The Civil Rights movement that I chose to research was the Children’s Rights Movement. This movement took place in the late 19th century to the time of the great depression. The participants of this movement were, Mother Jones, President Taft, Louis Hine, Mrs. Battaglia, and many children. The causes of this movement were that children were mistreated, they were underpaid, and many children got hurt working with the dangerous machines. This movement was successful because the group grew in numbers and they had many protests and marches to show that they stood for a worthy cause.
Children faced many injustices while working at young ages. Children had no health benefits and when they were injured, they lost their job. Even when the children worked very hard and worked their fingers to the bone, they were paid very low wages and they were not even allowed to vote. Most of the children in
America were poorly educated. They worked to support their families and provide their family’s food. The parents of
America sent their kids to work instead of school so that their family could survive.
Children did not want to face these conditions so they had many methods of resistance. Children formed protests, strikes, and marches, with the help of many supporters, including Mother Jones. Mother Jones led the children in their protests and marches. She was one of the greatest supporters of the Children’s Rights Movement. Another leader of the Children’s Rights Movement was Jacob Riis. Jacob Riis took pictures and showed what life was like for children who worked hard all week and got hurt doing their jobs. These methods were successful because the group grew in numbers and became very influential.
One achievement that was made because of the Children’s Rights Movement was the Fair Labor Standards Act. This act did not let children under the age of 14 work full time. It also stated that children had to go to school until they were at least 16 and they must be at the age of 18 to work in any mills or mines. Minimum wage was created and child labor was banned forever.
This movement was important to study because by studying this topic I found out about the struggles and the things that children had to suffer to get me the rights I have today. This movement shows that it does not matter how young or small you are, anyone can rebel against an unjust government. This movement makes me feel how lucky I am to live in the present time, if I was born 100 years ago, instead of sitting in an educational school building, I could have been selling newspapers on a corner in
Manhattan.
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