Child labor

The Industrial Revolution:Child Labor

Agriculture

Children have

always

worked as

farmers

alongside

their parents

and families.

Industry in America

As America

grew in

factories and

industry,

children

became an

important

part of the

labor force.

Reasons for Child Labor

•Children were

less expensive

then adults

•Average work

day was eleven

to twelve hours

a day, sometimes

as many as 18

hours, six days a

week.

•Average pay

was one dollar a

week.

Textile Industry

Children as young

as 7 worked in

textiles

By 1800, 2 million

school aged

children worked

50 – 70 hour

weeks.

By 1828, 50% of

Manayunk’s

workers were

under age 15

Chimney Sweeps

Some as young as 3

years old

Sometimes bosses

would under feed the

children to keep them

small.

Many were African

American

Breaker Boys

Worked for 10

hours a day, 6

days a week

in coal mines

Made around

60 cents a day

Newsies

Many orphan

boys worked as

Newsies,

making pennies

on each “pape”

they sold.

They were often

homeless and

relied on each

other for safety

and family.

Conditions

Many children

sustained

injuries from

their work

They would

be beaten and

verbally

abused by

older workers

Conditions

Many injuries

included being caught

in the machinery and

losing limbs or their

life.

Forms of punishment

Weighted: the

overseer would

tie a heavy

weight to a

worker's neck,

and have them

walk up and

down the

factory aisles

so the other

children could

see them and

"take

example."

This could last

up to an hour.

Boys were

sometimes

dragged naked

from their beds

and sent to the

factories only

holding their

clothes, to be

put on there, to

make sure the

boys would not

be late, even

by a few

minutes.

Forms of punishment