At the turn of the 20th Century, we were starting to hear arguments against child labor. Do you know what was one of the main arguments for child labor? “Children have always worked.” In other words, this is the way it’s done, so let’s leave it alone. It’s perfectly ethical.
Let’s talk about what child labor meant at the time. We’re not talking about kids doing chores around the house or helping out on the farm. We’re not even talking about youngsters coming into the family business after school to wash dishes or take out trash. We’re talking about sending young teens and children, six or seven years old or earlier, off to work to earn a paycheck. Coal mining. Factory work. Sometimes they worked dangerous jobs because small hands and small bodies can get into tight quarters where adults can’t go. Sometimes they didn’t come home.