Children From Early 20th Century America Probably Worked Harder Than You .m

It was only in the mid 20th century that the US enacted federal standards regarding child labor. We look back on that in photos.

In an attempt to eliminate what it views as a global problem, the Obama administration is currently conducting an investigation on child labor around the world — from Russian children forced into pornography to child tobacco farmers in Nicaragua. The Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has recently opened up a report for public comment, in which it identifies child labor practices in over one hundred countries and suggests ways to end them.

While a gander at these practices is indeed a bit jarring, the truth is that until relatively recently, the United States had its own sordid history with child labor. You can see for yourself in these photos from the Library of Congress:

How The Labor Movement Helped “Create” Childhood

Before Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, there were no federal standards regarding the treatment of child laborers. What this meant was that before this time, employers could pay child laborers even less than adult laborers and subject them to more dangerous conditions given the fact that, as children, they weren’t as likely to protest.

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