Child Labor In The 1800s

Child labor in America during the 1800s to the early 1900s was very dangerous for the living conditions of children. Some of the problems children experienced were health issues, extended hours, and not getting an education. In order for children to receive a better education, reform movements were made by teachers and church members to end child labor. Lillian Wald and Florence Kelley were some of the leaders of movements that made it successful at ending child labor. Other reform movements were: Working Women’s Societies, National Child Labor Committees, and National Consumers’ League. Child labor laws were established and it became illegal for children to be forced to work in hazardous conditions. One reason why reform movements were
They had to work for extended amount of hours in factories, mills, and coal mines. “Child with a factory job might work 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week, to earn a dollar”(Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America). The children’s duties were to lift heavy supplies, spin the mills, and operate machines. Children were hired to work with machinery because they were the ideal size to maneuver in small spaces. If the children were injured during work they would be replaced since they are considered cheap labor and can be easily replaced. The health of these children is important because if they get hurt then the children can’t become healthy adults. Bertha experienced working in factories when she was a little girl. When Bertha moved back to the country with her sister she got a new job. Bertha started working when she was 11 years old at Hosiery Mill and would get paid $3 for 6 days and her sister, Molly, would work for 12 hours and earned 50 cents a day. Not only did children worked in factories but they also worked in coal mines. The two positions that boys received were being a nipper or a spragger.This job made the boys work 10-12 hours a day with their bare hands.The air was filled with dust causing the children to have lung problems. As a result, Florence Kelley who was a social political reformer fought for the rights of children working
Some of the parents would have to take their children to work because there was no one to take care of them. The owners of the mills would take that in advantage and make the children work for them but they would receive no pay. Seven year old boys would be called a doffer and they were responsible for taking out the spool. The girls were in charge of watching the spools break and they had to spin 6-8 slides. Since the girls worked long hours they could not attend school and get an education. “North Carolina law required children over the age 8 to 14 to attend school at least 16 weeks a year. Working children over 12 years old were not subject to this requirement. Very few cities or counties enforced the law however, one major exception was Asheville which only had two, small textile mills in the area” (Child Labor in North Carolina Textile Mills). The National Child Labor Committee is an organization that advocates children to receive an education. In 1836 Massachusetts created a law that made children have to go to school for a minimum of three months in a