Why Do Factory Work In The Late 1800s

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During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, around the same time of the industrial revolution, power-driven machines had taken the place of hand labor. Thousands of factories popped up. Working the power-driven machines did not require adult strength, and children could be hired for less money than adults. In the past, children had always worked, usually on farms. Factory work was much harder. A child working in a factory worked 6 days a week, twelve to eighteen hours a day, only to earn a dollar. The conditions of the factories and other places were terrible. Words often used to describe the conditions were damp, dark, and dirty. Most children began working by the age of 7, heaving heavy loads, working the machines of mills, or working in coal…show more content…
If an employee (child) fell asleep while working, they were often killed if/when they fell into the machine. Similarly, working in the coal mines was just as dangerous for the children. The conditions were horrible and there was little to no safety rules. Being in a coal mine, there was an abundance of explosives. Additionally, the roof caved in numerous times. As a result, many adults and children died or were badly injured. The reason children put up with these unspeakable and horrendous working conditions was their parents were poor and needed money. Or, their parent was not able to support them alone. In 1918 and 1922, the U.S. Congress passed two laws, but the Supreme Court deemed both unconstitutional. In 1924, Congress proposed a constitutional amendment prohibiting child labor, but the states did not ratify it. Finally, on June 25, 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This prohibited anyone less than 18 years of age from working in manufacturing or other dangerous places of work. It also made the minimum age 16 for a child to work during school hours, and allowed employees get paid at least minimum

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