The Gilded Age And The Progressive Era

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The period immediately following the American Civil War is a period often associated with industrialization and sweeping reforms. It is also a period where millions of immigrants made their way to the United States in search for a better life. However, after being pushed to accept poor living conditions and low wages, some families, both domestic and immigrant, were forced to send their children into the workforce just to be able to have enough income to survive. With the presence of children becoming increasingly common in the workforce during this time, things began to decline as far as the conditions they were forced to work in, as well as the rights that they were allowed as workers. Children during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era …show more content…

Although receiving and education from a public school system was seen as a good way to incorporate immigrant children into America, most immigrants were only capable of attending school only part time. With such an influx in uneducated workers, certain companies began to take the education of their workers into their own hands. Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) formed the Sociological Department in 1901 in order to improve the lives of their miners and their families. Although the Sociological Department started out schooling the miners in order to teach them English, it shortly began setting education standards for the miner’s children by regulating curriculum and encouraging company-sponsored activities. These programs became a way to Americanize the children, and teach them “what CF&I envisioned as the ideal life for employees’ families.” CF&I began urging immigrant families to begin their children’s education in kindergarten. “CF&I envisioned industrial labor as a component of their educational programs…so they could be taught the English language and the importance of industrial labor.” While the younger students attended camps that produced things such as baskets, woodcarvings, and rug weaving, older students were taught skills that would be helpful in industrial labor jobs, specifically within CF&I. Unfortunately; most children were not capable of reaching higher levels of education due to the fact that mining families frequently

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