child labor
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TRANSCRIPT
The Industrial Revolution:Child Labor
Agriculture
Children have
always
worked as
farmers
alongside
their parents
and families.
Industry in America
As America
grew in
factories and
industry,
children
became an
important
part of the
labor force.
Reasons for Child Labor
•Children were
less expensive
then adults
•Average work
day was eleven
to twelve hours
a day, sometimes
as many as 18
hours, six days a
week.
•Average pay
was one dollar a
week.
Textile Industry
Children as young
as 7 worked in
textiles
By 1800, 2 million
school aged
children worked
50 – 70 hour
weeks.
By 1828, 50% of
Manayunk’s
workers were
under age 15
Chimney Sweeps
Some as young as 3
years old
Sometimes bosses
would under feed the
children to keep them
small.
Many were African
American
Breaker Boys
Worked for 10
hours a day, 6
days a week
in coal mines
Made around
60 cents a day
Newsies
Many orphan
boys worked as
Newsies,
making pennies
on each “pape”
they sold.
They were often
homeless and
relied on each
other for safety
and family.
Conditions
Many children
sustained
injuries from
their work
They would
be beaten and
verbally
abused by
older workers
Conditions
Many injuries
included being caught
in the machinery and
losing limbs or their
life.
Forms of punishment
Weighted: the
overseer would
tie a heavy
weight to a
worker's neck,
and have them
walk up and
down the
factory aisles
so the other
children could
see them and
"take
example."
This could last
up to an hour.
Boys were
sometimes
dragged naked
from their beds
and sent to the
factories only
holding their
clothes, to be
put on there, to
make sure the
boys would not
be late, even
by a few
minutes.
Forms of punishment