Why was child labor used?

Although children had been servants and apprentices throughout most of human history, child labor reached new extremes during the Industrial Revolution. Children often worked long hours in dangerous factory conditions for very little money. read more

Making child labor illegal is always, always helping children. Yes, poverty is often extreme, but the organization of child labor is a form of slavery. Children who work in mines, mills, and factories have no rights, are at great risk for abuse and often suffer horrible injuries. Make no mistake about it. read more

The minimal role of child labor in the United States today is one of the more remarkable changes in the social and economic life of the nation over the last two centuries. In colonial America, child labor was not a subject of controversy. It was an integral part of the agricultural and handicraft economy. read more