Child Labor During The Progressive Era

The National Industrial Recovery Act, awarded government contracts for infrastructure projects like building highways, bridges, dams, ports, and sewage plants. Furthermore, it made landmark changes to employment law, creating the 40 hour workweek, setting a minimum age of employment at 16, ensuring collective bargaining rights and setting a first ever national minimum wage. Price declines due to excess production and decreased demand were the main ills of the agricultural sector. The Agricultural Assistance Act, asked farmers to do the unthinkable, plow under fields, refrain from planting fields or raising livestock, and even asked farmers to slaughter their own pigs. Amazingly they had so much faith in FDR, that they complied, and efforts were rewarded with rising profits for

This act was created under the Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 as part of President Delano Roosevelt's New Deal and it was met to set fair standards for businesses when it came to wages, hours and working conditions. Once convicted the Schechter brothers went on to appeal to the Supreme Court. 3) Legal Question Presented: Did the National Industrial Recovery Act give unconstitutional powers to the Executive Branch? Yes. 4)Holding:

During the Gilded age monopolies, which was cause by corruption, gave companies a lot of power resulting in child labor. In reaction to child labor the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was formed. People were receiving low wages right along with poor working conditions. Along with the low wages and

When Cornelius Vanderbilt died he left his $100 million fortune to his son William Vanderbilt and they both had the same attitude. During the Gilded Age these big business and their owners were thought of as being Robber Barons or Captains of Industry. The poor working conditions that were provided, the corruption they led in government, and their use of child labor shows that they were Robber Barons. Children were used in labor to work a lot and most days of the week. Kids as young as 5 often worked as much as 12 to 14 hours a day for barely any pay.

The Roosevelt administration passed the National Industries Recovery Act to secure workers’ rights. However, in the case Schechter V. United States the Supreme Court used Marshall Review to declare this act unconstitutional due to the employees not being involved in interstate commerce. (Doc F) Instead of abandoning its cause, the Administration passed the Wagner Act which reestablished the right to collectively bargain, protected workers’ rights to join unions, and prohibited unfair labor practices. (Doc G) Additionally, programs such as the PWA and CCC employed the public through building infrastructure such as roads and bridges, ultimately reducing unemployment by more than 15% in 5 years.

Darby Lumber Co. a case similar to Hammer vs. Dagenhart, was brought before the Supreme Court. The suit was against Fred Darby the owner of a successful lumber company who had been charged with violating the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 had been over turned in a lower court. This new law created the minimum wage, time and a-half over time pay, set child labor laws that we still benefit from today. One issue was whether Congress had overstepped its constitutional authority in creating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Darby argued that it was not for Congress to ban transportation in interstate commerce as well as violate the 5th Amendment protecting citizens from self-implication by recording of the times and ages of their laborers.

In addition, the NRA forced businesses to provide collective bargaining in good trust with labor unions. Moreover, the NRA secured laborers the right to organize and negotiate with representatives of their own choosing. The act set to raise the minimum wage, limit working hours, and abolish child labor. protections are important examples of Roosevelt’s passion for defending the well-being of workers. Even though the NIRA was later affirmed unconstitutional, Roosevelt’s defense of laborers created powerful unions, positively influenced the American

The court case of Hammer v. Dagenhart is a extremely crucial case over child labor laws and child labor in general. A brief syllabus of the case is that children were working long hours in factories in the early 1900s which were causing health issues for them and just the simple fact that is was these were not fit for children to be operating. Some of the places/worksites that had child labor included mills, factories, industrial workshops and other similar to those with tedious work that adults wouldn't do for the pay they were offering. This took place just prior to the Great Depression and already money was hard to come by. Therefore many of these kids were just trying to support their families and help out with what they could.

Workers were treated terrible with low wages, and even young children were forced to work in dangerous working conditions. Then laws were passed to where workers get paid a good amount

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was federal legislation enacted in 1938 by Congress. The statutes major provisions included creating a national minimum wage, assured "time-and-a-half" for overtime in certain jobs and child labor. These provisions were put in place and endorsed by Congress to stimulate the economy and protect workers. In efforts to ensure the act was enforced, FLSA also created the Wage and Hour Division, which is within the Department of Labor.

Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was a reformer who fought for the rights of workers, including child laborers. She helped everybody, even children to fight against child labor. Finally in 1938, the 1938 federal regulation of child labor is passed in the Fair Labor Standards Act is which allows minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children to be regulated by federal law. The Social Gospel wanted to help the unfortunate get skills, job training, and get themselves the opportunity to get out of poverty. They used social surveys to find the income and employment information of a community.

This political cartoon represents How corrupt child labor was in The Progressive Era. On the left there is two men, who are enjoying them self, by being pushed in a cart by children. On the right there is three children ,who have to push this big cart, with two men on it. There is also an old lady who is helping the children push this cart. The old lady represents, that child labor companies push children into work from a young age till the day they die.

The educated people were serious about the situation of children being forced to work however the voices against this was never risen. The industrial bosses isolated the workplace from the access of journalism and photographers, who they thought could possibly cover the issue in national media and the government would be forced to take the action against it. The image by Lewis Hine which displays the terrible situation of children standing over the functioning machine to get the work done is heartbreaking (The History). The picture is enough to say about the working condition and the safety measures of the contemporary situation. The children who worked on factories had to work 12-18 hours, six days a week for a dollar or often they need to work as long as work is not accomplished.

Child labor during the 18th and 19th century did not only rapidly develop an industrial revolution, but it also created a situation of difficulty and abuse by depriving children of edjucation, good physical health, and the proper emotional wellness and stability. In the late 1700 's and early 1800 's, power-driven machines replaced hand labor for making most manufactured items. Many of America 's factories needed a numerous amount of workers for a cheap salary. Because of this, the amount of child laborers have been growing rapidly over the early 1800s.

Child labor was a great problem in the Industrial Revolution. Factory owners usually hired women and children rather than men. They said that men expected higher wages, and they suspected that they were more likely to rebel against the company. Women and children were forced to work from six in the morning to seven at night, and this was when they were not so busy. They were forced to arrive on time and they couldn’t fall behind with their work because if they did they were whipped and punished.