Child Labor in Pennsylvania to 1916

Abstract

Child labor was a controversial social and economic issue in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Pennsylvania, a major industrial center during the 18th and 19th centuries, experienced widespread child labor in its factories and mines. This phenomenon was a result of the Industrial Revolution, which led to an increased demand for cheap labor, prompting many families to send their children to work in difficult and dangerous conditions.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social reform movements began to emerge, driven by health and moral concerns about child exploitation. This continued until 1916, when the Keating-Owen Act was passed at the federal level, the first law restricting child labor in the United States. However, this law was later overturned by the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, legislative efforts in Pennsylvania and other states contributed to increased awareness of the issue of child labor, paving the way for stricter legislation in subsequent decades.

This research aims to explore the development of child labor in Pennsylvania up to 1916, focusing on the economic and social causes that led to the spread of this phenomenon, and the efforts made to reduce it.