Child Labor Key Ideas
What is child labor?
The inhumane use of a child working
Children would help their families with this work, it involves live stock and agriculture.
farming
Why'd many children work instead of going to school during the Industrial Revolution?
needing to make money for their families/poverty
machines and adults
What common problem did children get from working very long hours?
they became very tired and exhausted.
what age would they start working?
5-10 years old
Kids during child labor helped by doing small, repetitive jobs like cleaning machines, carrying materials, and fixing threads to keep production going.
factories
Which families typically got educated?
people who were well off/wealthy
_____ was the biggest reason child labor decreased.
economic pressure
Why did many child workers become sick or weak over time?
Because they worked too much and did not get enough rest or food.
When did it start dying down?
1930s
Children during child labor helped by serving meals, washing dishes, and cleaning tables in places where people ate.
food service
As child labor began declining, ______ became more common and helped kids to get out of factories.
schooling
Child labor laws were often ignored because inspections were rare and many children worked in this way
informal employment
What kinds of injuries could children get from unsafe machines?
Cuts, broken bones, or crushed fingers.
How much did they get paid an hour on average?
5 cents per hour (depending on the type of work.)
Children dug coal underground and were exposed to dust, poor air quality, and cave-ins.
mining
Even though schooling was more and more common, when would children still work?
before/after school, and for family business
Groups like labor unions and this organization helped push for laws protecting children.
national child labor committee
How did breathing in dust or smoke affect children’s health?
It caused breathing problems and lung issues.
name 2 jobs/places they would work
factories, farms, mining, manufacturing, and food service.
Children during child labor helped by running machines, assembling products, and doing repetitive tasks for very low pay.
manufactoring
This law helped shift kids from the workforce to classrooms
fair labor standards act of 1938
This person's story helped expose the harsh realities of child labor
Matthew Crabtree
Why did child labor sometimes cause children to grow more slowly?
Because poor working conditions and lack of nutrition hurt their development.