United States 1904

Synopsis

To combat labor practices that trapped children in a cycle of poverty by interfering with their schooling and physical development, progressive reformers established the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) in 1904. Under the leadership of Felix Adler and Alexander McKelway, the nonpartisan organization focused its energies on the businesses that employed large numbers of children under the age of 15 in hazardous tasks, including midwestern coal mines, New England glass factories, Gulf Coast canneries, and southern textile mills. The committee also objected to the large numbers of children in the street trades, holding jobs such as selling newspapers and providing messenger services. The NCLC successfully used photographs of children, most taken by Lewis Hine, to stimulate public debate about the issue of child labor, but the committee failed to muster enough support for nationwide laws banning labor practices harmful to children...