Slave Labor: The Role Of Child Labor In Texas

Everyone can agree life has it’s wonderful and egregious moments. Some people have a grand life with insufficient negativity. Others people have a miserable life and non imposing. In the late 1800’s and beginning to mid 1900’s, child labor caused several children to have an inimical life rather than a preeminent life. When people read what these children had gone through, they fail to remember to put themselves in the children’s situation; therefore, they don’t understand, nor cease how horrendous life was for the children. Numerous factual documents state how deplorable life was for the children during this era. Furthermore, these documents include the Union-made Cigars, Finding of the Commission, the Law of 1913, the letter from WPA Teacher Union to Governor Lehman, and lastly a telegram from Mrs. of Nassau County to Governor Lehman. Schools today teach this time period to the students and share innumerable certainties of the children’s lives. Ultimately, children in this life span had an atrocious duration.

The origins of the abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of children stems from the way children have been viewed throughout history. Dating back to the some of the earliest times in society, children have typically been viewed as property of their parents, with no real individual rights of their own.

In the 1700’s and 1800’s, the planter elite class of the American South conspired with both federal and state governments and other whites to institutionalize slavery in order to protect their economic and social power and way of life. Their efforts were generally wide spread, simple, blatant and generally very effective.

The Gilded Age was a time where poor American citizens had to suffer with poor living standards while the rich part of the population thrived with money. The problems that occurred during the Gilded Age were mostly solved during the Progressive Era in the 1890s. By creating child labor laws, decreasing political corruption and improving the poor living standards of the lower class, many of the problems from the Gilded Age were solved.

During the 19th century slavery was a very prominent and controversial issue between the north and the southern states. In the South, most people believed that slavery was a profitable way of life and if the slavery was to be abolished it would then affect their economy. On the hand the northern had different opinions about slavery and intended to stop it. The fact that the perception were different between the two led to a very difficult situation in resolving the issue.

After industrialization in America, the Progressive Era (1890 – 1920) began. Lives were changing and people wanted the rules to as well. They did this by passing reforms. Some reforms were written on the subjects of child labor, women’s rights, and monopolies and trust.

Campbell brings up the many responsibilities that slaves in Texas have in chapter 6. He states that a vast majority of slaves work in the fields, while around 30% of the slave population work in the towns and as cooks and butlers. He also brings up several instances where skilled slaves hired themselves out to make money using their skills as carpenters or blacksmiths. Campbell's provides a unique look into slavery that most author's do not convey. Slavery in Texas, while terrible, provided a

In Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay area during the 1600s the slave community evolved over a long period of time. Problems occurred regarding their labor that had an important influence on the switch to a society dominated by slave labor. During the 1600s labor in the Chesapeake shifted to slave society because of a shift in culture, economic issues, and frustrations of the tobacco market boom. Each of these reasons all relates back to the labor problem the colonists were facing in Virginia.

Child Labor, once known as the practice of employing young children in factories, now it's used as a term for the employment of minors in general, especially in work that would interfere with their education or endanger their health. Throughout history and in all cultures children would work in the fields with their parents, or in the marketplace and young girls in the home until they were old enough to perform simple tasks. The use of child labor was not a problem until the Factory System. The Factory System is a working arrangement where a number of people cooperate to produce articles of consumption. Some form of Factory system has existed even since ancient times.

Child labor during the progressive era was a monstrosity and a plague upon the children of the industrial revolution. Whilst Mother Jones bounced from factory to factory across the United States examining children’s experiences, she never became numb to the horrors that industrialization brought upon very young children, and in some instances, even newborn babies.

Besides from the Civil War Texas is still known for many great things. The controversy in the 1850s has since troubled with the shaping of this state. With the division from the North and South and an increase in slave labor. Texas saw potential with the demanding for cash crops and became known for its delivery of cotton . The production of cotton is still favorable today. Cotton is one of the main reasons to where the United States upraised it’s wealth. Southern States like Texas, Arkansas, and even Mississippi all pay tribute to the expansion of cotton. Texas obtained a major growth by the 19th century due to the increase in need for slaver.. An increase for slaves had drastically increased after the 1836 Texas Revolution war.

Texas had huge amounts of land that had fertile soil for crops where cotton was being made. Texas used slaves in order to assist in the dispatch of the production process. With this production of crops and cotton boosted the economy. These slaves were a huge asset to the economy. This is one reason why Texas was different from other Southern states in the Antebellum period. Another difference would be how many slaves were on plantations. Texas had many plantations and farms. More than any other southern states because of how big Texas was. With that being said, all these factors also made Texas into a Southern State. Texas had rich soil in which slaves helped with the production of cotton and other farming needs. All these factors put Texas in the category of the Souther States. While the south was taking advantage of slavery, the north was outraged. Northerners did not like the idea of slavery.

The South gained its workforce through the African slave trade and once that ended in 1808 then it was domestic trade along with illegal smuggling. Also, a more gruesome way that slaves were produced was by breeding slaves like cattle. This was a common practice done by plantation owners, such as Mr. Covey, who “boasted that he bought her simply “as a breeder.” The “her” in this quote referred to a female slave that Mr. Covey had recently purchased and it was evident that she could not work to a great extent, so he knew that she would be used for something else, such as a “breeder”. This inhumane action allowed slave owners to keep slaves circulating throughout the South. Without this practice many would have either lost slaves or would have had to import more illegally from Africa. The realm of slavery would continue to grow with this even after the slave trade ended in 1808. Southern elites never hired an immigrant or local American for a job on the farm. All forms of labor were done by the slaves so that they did not have to pay for labor. Interestingly, the North had its own form of slavery called ‘wage slavery’ that was used to amass a large enough workforce to work in the factories. The people who had this job were called ‘slavers’ and one particular slaver for the Lowell factories rode in a “long, low, black’ wagon” that was “paid a dollar a head for all

Throughout history, African Americans both free and enslaved were not treated equally nor permitted with the same rights as white men. African Americans were enslaved and not allowed to vote or hold public office. Since the 15th century, African Americans have been treated less than human, some even experienced brutal punished for justifiable mistakes. The use of African American slave labor was an enormous contribution to agriculture and labor. It became a part of southern state’s economy within America. Additionally, African Americans were forced or born into slavery where they endured harsh working conditions with zero pay and often times were punished by their masters. Even slaves that became emancipated or paid for their freedom were also treated differently than whites. Notably, blacks did not have the same privileges as whites and were forced to carry a “freedom card” wherever they went. Failing to do so would lead to severe consequences, such as being forced back into slavery. Once African Americans were considered free, they faced additional discriminations such as not being able to vote or serve as a figure in public office. Due to this and additional factors, African Americans were almost entirely incapable of defending themselves against whites. Since the start of the 17th century, African Americans, free and enslaved were punished for their skin color and were considered the lowest scale by not being allowed to the same opportunities and rights and white men.

Have you ever heard of field slaves? Field slaves are blacks (african-americans) who works outdoors on a farm or plantation. “Slavery flourished in the South, where large plantations grew cotton,tobacco, and other crops. The plantations required many labors. But slavery was less profitable in the North, where economic activity centered on small farms and industries. By 1860, the slave states had about 4 million slaves.”A slave worked in the fields from sunrise to sunset and would do 18+ hours of work daily.Women worked the same hours as men, even if they were pregnant they were expected to keep working uhere child was born. “Slavery refers to a condition in which individuals are owned by others, who control where they live and at what they