Throughout our history, children have always worked in some capacity. Working children played a substantial role during the Industrial Revolution which inevitably led to economic growth and prosperity. Some children, however, were unable to attend school because their families were forcing them to work long strenuous hours under harsh and unstable conditions in order to provide financial support. The onset of The Fair Labor Standards Act later helped to combat some of the strident conditions that posed a threat to the physical and mental well being of children in the work force. During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, the United States refashioned from a predominantly rural nation into an exceedingly urban country. This
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Adult strength was not required to run the power driven machines and children could be paid less than adults. There were a few jobs taking place inside certain factories, some of which were extremely dangerous. For example, in a match factory, a child would dip matches into an element called phosphorous, which when inhaled frequently, could result in death (Koolbreeze, 1). Another form of child labor is known as coal mining. Coalmining was a popular industry which required boys of at least twelve years old to work aboveground to sort slate, rocks, and other debris from the coal (Wagner, 1). Boys’ parents would sometimes fake their child's birth certificate to with an altered date of birth in order to have their children, who were often as young as five or six years of age, work in the mines …show more content…
A labor union can be directly defined as an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. The most notable labor union today is the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL is credited with successfully negotiating wage increases for its members and enhancing workplace safety for all workers (Most Famous Labor Union, 1). During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the United States Congress passed laws such as the Factory Act to regulate terrible working conditions taking place in factories. Another famous law is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. "Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, children fourteen and fifteen years old were permitted to work, but only if their work did not interfere with their schooling or health. It prohibited anyone under eighteen from working in mining, manufacturing, logging, and other dangerous occupations. The law also had a minimum wage that applied equally to adults and children. The law limited the number of hours per day a child could work. Employers could no longer substitute a child worker for an adult" (Greene
Adult strength was not required to run the power driven machines and children could be paid less than adults. There were a few jobs taking place inside certain factories, some of which were extremely dangerous. For example, in a match factory, a child would dip matches into an element called phosphorous, which when inhaled frequently, could result in death (Koolbreeze, 1). Another form of child labor is known as coal mining. Coalmining was a popular industry which required boys of at least twelve years old to work aboveground to sort slate, rocks, and other debris from the coal (Wagner, 1). Boys’ parents would sometimes fake their child's birth certificate to with an altered date of birth in order to have their children, who were often as young as five or six years of age, work in the mines …show more content…
A labor union can be directly defined as an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. The most notable labor union today is the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL is credited with successfully negotiating wage increases for its members and enhancing workplace safety for all workers (Most Famous Labor Union, 1). During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the United States Congress passed laws such as the Factory Act to regulate terrible working conditions taking place in factories. Another famous law is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. "Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, children fourteen and fifteen years old were permitted to work, but only if their work did not interfere with their schooling or health. It prohibited anyone under eighteen from working in mining, manufacturing, logging, and other dangerous occupations. The law also had a minimum wage that applied equally to adults and children. The law limited the number of hours per day a child could work. Employers could no longer substitute a child worker for an adult" (Greene