Child Labor During The Progressive Era

Words: 535
Pages: 3

In 1880, when the progressive era struck the united states businesses needed cheap employees and there no cheaper employees than kids. During the progressive era, child labor was at an all time high. Kids had to work all day every day in order to support their family. Since they could not go to school they had no other choice but to do the same work they have been doing since they are a kid. The Progressive was a bad time for kids and kids knew this and decided to do something about it. Child labor in the 1890s and 1900s were harsh times for children. Kids were put up for work for all day every day because they had no time for school. Child laborers were 40% of the workforce because they had to work in order to support their family Also since kids did not have time for school the only thing they did was uneducated work for their entire life because they had no other choice. When the progressive era began child labor boomed across the nation. Since kids could be used cheap many big businesses used them to save tons of money. …show more content…
Places like mills and factories used mostly children to operate their factories and have adults to patrol and watch the children. Children who worked in cotton worked as spinners, doffers, and sweepers. Girls worked as spinners they walked up and down long aisles, brushing lint from machines. Watching the whirling spools or bobbins for a break in the cotton thread. In order to fight back on the threat a person named Lewis Hine. Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and photographer. He took picture of Child labor to show how bad it was. When he took the pictures he wanted everybody to be confused and anger which they were. This act helped the Child Labor cause a lot by showing people how bad it