Salgado

JuniorUSHistory/ContemporaryAmericanHistoryResearchProject:
Forwhatreasonsandunderwhatconditionsdidchildrenworkduringthe19thcentury,and
whateffortsweremadetobringaboutreform?

YatziriSalgado
USAmericanHistory5thperiod
Ms.Rosenquist
May22,2016

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Childlaborisaviolationofhumanrightsandisshowntodelaychildrensdevelopment.
Notallworkdonebychildrenhoweverisclassifiedaschildlabor.Whenchildrenoradolescents
participateinactivities,volunteeringorworkthatdoesnotaffecttheirhealthandpersonal
development,orinterferewiththeireducation,thisismostoftenseenasbeingpositive.Inthe
UnitedStates,childlaborhasexistedthroughformsofchildslaveryandindenturedservitude.
IndenturedservitudewasalaborsysteminwhichpeoplepaidfortheirpassagetotheNewWorld
byworkingforanemployerforafixedtermofyears.Intheearly19thcentury,industrialization
increasedinthenortheasternpartoftheUnitedStates.ManyEuropeansimmigratedtothe
UnitedStatesforabetterlifeandmovedtocrowdedurbancitieslaterfindingpoverty.Children
whoworkedinfactories,agriculture,andminessufferedpoorworkingconditions.Theactionsof
theemployerstowardstheunderagedchildrenleadtotheformationoftheNationalChildLabor
CommitteeworkingtogetherwithNationalConsumersLeagueforthewellbeingofthechildren.
ThecausesofchildlaboraresimilartoitscausesintheUnitedStates,includingpoverty,
limitedaccesstoeducation,controlofworkersrights,andlimitedprohibitionsonchildlabor.
Underagechildrenworkatallsortsofjobsaroundtheworld,usuallybecauseoftheirfamilies
income.Childlaborersoftenworkedtohelpsupporttheirfamilies,butwereforcedtosacrifice
theireducation.Poorchildrenandtheirfamiliesrelieduponchildlaborinordertoimprovetheir
chancesofhavingbasicnecessities.Accordingtothe
ECLFoundation(EliminateChildLabor
Foundation)
,morethanonefourthoftheworld'speoplelivedinextremepoverty.The
intensifiedpovertyinpartsofthecountriescausedmanychildrentheretobecomechildlaborers.
Inaddition,itwasbeneficialtohavechildrenworkersbecausechildrenweremoremanageable,
cheaper,lesslikelytostrike,andwerepreferredasindustrializationmovedworkersintourban

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areas.Inthe
ChildLaborPublicEducation
site,itexplainedhowemployersoftenreasonedthe
useofchildrenbyclaimingthatachild'ssmall,lighthandswerecriticaltotheproductionof
certainproductssuchashandknottedcarpetsanddelicateglassware.Thesizeofthechildren
lettheminsmallspacesinfactoriesormineswhereadultscouldnotfit.ChildLaborwas
advantageousforemployersbecausethechildrencouldbepaidlessthanadults.Accordingtothe
ECLFoundation
,theneedforcheaplaborbycontractorsmeansthatchildrenareoftenoffered
workinplaceoftheirparents.Contractorssuchasproducegrowersandloomownersknowthat
childrencanbetakenadvantageofandforcedtoworkformuchlessthantheminimumwage.
Youngchildrenusuallyareunawareoftheirrightsandlesslikelytocomplainorstrike.
Childrenworkedunderconditionsthatwereconsideredillegal,hazardous,orselfish.
Workingconditionsthatweresafeandhealthyforadultsmaynotbesafeandhealthyfor
childrenbecauseoftheirphysicaldifferences.Risksweregreaterforchildrenatvariousstagesof
developmentandtooklongtermeffects.Asidefromtheterribleworkingconditionsthese
workingchildrenreceivedalotofabusefromthecontractorsandemployers.Theconditions
thesechildrenworkedinthreatenedchildrensphysical,mental,oremotionalwellbeing.Child
labordidmorethandeprivechildrenoftheireducationandmentalandphysicaldevelopment:
theirchildhoodwasstolen.Workinglonghours,childlaborersareoftendeniedabasicschool
education,normalsocialinteraction,personaldevelopmentandemotionalsupportfromtheir
family.Childrenfacedmanyphysicaldangersanddeathfromforcedlabor.Physicalinjuriesand
woundsarecausedbybadlymaintainedmachineryonfarmsandinfactories.Inthesiteallabout
Childreninthe19thCentury
,itstateshowtherewouldbemacheteaccidentsinplantations,and
anynumberofhazardsencounteredinindustriessuchasmining,ceramicsandfireworks

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manufacture.Hazardouschildlaboristhelargestcategoryoftheworstformsofchildlaborwith
about115millionchildren,aged517,workingindangerousconditionsinagriculture,mining,
construction,manufacturing,serviceindustries,etc.Accordingtothe
ILO(InternationalLabour
Organization)
,girlsandboysoftenstartedcarryingouthazardousworkatearlyages.The
ILO
estimatesthat22,000childrenarekilledatworkeveryyear.Growthdeficiencywasalso
commonamongworkingchildren,whoareshorterandlighterthanotherchildren.These
deficienciesalsohadanimpactontheiradultlife.Longtermhealthproblems,suchas
respiratorydiseaseandavarietyofcancers,arecommoninchildrenwheretheyareforcedto
workwithdangerouschemicals.Exhaustionandmalnutritionarearesultofunderdeveloped
childrendoingmanuallabor,workinglonghoursinterribleconditionsandnotearningenoughto
feedthemselvesproperly.
Recognizingchildlaborasaviolationofchildren'sandworkers'rights,tradeunionsare
joiningwithfamiliesandcommunityorganizationstostopchildlabor,tomovechildrenoutof
workandintoschool,andtosupportcorelaborstandards.Intheearly19thcentury,courtpassed
lawstocutbackchildlaborhowever,theyseemedtobeunenforceable.Thefirsteffectivelaw
waseffectivebecauseforthefirsttimefactoryinspectorswereappointedtomakesurethelaw
wasbeingobeyed.Inthe
ChildLaborPublicEducationProject
itstatedhoworganizations
generatedtheNationalConsumersLeaguein1899andtheNationalChildLaborCommitteein
1904,whichsharedgoalsofchallengingchildlabor,includingthroughantisweatshop
campaignsandlabelingprograms.TheNationalChildLaborCommitteesworktoendchild
laborwascombinedwithefforts,improvingthehealthandeducationopportunitiesforthe
children.Oneofthefirststepstookplaceinearly1908withthehiringofanthropologistsand

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photographers.Thephotographswouldawakenandmakeofthenationrealizewhatreallyis
goingon,andchangetherealityoflifeformillionsofpoor,uneducatedchildren.The
photographsandawarenessalsopreventedchildrenandyouthfromgettingtakenadvantageof
inthelaborforce.Increasingpublicawarenessoftheworkdonedayinanddayoutonbehalfof
thenation'schildren.Accordingtothe
History
site,Nineteenthcenturyreformersandlabor
organizerstriedtorestrictchildlaborandimproveworkingconditions.DuringtheGreat
Depression,Americanswantedallavailablejobstogotoadultsratherthanchildren.
Childlaborwassuchacruelthingtoputchildrenthroughanditwasincorrecttotake
advantageofthem.Childrensintentionsweretoworktohelptheirfamilyouteconomically
however,employersdecidedtheyneededhelptoosotheyknewhavingchildrenasworkerswill
bebetterduetopayingthemasmallamountofmoneyforthelargeamountofhourstheymade
themwork.Theyweretreateddisrespectfullyandunfairlyleadingtounsafeconditions
physicallyandemotionally.Seeinghowbadlytheseconditionsaffectedthelifeofthechildrenin
anegativewaybroughtuponreformbyhavinganthropologistsandphotographersbring
awarenesstothepublicaboutthehorribleconditionstheseunderagedchildrenworkedin.These
unenforceablelawsbroughttheNationalConsumersLeagueandNationalChildLabor
committeetogethertoworktowardstheirgoalsofbringingchildlabortoanend.