Post on 19-Jan-2016
Child Labor in the Early 20th Century
9th Grade Social Studies, EGGMs. Gerloski
Child Labor Webquest Website
Tinyurl.com/gapsa
The Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution - History Channel
The Industrial Revolution - History Channel 2
Industrial Revolution in the U.S.
19th Century, followed Industrial Revolution in Europe
New technological innovations Higher productivity/production, higher
agricultural output New auto industry, steel and oil industry
Expansion of railroad system Better transportation, goods and people are
more easily moved from place to place
New Jobs in the Industrial Revolution
Mill workers
Factory workers New automobile industry Textiles Assembly lines more
common
Mine workers
Newsboys/Newsies
Large Farm workers
Industrial Revolution
It fostered the growth of big industries in the U.S.
The country became more urbanized, as most factories were in cities A lot of factories and mills were in the northern U.S. The southern U.S. was still more agrarian
1800: 0 cities with populations >100,000
1900: 18 cities with populations >100,000
Rural/Urban % Populations 1800: 93.9/ 6.1 1900: 39.6 / 60.4
Consequences of Industrialization
Greater movement from the country to the city
Goods were cheaper to produce and sell
Workers didn’t need to be skilled More women and children in the work force Also provided jobs for immigrants to the U.S. They could work long hours doing monotonous
tasks
Background Day 2
Child Labor Basics
Children worked in jobs all over the United States, in rural and urban settings
Older children were more often employed than younger ones, but children of all ages worked
What kind of work did children do?
In factories and mills
As newsboys– sold newspapers on the streets
On farms and in agriculture – picking fruit and other crops
As bootblacks polishing shoes and peddlers selling goods on the streets
In mines, underground and as breaker boys
Why would firms employ children?
It’s all about ECONOMICS and choices
Human Resources: Children were cheaper to employ If you pay your workers fewer wages, you make
more money/profit
They were easier to manage than adults (the alternative)
Smaller size was more appealing for certain jobs
They didn’t unionize (at first)
Why would children choose to work?
Again, it’s all about economics and choices
Most often, to help their families make money
But also to make their own money Some kids wanted to
feel independent
Consequences of Children in the Labor
Force By 1900, nearly 20% of workers in the U.S.
were under the age of 16.
Children were forced to give up an education to make money for their families
Children competed with adults in the workforce
More families in poverty, even though children brought in an income as well
Child Labor
bad wages & no education
Deterior-ating labor standards
Adult unem-ployment
Family poverty
Decline in Child Labor
The Fight to End Child Labor
Labor Unions fought for an end to child labor
Though many people in the early 20th agreed child labor was wrong, laws were not passed or followed…
… Until the Great Depression when adults didn’t want any more competition for jobs
Child Labor Laws
1916: Keating-Owen Bill– first child labor bill But was shot down by the Supreme Court
1941: Fair Labor Standards Act upheld Prohibited the employment of minors in “oppressive child
labor”