Child Labor In The 19th Century

The United States economy grew tremendously during the late 19th century. It was a time where new industrial and agricultural technology increased as well as an expanding population, improved transportation, and financial innovation. These new technologies provided agricultural and industrial productivity and the growing cities were home to many new industries where the amount of jobs available increased. The wages for skilled American workers were much higher than in Europe and this attracted millions of immigrants. Unfortunately these immigrants had to face inequality as they weren’t able to obtain the wages they hoped for. These workers are called unskilled workers and they worked in factories for long hours and little pay. The use of child

Because of the successful the United States was enduring, European immigrants made their way over in search for better opportunity. Instead of sharing economic gains like many Americans were getting during this time, these immigrants were left to work in factories as unskilled workers and endured poverty. They would work sixty hour weeks for ten cents an hour. The factories often worked in were cramped and dangerous. There have been many stories about tragic accidents occurring in these factories such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire that included child labor. As a result of this incident “141 young men and women at least 125 of them mere girls were burned to death or killed by jumping to the pavement below”. The fact that most of the people involved in this incident should’ve gave a bad reputation to the factory owner during this time. It even said that there was “one little fire escape in the interior that was resorted to any of the doomed victims” (Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire 1). This factory fire gives an example as to how horrific and unfair the working conditions were for these unskilled workers. This entire factory was run by child labor and it’s hard to imagine how many other factories resorted to the same ideas. The increase of immigrants also coincides with the increase of slums in the urban cities. In New York City, they called these areas

The women of this time generally worked jobs in their younger lives until they grew old enough to be married. Once married, women would generally work in the house preparing meals, doing chores, and care for the kids. This qualified as a form of disrespect, because women weren’t given the same opportunity as men. Although women were free, they were accustomed to working as housewifes and a women would be considered out of place, if they weren’t doing this. Many women during this time understood this idea that women were meant to be housewives and protested against it. Other women had different feelings about this life cycle but didn’t understand the idea. Edna, from Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, is an example of a women who felt she was trapped under the rule of her husband, but she didn’t know how to express her feelings about this. In the last scene of the book when she is about to commit suicide, Edna “thought about Leonce and the children. They were apart of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul” (Chopin 190). In Enda’s final words, she discusses how she wouldn’t let her family control her. Edna didn’t want to drown, but her thoughts took control of her and before she knew it she was too far out to sea. Edna knew for a while that she didn’t want to be controlled by her