mills, and mines. These were not ordinary jobs for young children, these jobs required much time, effort, and hard work. “American

From quitting school and getting paid a minimum of 25¢ to continuing school and getting paid a minimum of $4.25. During the Industrial Revolution, children would seek work in order to provide for their families and leave school doing so. History.com claims that “In 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16.” Many employers would hire children because they were easier to manage and ultimately could be paid less than adults. Today there are many restrictions on child labor that provide a safe work environment and rights for the youth. Labor conditions have changed since the Industrial Revolution thanks to reform movements and have paved the way for the safer modern day conditions.

Labor unions have existed in one way or another since the birth of our country in 1776. They were created in an effort to protect the working population from abuses such as sweatshops and unsafe working conditions. From the start of our Nation there were a few unions organized unions in a scattered fashion, but many were disbanded after they had achieved their goals, such as when the printers and shoemakers briefly unionized in Philadelphia and New York City in 1778 to conduct the first recorded strike for higher wages. Three years later in 1971 the first successful strike happened, when Philadelphia carpenters campaigned for a ten-hour workday. This caused the need for skilled and unskilled laborers to skyrocket during the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War and also got the ball rolling with Labor unions. At this point in our Country, there had been nothing done yet for workers’ rights, conditions, pay, and so on. People at this time saw that they could come together and do something to make their lives better for themselves and their families. Many of these dates were important in shaping our country’s labor policies into what they are today. In 1847 New Hampshire enacts as the first state to enforce a 10-hour workday law. In 1909 the International Ladies’ Garment workers’ Union calls a strike in New York, demanding a 20-percent raise and a 52-hour workweek. Within two days, more than 20,000 workers from 500 factories walk off the job. This largely successful uprising

Reformer Jane Addams shed light upon child labor and questioned those who found child labor permissible(Doc. C). In her writings, Addams specifically points out the less fortunate youth. Children often were forced to work alongside adults in already dangerous, unsanitary factory conditions (Doc. B). In addition to reformer Jane Addams, reformer Lillian Wald established the New York Child Labor Committee as well as the U.S. Children’s Bureau- established in 1912. On the federal level, William Taft supported some progressive measures such as the creation of a Federal Children’s Bureau(1912) however Taft undermined his predecessor Roosevelt in a series of political fights involving tariffs, antitrust acts and conservation policies. Taft, in addition, alienated other progressives which would illustrate one reason why child labor reformation did not completely work. Another reason why child labor reformation failed is due to Taft’s successor, Woodrow Wilson, failing to support federal child labor legislation. Court cases were brought about during Wilson’s presidency that called for Congress to not prevent interstate commerce in products produced by children(Doc. G). Congress ruled, despite the circumstances, that they had no power to regulate commerce of goods that are manufactured by children. Reform in child labor mainly failed due to a lack of federal

Labor Unions: Aging Dinosaur or Sleeping Giant? The Labor Movement and Unionism Background and Brief History Higher wages! Shorter workdays! Better working conditions! These famous words echoed throughout the United States beginning in “1790 with the skilled craftsmen” (Dessler, 1997, p. 544). For the last two-hundred years, workers of all trades have been fighting for their rights and “seeking methods of improving their living standards, working conditions, and job security” (Boone, 1996,p.287). As time went by, these individuals came to the conclusion that if they work together collectively, they would grow stronger to get responses to their demands. This inspired into what we know today as labor unions. “A labor union

Child labor was a cruel and unfair way of using children in unnecessary situations. It was debated for a countless number of years whether child labor was a social problem or a political problem. Children were responsible for completing very dangerous, rigorous, and demanding jobs. Most jobs for the children were completed in factories, farms, and coal mines. Subsequently, the working conditions for the children were not healthy, and it led to life threatening situations. Many would get seriously injured or killed. Some worked until exhaustion and fell asleep on the job, and would experience harsh consequences. Generally speaking, child labor drastically changed the way owners ran their businesses during the Industrial Revolution. The ruthless ways of child labor were never changed for the better until different Acts and Laws were put into place. People were concerned with the social and physical wellbeing of working children in Britain during the Industrial Revolution.

The workers were not satisfied with the way that they were being treated, nor the amount they were getting paid. The main issues that reformers fought for were shorter work hours, a minimum wage, and prohibiting child labor. The working class went through many tough situations, that the Progressive Era gave these working class families to be heard and get more money to provide for their families. “In 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded” (pg.526). This was a group of people that organized unskilled workers to help them out and give them more opportunities. The IWW also “opposed capitalism and used strikes, boycotts, and industrial sabotage” (pg. 526). The IWW worked and protested so much, that the government raised the wages of the workers. The workers unions should be remembered during the Progressive Era, because that era was a time of social reforms. It was a time that workers had the opportunity to fight for their

During the 18 and beginning of the 19th century in certain regions of the U.S child labor made up more than 40 percent of the population (Wolensky). That’s almost half of the working population. Since the beginning of time children have always been known to help their families with domestic tasks. Most of these kids worked in factories because they were easy to control and paid less than adults. Kids earned less than half of what adults made in the work force. In these factories they usually cleaned under and inside machines while functioning because of their small size.. That’s how these kids felt as it was described in a article in our history book. They were always in danger of getting hurt or even dying, which many did. Kids as young

Throughout history children have been used as slaves and workers, but during the industrial revolution the number of child laborers drastically went up. With a hope of a better life families all over the states moved into the cities to find work. Most were disappointed when they arrived and discovered that the truth was not as perfect as they had been led to believe.

Child labor ended up being a very big problem for the United States. In eighteen thirty six, Massachusetts made the first official state child worker law in the U.S. In the nineteen century states contemplated whether to make labor laws, while children were suffering in mines, glass factories, clothing, agriculture, canneries, home industries, newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers. The first federal labor law was approved by the U.S. congress in nineteen sixteen. This law was known as the Keating Owen labor act. This law made rules for who could work and where they could work. This law prevented the employment of children of a certain age, certain number of hours someone could work, or if they had completed a three month course of schooling. The next law passed was the fair labor act which was in nineteen thirty eight. This law set a limit on the lowest pay someone get and maximum hours of work. Some of these laws conflicted with less fortunate families because they needed their children to work to stay afloat. The best effective approach on the negative effects of child working most likely came from the Charles Dickens novel “Oliver Twist”. Slowly states made laws against the cruelty of child

The Labor Movement was necessary to protect the common interest of workers. The state of working environments during the Industrial Revolution produced a mandate for this movement. The Industrial Revolution served as a turning point for all western nations because of the influx of businesses and factories. America generally benefited from the revolution; however, it was at the expense of the workers. Industries were only interested in profit so workers were generally underpaid, worked long hours, and in unsafe conditions. Working conditions during the revolution were generally dreadful. And since there were copious amounts of people willing to work for any compensation, employers could set wages as low as they wanted. Labor unions arose because there were many who disagreed with how big businesses ran. A prime objective of labor unions is to make sure its members are paid fairly. Labor activists believe that employees and the company share its successes and that they should be rewarded for its productivity. Labor unions want to improve working conditions for their members. They demand reasonable working days along with safe working environments. Also, labor unions provide more than just job security and safety services. These services include provision of education and training to inform union members of their employment rights and to improve their basic skills. Labor unions are a group of employees who organize to provide a balance in negotiations between management and the

The industrial revolution first came to the United States. People soon moved to city area to find jobs. People often had children work for them for small wages and children had overworked. Sometimes they work for over 19 hours a day. They worked in very terrible conditions and worked close to many large machinery. There were many deaths during this time. Factory owners loved child labor because it was almost free work. Children from 9-13 worked were only allowed to work 8 hours a day and those 14-18 could work more than 12 hours.

Through these decades, the labor movement has constantly reached out to groups in the American society striving for their share of opportunity and rewards..... to the blacks, the Hispanics and other minorities..... to women striving for jobs and equal or comparable pay . . . to those who work for better schools, for the freedom of speech, press and assembly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights ... to those seeking to make our cities more livable or our rural recreation areas more available . . . to those seeking better health for infants and more secure status for the elderly.