Child Labor in America
Child labor has been, and in some countries still continues today, to be a global issue. Back in the 1800's, it was a common problem in the United States, as well as Europe. With the rise of the industrial revolution in England, child labor became a popular choice for factory owners. They were able to employ children because the machines did not require the brute strength of an adult to run them. Children were believed to be less likely to strike, even with factory owners who were able to get away with overworking the children and paying them very little for their work because the children's families couldn't afford to be unemployed. They needed the small income that the children brought in.
In 1900, a national census conducted in the United States concluded that 2 million children were working long hours in factories nationwide. The census showed the nation that action needed to be taken. A nationwide movement for the cessation of child labor was started. In 1908, Lewis Hine, a photographer, was hired by the National Child Labor Committee. He traveled around the country, documenting, through his photographs, the unhealthy effects that child labor had on the children. His photographs were essential to helping the public understand the depths to which employers would sink to make a profit. In 1908, Lewis Hine said, "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work."
Child labor has been, and in some countries still continues today, to be a global issue. Back in the 1800's, it was a common problem in the United States, as well as Europe. With the rise of the industrial revolution in England, child labor became a popular choice for factory owners. They were able to employ children because the machines did not require the brute strength of an adult to run them. Children were believed to be less likely to strike, even with factory owners who were able to get away with overworking the children and paying them very little for their work because the children's families couldn't afford to be unemployed. They needed the small income that the children brought in.
In 1900, a national census conducted in the United States concluded that 2 million children were working long hours in factories nationwide. The census showed the nation that action needed to be taken. A nationwide movement for the cessation of child labor was started. In 1908, Lewis Hine, a photographer, was hired by the National Child Labor Committee. He traveled around the country, documenting, through his photographs, the unhealthy effects that child labor had on the children. His photographs were essential to helping the public understand the depths to which employers would sink to make a profit. In 1908, Lewis Hine said, "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work."
People Against Child Labor
Many people were trying to get the government to notice the horrid effects that the hard work and poor working conditions had on the children. One of the most influential examples of the times was Charles Dickens. He grew as a child forced into labor. He knew from personal experience the horrors of child labor. He played a key part in helping people be more aware of the increasingly worsening situation. He wrote the novel, "Oliver Twist" based on his own experiences growing up in the same life as the title character, Oliver, did. Oliver grows up an orphan, and is placed in a workhouse for adults at the young age of nine. He is then thrown out of the workhouse when bullies persuade Oliver to ask for more gruel, clearly showing the children were malnourished and mistreated.
After being thrown out of the workhouse, Oliver is apprenticed to an undertaker. The undertaker has another apprentice, Noah Claypole, who insults Oliver's mother, making derogatory remarks about her. Oliver flees in the night after he attacks the boy for his comments. Oliver finds refuge in Fagin's house, but discovers he is a criminal. He tries to escape, but Fagin keeps showing up to bring Oliver back to commit crimes for him. The story goes on, with less emphasis on child labor, but it does detail a poor orphan's life growing up during this time period.
Many people were trying to get the government to notice the horrid effects that the hard work and poor working conditions had on the children. One of the most influential examples of the times was Charles Dickens. He grew as a child forced into labor. He knew from personal experience the horrors of child labor. He played a key part in helping people be more aware of the increasingly worsening situation. He wrote the novel, "Oliver Twist" based on his own experiences growing up in the same life as the title character, Oliver, did. Oliver grows up an orphan, and is placed in a workhouse for adults at the young age of nine. He is then thrown out of the workhouse when bullies persuade Oliver to ask for more gruel, clearly showing the children were malnourished and mistreated.
After being thrown out of the workhouse, Oliver is apprenticed to an undertaker. The undertaker has another apprentice, Noah Claypole, who insults Oliver's mother, making derogatory remarks about her. Oliver flees in the night after he attacks the boy for his comments. Oliver finds refuge in Fagin's house, but discovers he is a criminal. He tries to escape, but Fagin keeps showing up to bring Oliver back to commit crimes for him. The story goes on, with less emphasis on child labor, but it does detail a poor orphan's life growing up during this time period.