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“When People In The United States Think Of Children'S Rights

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“When people in the United States think of children 's rights they usually think of children in third world countries who are victims of abusive child labor practices or insurmountable poverty” (Wilson 1). However, in reality it is not just in third world countries, it is also in the United States. From the American colonial period till the mid nineteenth century, child labor has been an important issue. It has taken many years to come to an agreement of the definition of child labor. One way to define child labor is: “All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom, and forced or compulsory labor, including-forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in …show more content…

Even though it was expected of children to work, some parents did not want to send their children to work. Parents really only sent their children to work for an extra income to help the family out of poverty. Poverty is the main reason that children are sent to work. The following is the definition of poverty, “Poverty is the inability, through lack of income or wealth, to provide decent housing, clothing, health care, nutrition, or education for oneself or one’s family.” (Riggs 1). Because parents were desperate for money they would take their children’s names off of the school list when education became required (Carson 1). Parents would also feel obligated to give their children permission to work and bring in a small amount of money, but much needed funds. It was also an expectation that children could provide a profitable benefit for their families. When the nation began to industrialize, the types of jobs shifted from farm work to factory work. The jobs that children held would change as they became older and more difficult so that in the end they would have more skills. "At that time, many believed that children should work because it helped them develop a strong work ethic. Many employers took advantage of children; parents found it difficult to keep their kids away from hard labor because the additional income was crucial to the family 's survival" (Benson 2). This was a real challenge for parents as the income was critical to the

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