Abolishment Of Child Labor Essay

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Accidents often occurred due to the harsh and dangerous working conditions; many of the accidents led to serious injuries and occasionally even death. Machinery often ran so quickly that child sized fingers, arms, and legs could easily get caught, crushed, mangled, or detached.One of the largest problem for children was the unguarded and unsafe machinary. A hospital during this time period reported treatment for nearly a thousand people for wounds and mutilations caused by factory machines every year. A doctor working in Manchester told a parliamentary committee in 1819: "When I was a surgeon in the infirmary, accidents were very often admitted to the infirmary, through the children 's hands and arms having being caught in the machinery; in …show more content…

Swaying the minds of factory owners was a difficult feat because the owners loved child labor and supported the idea that it was good for the economy and character building to the children forced to provide for their families. The parents of the child laborers basically had no choice but to support the work due to the need of the extra income. There were some very important people that fought for the regulation, improvement, and abolishment of child labor despite the consequences. In 1833, the Factory Act began the first steps towards a better work environment. This limited the amount of hours allowed for children to work based on age. Children nine to thirteen were only permitted to work an eight hour shift. Fourteen and eighteen year olds could work no more than twelve hours a day. Also, children under the age of nine were no longer allowed to work at all. This made a huge improvement in the education of the children because they had to go to school for two hours a day at the minimum. Later, in the 20th century, activist went even further to protect the working children. The Hull House was founded by Jane Addams and the Children’s Bureau was established in 1912. This made it possible for child labor to be

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