The Industrial Revolution was a period where rural societies in Europe and the United States became urban and industrial from the 18th to 19th century. This period was also known as the Progressive Era as well as the Gilded Age. Industrialization determined a shift from farms and agriculture to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. Industrialization lead to an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also resulted in poor working and living conditions for the poor and working classes. The progressive movement worked to protect social welfare, promote fairness, control big business, uphold moral values and promote greater efficiency of government and business.
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Throughout history, children have been used as apprentices and servants; however, child labor reached new lows during the Industrial Revolution. Children were used as laborers because their petite size allowed them to fit into tight spaces in factories or mines where adults couldn’t fit, children were also easier to control and they could be paid less than adults. Child laborers often worked to help support their families. During the Gilded Age, poverty was a huge concern so families were forced to put their children to work. Child labor was seen as acceptable by the government. Florence Kelley was an important figure during the nineteenth century. She was a social and political reformer who advocated for women’s and children’s rights. In a speech given in order to notify the public of the conditions inside the factory, Kelley states, “We have in this country, two million children under the age of sixteen years who are earning their bread - A girl of six or seven years, just tall enough to reach the bobbins, may work eleven hours by day or by night." Kelley was passionate about making a difference for working children of …show more content…
In 1892 she began investigating the conditions in Chicago sweatshops and in the tenements. “There was no floor in this room, and the people were living on the bare earth, which was damp and littered with every sort of rubbish. In another case seven persons were at work in a room 12 by 15 feet in dimensions and with but two windows.” If Kelley had her way, the children would be out of sweatshops and factories and in school. She was always creating projects to help support women and children. For instance, Kelley was always helping out at the Hull House. The Hull House offered day care services, libraries and an employment bureau. It was originally designed as a settlement house for European immigrants and later transitioned to a place of shelter and support for women and children in the later 1800s. Kelley was able to provide a convincing argument that long working days had a devastating effect on the health of children. This was a significant victory not only in regulating child labor, but also in the larger fight to improve working conditions for all of America. Her long battle to stop child labor led to Congress creating the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. It is needless to say that Florence Kelley was a strong independent woman who advocated for what she knew was right rather than turning a blind eye. Lewis Hine was another reformer with similar
Throughout history, children have been used as apprentices and servants; however, child labor reached new lows during the Industrial Revolution. Children were used as laborers because their petite size allowed them to fit into tight spaces in factories or mines where adults couldn’t fit, children were also easier to control and they could be paid less than adults. Child laborers often worked to help support their families. During the Gilded Age, poverty was a huge concern so families were forced to put their children to work. Child labor was seen as acceptable by the government. Florence Kelley was an important figure during the nineteenth century. She was a social and political reformer who advocated for women’s and children’s rights. In a speech given in order to notify the public of the conditions inside the factory, Kelley states, “We have in this country, two million children under the age of sixteen years who are earning their bread - A girl of six or seven years, just tall enough to reach the bobbins, may work eleven hours by day or by night." Kelley was passionate about making a difference for working children of …show more content…
In 1892 she began investigating the conditions in Chicago sweatshops and in the tenements. “There was no floor in this room, and the people were living on the bare earth, which was damp and littered with every sort of rubbish. In another case seven persons were at work in a room 12 by 15 feet in dimensions and with but two windows.” If Kelley had her way, the children would be out of sweatshops and factories and in school. She was always creating projects to help support women and children. For instance, Kelley was always helping out at the Hull House. The Hull House offered day care services, libraries and an employment bureau. It was originally designed as a settlement house for European immigrants and later transitioned to a place of shelter and support for women and children in the later 1800s. Kelley was able to provide a convincing argument that long working days had a devastating effect on the health of children. This was a significant victory not only in regulating child labor, but also in the larger fight to improve working conditions for all of America. Her long battle to stop child labor led to Congress creating the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. It is needless to say that Florence Kelley was a strong independent woman who advocated for what she knew was right rather than turning a blind eye. Lewis Hine was another reformer with similar