LAD #29 Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

The Census of 1900 was released and showed that 2 million children were working in mines, factories, fields and stores across the country. People were shocked and outraged with these statistics and people began to try to create change and prevent this from happening. This act used the federal government’s power over interstate commerce power to regulate child labor. The act would ban the sale of any goods from factories that employed children under the age of 14 and mines that employed children under the age of 16 were banned, as well. The Supreme Court then declared this unconstitutional, but eventually the Child Labor Amendment would be passed and would help regulate child labor.

Pictures: I chose a picture of children working in a factory and a picture of men working because adults were also treating poorly while working. While children shouldn't have been working at all because it was a dangerous and not moral, but adults were also put in very harsh and poor working conditions. Especially during the Industrial Revolution, adults worked long hours with little pay, which would eventually lead to the formation of labor unions.