Child Labor Unions In The Late 19th Century

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The late 19th century was a time period marked by free-reign capitalism, which lax government regulations led to abuse of workers by the companies they were employed to. This dysregulation prompted the expansion of unions throughout the US, although primarily in the Eastern industrial states. The union’s lasting effect can been seen through the implementation of strict child labor laws; which were not put in place before the 20th century, but were vastly campaigned by union officials, indeed- they were responsible for giving a platform to allow the disenfranchised minorities a voice they would have not otherwise had; However, unions success was impeded by the violent tendencies of some strikes, as this was detrimental to their public image. All in all, unions did a great deal of benefit towards workers and their rights, by promoting and sponsoring …show more content…
Mandatory schooling had a large influence on the fight to get children out of factories. It was first enacted by the state of Massachusetts, the law requires children under 15 working in factories to attend school at least 3 months/year. By requiring children to attend school, even for just a small part of the year, not only was the state promoting the wellbeing of future citizens, they kept many from the devastating conditions of factories. Not all mass production happens in factories, some companies took advantage of children by making them work inside tenements; however the New York labor movement was able to successfully sponsored legislation prohibiting cigar making in tenements, freeing thousands of children. Just before the turn of the 19th century, the democratic party adopted the union’s recommendations and made the prohibition of workers under 15 being employed by factories. While this was not official legislation, it was a huge step towards a federal bill prohibiting young child