History of child labor
Industrialization was a part of the growing urban population , which provided a new market and cheap labor. The factories paid so little that families had to put their children to work.Children have been working for a , for example helping in the farmhouse. Not till the late 1700's and early 1800's did the work for children began to get harder. This is when Industrial Revolution sprung up , and machines replaced hand labor. The companies started to notice how using the machines made there a lesser need for adults. And by hiring a child it would save them money. A child with a factory job might work 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week , to earn a dollar.
Many children began working before the age of 7, tending machines in spinning mills on hauling heavy loads.The factories were often damp , dark. and dirty. Some children worked underground , in coal mines. The working children had no time to play or go to school , and little time to rest. They often became ill. By 1810 , about 2,000,000 children were working 50-to 70 hours a week.Majority of the children came from poor families.When parents could not support their children, they would give them to mills or factory owners. Not until 1802 to 1878 , were laws created that gradually shortened the working hours, improving the conditions, and raising the age at which children could work. In the United States it took many years to outlaw child labor .
Connecticut passed a law in 1813 saying that working children must have some schooling. By 1899 a total of 28 states had passed laws regulating child labor. Many efforts were made to pass a national child labor law. The U.S. congress passed two laws , in 1918 and 1922, but the Supreme Court declared both unconstitutional. In 1924, Congress proposed a constitutional amendment prohibiting child labor, but the states did not ratify it. Then, in 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standard Act. It fixed minimum ages of 16 for work during school hours, 14 for certain jobs after-school , and 18 for dangerous work.
Today all the states and the U.S Government have laws regulating child labor. These laws have curved the worst evils of children's working in factories. But some kinds of work are not regulated. Children of migrant workers, for example, have no legal protection.Farmers may legally employ them outside of school hours. The children pick crops in the fields and more from place to place, so they get little schooling. Child labor has been less of a problem in Canada because industry there did not develop until the 1900's. The Canadian provinces today have child labor laws similar to those in the United States. Most other countries have laws regulating child labor, too. But the laws are not always enforced, and child labor remains a problem.
Many children began working before the age of 7, tending machines in spinning mills on hauling heavy loads.The factories were often damp , dark. and dirty. Some children worked underground , in coal mines. The working children had no time to play or go to school , and little time to rest. They often became ill. By 1810 , about 2,000,000 children were working 50-to 70 hours a week.Majority of the children came from poor families.When parents could not support their children, they would give them to mills or factory owners. Not until 1802 to 1878 , were laws created that gradually shortened the working hours, improving the conditions, and raising the age at which children could work. In the United States it took many years to outlaw child labor .
Connecticut passed a law in 1813 saying that working children must have some schooling. By 1899 a total of 28 states had passed laws regulating child labor. Many efforts were made to pass a national child labor law. The U.S. congress passed two laws , in 1918 and 1922, but the Supreme Court declared both unconstitutional. In 1924, Congress proposed a constitutional amendment prohibiting child labor, but the states did not ratify it. Then, in 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standard Act. It fixed minimum ages of 16 for work during school hours, 14 for certain jobs after-school , and 18 for dangerous work.
Today all the states and the U.S Government have laws regulating child labor. These laws have curved the worst evils of children's working in factories. But some kinds of work are not regulated. Children of migrant workers, for example, have no legal protection.Farmers may legally employ them outside of school hours. The children pick crops in the fields and more from place to place, so they get little schooling. Child labor has been less of a problem in Canada because industry there did not develop until the 1900's. The Canadian provinces today have child labor laws similar to those in the United States. Most other countries have laws regulating child labor, too. But the laws are not always enforced, and child labor remains a problem.
current issues
Injuries
United States Department of Labor states that The United States has more of its youth in the workforce than any other country. By 2010, 17.8 million youth workers were between the ages 16 and 19. Most of the injuries happen within the first year on the job. In 2006, 30 youth workers under the age of 18 died from work related injuries.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimated that 54,800 work-related injuries and illnesses among youth under 18 years of age. were treated in hospital emergency departments.
United States Department of Labor states that The United States has more of its youth in the workforce than any other country. By 2010, 17.8 million youth workers were between the ages 16 and 19. Most of the injuries happen within the first year on the job. In 2006, 30 youth workers under the age of 18 died from work related injuries.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimated that 54,800 work-related injuries and illnesses among youth under 18 years of age. were treated in hospital emergency departments.
Children's Bureau
The children's bureau was created in 1912 , when President William Howard Taft signed a bill that would create new federal government organizations.