1. Child Labor

2. Why?
The number of children under the age of 15 who worked in industrial jobs for wages climbed from 1.5 million in 1890 to 2 million in 1910
Businesses liked to hire children because
They worked unskilled jobs for less money
Small hands made them more adept at handling small parts and tools
Health Risks
Many were underweight
Suffered stunted growth and curvature of the spine
Developed diseases related to work environment
Tuberculosis and bronchitis were especially common among those who worked in coal mines or cotton mills
High accident rates
Hard work and long hours caused physical and mental exhaustion

3. Time for a Change
By the early 1900s many Americans recognized child labor for what it was “child slavery” and demanded its end
Believed that children deserved an education and time to be a child
Child labor condemned them to a future of illiteracy poverty and misery
1904 – National Child Labor Committee – goal was to end child labor
Starting in 1907 they began to investigate working conditions of children

4. "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.“ – Lewis Hine, 1908

5. Lewis Hine Schoolteacher and photographer
Quit his teaching job and traveled around for the National Child Labor Committee taking photographs and interviewing child laborers

6. What does this photo tell us?
How does it improve our understanding of the time period/issue?
Who is in it?
Use your impressions to form a one sentence summary of each photo

7. #1- Garment Workers, NYC, NY January 25, 1908

8. #2- Basket Seller, Cincinnati, OH August 22, 1908

9. #3 – Boys and Girls Selling Beans August 22, 1908

10. #4- Boy Working in a shoe shining parlor, Indianapolis, IN August 1908

11. #5- Boys in a Cigar Factory, Indianapolis, IN August 1908

12. #6- Boy running rope in a Mine, Welch, WV September 1908

13. #7- Boys working in a bottle factory, Indianapolis, IN August 1908

14. #8- The Noon Hour at an Indianapolis Cannery, Indianapolis, IN August 1908

15. #9 – Glass Blower and Mold Boy, Grafton, WV, October 1908

16. #10 – Girls at Weaving Machines, Evansville, IN October 1908

17. #11 – Young Boys schucking Oysters, Apalachicola, FL January 25, 1909

18. #12 – Girls Working in Box factory Tampa, FL January 28, 1909

19. #13 – Boy Picking Berries, near Baltimore, MD June 8, 1909

20. #14 – Workers Stringing Beans, Baltimore, MD

21. Which photo is most striking/impactful? Why?

22. Imagine you are one of the investigators.
Write a report to the National Child Labor Committee and share your concerns.
Reference at least 3 photographs.
Write sentences minimum to express your concerns.