Women In The Breaker Boys

757 Words4 Pages
Many young girls worked in cotton factories instead of going to school, to help support their families. Many factory owners hired young girls instead of adults because their small, nimble fingers were preferable for spinning cotton. Most girls were paid very little and worked for many hours a day. The work that they did was not too physically demanding, but it was dangerous because many of the machines were moving at a fast speed and were not safeguarded. A girl could possibly lose a finger while brushing lint from the machine or taking out a broken spool or bobbin. Young girls working in a cotton mill spinning cotton into yarn or thread. One young woman describes the harsh punishments other girls faced in the factory. She said that one girl stopped her machine because she wasn’t feeling well. The overlooker came over then knocked the girl to the ground. When the girl tried to stand up, she was knocked down again. The girl was then carried back home and died in her bed. There was another girl who dropped her food can on the floor. The master came over, and kicked her which cause the girl to deteriorate until she died. Another girl was beaten till she went out of her mind. The young woman we interviewed also said…show more content…
Many of the boys were between the ages of 8 and 12. However, some of the boys were as young as 5 or 6 years old. Many Breaker Boys came of immigrant families who needed their children to do any work possible to help support their family. Most children would never attend be able to attend school in their life. The children were only paid 40 to 50 cents a day. The work the boys did was very hard and incredibly dangerous. A boy could have his fingers) cut off from the fast moving machines. Many boys would get cuts on their fingers from the sharp slate that they had to seperate from the coal. Some boys were even crushed to death under the conveyor
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