Child Labor
What type of jobs were children often employed in during the Industrial Revolution?
Semi-skilled jobs, such as cleaning machines and tying fibers in textile factories.
What major economic system emerged during the Industrial Revolution, leading to both wealth and exploitation?
Industrial capitalism.
What was the name of the committee Lewis Hine worked with to end child labor?
The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC).
What was one moral argument against child labor during the Industrial Revolution?
It robbed children of their childhood and education.
Why did child labor remain common in agricultural and colonial societies even as it declined in industrialized nations?
Agricultural societies relied on child labor, and colonial systems exploited cheap labor to produce goods for Western markets.
Who was Lewis Hine, and why is he significant in the fight against child labor?
Lewis Hine was a photographer who used his photography to expose the harsh conditions of child labor in factories.
How did industrial capitalism change the systems of production and distribution?
It led to more large factories and fewer family farms and shops.
What were some of the key reforms that improved working conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
Eight-hour workdays, work-free weekends, minimum wage laws, and workplace compensation.
How did industrial capitalism contribute to child labor in economic terms?
Cheap child labor allowed factories to increase profits while keeping wages low.
In what year did the National Child Labor Committee in the U.S. shut down, and why is child labor still an issue globally today?
The NCLC shut down in 2017, and child labor persists because of economic necessity in many developing countries.
What was the typical wage of a child compared to an adult during the Industrial Revolution?
Children earned about one-tenth of the wage that adults earned.
Why did many families send their children to work during the Industrial Revolution?
Families needed a steady income, and children provided cheap labor.
In which parts of the world were child labor reforms most successful during the 19th and 20th centuries?
The United States and Western Europe.
Why were many governments concerned about the long-term effects of child labor?
Children who worked often suffered poor health and became less effective soldiers or workers later in life.
How did child labor laws differ in industrialized Western nations compared to colonial regions during the 19th century?
Western nations began implementing labor laws that reduced child labor, while colonial regions saw little regulation and continued exploitation of child laborers.