Child Labor in the Industrial Era

Child Labor in the Industrial EraWhat happened to child labor in 1900? One of the major issues in this time period was the question of labor laws. The attitude towards child labor at this time was very different from that we have today.It is true that the country experienced great prosperity at this time, but it also meant a lot of working children were produced to support the industrialization meant a rise in demand for agricultural labor. At this time, child labor laws were not established, but employers were very strict with how many children they allowed to work.Children who were caught on the streets or working in factories were punished severely and most children ended up getting burned at the stake. For these reasons, child labor in this time period was not acceptable. This was especially true for farming workers because they could be killed very easily if they tried to leave their place of work.When the Industrial Revolution and growing demand for labor created the beginnings of environmental issues, people started to realize the need for child labor laws and they decided to take action. As a result, there was more consideration on the need for child labor laws. The government decided to protect children by creating laws that prohibited the employment of children under the age of 14 in dangerous occupations.The United States ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the year 1990 and the first of these child labor laws was the Fair Labor Standards Act. This act established minimum standards for children's labor practices. Laws have also been enacted to establish a minimum age for working in hazardous industries.Although laws are still not as strict as they were in the modern era, the United States is still working on creating an environment that is safer for children. If you have a child that has not graduated from high school, he or she may be able to work for a few hours each week as a day laborer. These jobs do not require a certificate o r license.A few parents may feel that child labor in the industrial era is barbaric and unfair. However, there are a lot of benefits to allowing children to work for a short amount of time. Aside from being able to earn money and help support their family, these children learn valuable skills such as how to work efficiently, to communicate, and how to handle the weather.Of course, the best way to avoid child labor in the industrial era is to avoid working in the first place. This is a very good rule to live by, whether you are working or not. You can tell your children to not do something, but when they're teenagers, there is not much you can do to stop them from doing something they think is fun and enjoyable.