Child Labor In The 1800s
Child labor is the “full-time employment of children under a minimum legal age.” Child labor is an awful act that still happens around the world. However, in the United States child labor is mostly eradicated. It did not happen overnight but in fact took many years. There were many different laws and acts and committees that were created before there was no child labor.
One of the earliest Child Labor Laws in the United States, was in Massachusetts. The act was passed in 1836 that regarded “the employment and schooling of laboring children.” The act was ratified many times until it was finally done in 1858. There were many ways to prevent underaged child labor as well as overworking children. There were age limitations, hours of a work …show more content…
In 1842, it was added that those under the age of twelve, cannot work more than ten hours in a day. Seven years later, in 1849, the national amount of schooling was eleven weeks but was increased in 155 to eighteen weeks. While this act was a step in the right direction there was still much to be done when it came to child labor in the United States. In 1874 a new law concerning the work hours was enacted. The law was called the Ten-hour Law. It was focused on limiting the amount of time that women and those under eighteen to ten-hour work …show more content…
The Law said, “No producer, manufacturer, or dealer shall ship or deliver for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, any article or commodity the product of any mine or quarry, situated in the United States in which within thirty days prior to the time of the removal of such product therefrom children under the age of sixteen years have been employed or permitted to work.” The law also discusses the issue of time worked by children under the ages of fourteen and sixteen-years-old. The children are unable to work over eight hours a day, six days a week. There were also time restrictions on when they could work. They were not to work from six o’clock at night to six o’clock in the morning.
In 1918 the Keating Owen act was deemed unconstitutional. The decision was made by the supreme court in the case Hammer v. Dagenhart. Dagenhart owned a textile mill with his two teenage sons and he fought saying that the law went against the tenth amendment and the fifth amendment. Due to the arguments provided by Dagenhart the court sided with him and deemed the law unconstitutional due to the fact that the government did not have the power to limit the hours worked by children, or the power to regulate the manufacturing of
One of the earliest Child Labor Laws in the United States, was in Massachusetts. The act was passed in 1836 that regarded “the employment and schooling of laboring children.” The act was ratified many times until it was finally done in 1858. There were many ways to prevent underaged child labor as well as overworking children. There were age limitations, hours of a work …show more content…
In 1842, it was added that those under the age of twelve, cannot work more than ten hours in a day. Seven years later, in 1849, the national amount of schooling was eleven weeks but was increased in 155 to eighteen weeks. While this act was a step in the right direction there was still much to be done when it came to child labor in the United States. In 1874 a new law concerning the work hours was enacted. The law was called the Ten-hour Law. It was focused on limiting the amount of time that women and those under eighteen to ten-hour work …show more content…
The Law said, “No producer, manufacturer, or dealer shall ship or deliver for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, any article or commodity the product of any mine or quarry, situated in the United States in which within thirty days prior to the time of the removal of such product therefrom children under the age of sixteen years have been employed or permitted to work.” The law also discusses the issue of time worked by children under the ages of fourteen and sixteen-years-old. The children are unable to work over eight hours a day, six days a week. There were also time restrictions on when they could work. They were not to work from six o’clock at night to six o’clock in the morning.
In 1918 the Keating Owen act was deemed unconstitutional. The decision was made by the supreme court in the case Hammer v. Dagenhart. Dagenhart owned a textile mill with his two teenage sons and he fought saying that the law went against the tenth amendment and the fifth amendment. Due to the arguments provided by Dagenhart the court sided with him and deemed the law unconstitutional due to the fact that the government did not have the power to limit the hours worked by children, or the power to regulate the manufacturing of