Labor laws, Working Conditions, Equal Rights

Child Labor Laws Early 1900’s 1 million children under age of 16 working Worked up to 13 hrs a day Used to fix machines and everyday work. Children would be working with missing hands, fingers, arms legs and some even died Mother Jones had a march from Pennsylvania to New York bringing child labor to everyone's eyes with papers writing stories and showing pictures By 1909 43 states passed laws outlawing child labor

Working conditions 12 – 15 hr days for men and women un-safe conditions- No breaks/lunches Unsanitary, very hot/cold No sitting Easily hurt with no protection Lock people in factory and not let them out until their shift over. Triangle shirt factory fire in New York Killed all staff because they couldn’t get out

Labor Unions Business reform As conditions continued to get worse workers had to find ways to force or negotiate safer working conditions Workers joined together creating Labor Unions- a group of people joined together to help members receive better pay conditions and benefits A Government committee was created which passed 56 worker protection laws including pregnancy leaves and chairs for clothing workers Congress passed Antitrust laws making it illegal for companies to control an entire industry creating more competition

Safer food and drugs Meatpacking industry attacked for bad conditions Upton Sinclair writes “The Jungle” about meat packing industry causing lots of changes Book caused an investigation in meat industry. Government created Pure food and Drug Act requiring manufacturers to use safe ingredients and advertise truthfully

Farming Reform Sharecropping- System of farming where a farmer rented land and provided the labor in return for a share of the income of the crop Farms in west had no electricity, running water and lower income because of competition. National Farmers Alliance (Union for Farmers) created to help push for laws to protect farmers Helped create populist party along with Factory workers to create reforms to help all workers. The party died when their president was not elected

Equal Rights W.E.B. Du Bois could not accept segregation and helped form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Alice Paul- Created National Women’s party to build momentum for Women’s Suffrage (right to vote). Organized Marches and parades in Washington D.C. Even thrown in Jail where she set up a hunger strike. August 20th, 1920 Senate passed and States approved 19th amendment giving women right to vote