Child labor was a time when children had to work to support their families. Children have been mistreated and even injured because they worked on large machines that cut off fingers. Children did this kind of work just to help support their families. Children also worked long hours and workweeks for only small pay. This injustice went on from 1870 to 1938. But there were people like Mother Jones, Kid Blink, Jacob Riis, and many others who stood up for children and their rights. Many failed but it all worked out as the years went on. Now, children go to school and have an opportunity to get education, and we don't have to work under the age of 13. This is possible because of the Children Labor Movement.

  Children were working in dangerous jobs such as coal mines and factories under very unhealthy and unsafe conditions in the 1870's. One economic injustice was when a little girl named Camella Teoli was injured and the mill owners did nothing about this matter. Instead they sped up the machines and decreased workers salaries. 23,000 people went on strike because this little girl was hurt. This was called the Lawrence Mill Strike. Since so many people went on strike, the Mill owners offered their workers higher wages and shorter work week. The whole point of this act was to stop children from working who were under the age of 13 and wanted to make it a law that children must attend school up until the age of 16.

There were many methods of resistance used during the Children’s Labor Movement. Jacob Riis was a photojournalist and he took pictures and wrote about children’s working conditions and horrible tenement life in NYC. He wanted to show the govternment the terrible and poor conditions of their lives. Luis Hines formed a committee to investigate child labors and their families. The govt. sent inspectors to inspect all factories in NYC but factory owners trained children to hide when inspectors come around. This was a big problem because there were only 2 inspectors out of the whole NYC. Children lived and worked on the street and didn't earn salaries. Newsies had to work harder to make money because newspaper companies raised 50 cents for newspapers. In July people like Kid Blink and Mother Jones and newsies went on strike, marched and press. Newsies destroyed newspapers because they didn't want new newsies to sell them. Newspaper companies lowered their prices. In 1886 NY passes the factory act. This act is supposed to stop children from working in factories under the ages of 13.

         A lot of achievements law, court decisions and executive orders were passed.  One act was the Keating Owens act when congress passes a law in 1916. The Keating Owens act prohibited interstate competence of any merchandise that had been made by children under the age of 14, or merchandise that had been made in factories where children between the ages of 14 and 16 worked for more than 8 hours a day, overnight, or worked for more than 6 days a week.

          In conclusion I think this movement is important to study because I think children should know that they have rights and how they have chances to go to school. I feel sad that many people went through a lot just to get me and many others where we are at today, but I am happy and I am very grateful that I get to go to school and have an education and also that many people fought for children rights. If it weren’t for Mother Jones or Kid Blink and many others I would not be here where I am at today.